HANNspree riders gear up for Brands
 Following
a mixed bag of results at the ninth round of the 2008 HANNspree
Superbike World Championship at Brno, the HANNspree-supported
riders visit the UK this weekend for the tenth round at Brands
Hatch.
HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari scored
positive fifth and sixth place finishes at the last event
in the Czech Republic and is looking forward to the first
British round of the season in Kent. Twenty-five-year-old
‘Kiyo’ knows the 3.7km Brands Hatch circuit well,
having competed in the British Superbike Championship for
three years where the track is a firm fixture on the calendar.
The double British Superbike Champion made his debut in the
world series this year and has shown significant improvement
aboard the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade over
the course of the season. Kiyonari hopes to score two podium
finishes this weekend to boost his position in the championship
standings overall.
Kiyo’s team-mate Carlos Checa had less luck at Brno
– finishing eighth in race one and retiring from race
two with a technical problem. However, the 35-year-old Spaniard
has already made his mark on this year’s series since
his move from the MotoGP class, and has been a regular frontrunner
throughout the season. Checa is currently fourth in the championship
standings – 94 points adrift of leader Troy Bayliss.
However, with five rounds and a maximum 250 points left up
for grabs, the title is still undecided.
Third HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu achieved
two morale-boosting results at Brno two weeks ago. The 2007
World Supersport Champion has struggled to get to grips with
the larger capacity Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade this season,
but since the test at Vallelunga, has been in a more positive
frame of mind. The young Turkish rider scored two tenth place
finishes in the Czech Republic – his best overall result
of the season so far – and hopes to continue his run
of success at Brands Hatch.
Meanwhile, HANNspree Honda Althea’s Roberto Rolfo is
also looking to score his best result at Brands Hatch this
weekend. Although he was unable to complete race one at Brno,
his 12th place finish in the second race added vital points
to his championship tally. The 28-year-old Italian broke his
collarbone in May, which had an impact on his results during
the first half of the season.
Championship standings after nine rounds
1. T. Bayliss 309
2. M. Neukirchner 230
3. T. Corser 218
4. C. Checa 215
5. N. Haga 210
6. F. Nieto 161
7. R. Xaus 148
8. M. Fabrizio 147
9. M. Biaggi 146
10. R. Kiyonari 115
16. K. Sofuoglu 44
20. R. Rolfo 24
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