Round 12: Donington Park Race report
The final countdown
 A
thrilling penultimate round of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike
Championship has ensured that the series title chase will
go down to the wire for the final event at Brands Hatch. Third-placed
Leon Haslam secured his first double victory at his home circuit
to close the gap between himself and series leader Kiyonari
to 41 points.
With 50 points still up for grabs on 14 October, the final
two races will prove to be the decider for the second consecutive
year. Kiyonari and HM Plant Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea both
suffered misfortune in the two 20-lap races at the 2.5-mile
Leicestershire circuit.
The opening race saw Haslam pass Rea for the race lead on
lap 12, but an aggressive manouevre by Rea to try to regain
the lead forced him to run off the track – almost taking
Haslam out in the process. The Ulsterman rejoined, but it
was the Airwaves Ducati rider who once again forced his way
to the front of the pack. Kiyonari crashed out on lap 15,
which had a serious impact on his overall points tally.
Race two proved no more successful for the duo with Kiyonari
highsiding and running off the track at Redgate on lap 13
before recovering composure. The Japanese rider rejoined in
fourth position and tried to work his way through the field,
but was forced to settle for third place behind Haslam and
Sykes. Rea was slowly pushed back through the field and eventually
finished in seventh place.
However, the second victory was a harder fought one for Haslam,
who made a mistake on the final corner of the final lap in
race two. The local rider regained the lead with just seconds
to spare. Other British riders proving their capabilities
included Tom Sykes, Shane Byrne and Chris Walker.
British Superbike Championship race results
Race one: 1. Leon HASLAM (Airwaves Ducati)
30:37.871; Tom SYKES (Stobart Honda) +1.416; 3. Shane BYRNE
(Stobart Honda) +1.626.
Race two: 1. Leon HASLAM (Airwaves Ducati)
30:35.829; Tom SYKES (Stobart Honda) +0.056; 3. Ryuichi KIYONARI
(HM Plant Honda) +3.416.
British Superbike Championship standings after round
12
1. Ryuichi KIYONARI 404; 2. Jonathan REA 367; 3. Leon HASLAM
363; 4. Gregorio LAVILLA 318; 5. Shane BYRNE 283; 6. Tom SYKES
270; 7. Chris WALKER 206; 8. Leon CAMIER 199; 9. Tommy HILL
135; 10. Cal CRUTCHLOW 125.
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