Ryuichi Kiyonari will make his return to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this weekend, as he steps in for the injured Dan Linfoot at Honda Racing.
The three-time BSB Champion has been riding for the Moriwaki Honda squad in the Japanese Superbike Championship for the last two seasons following a tough second stint in the British series. Kiyonari is familiar with the Honda team, having won all three of his championships with them – 2006, 2007 and 2010.
The 35-year-old stands in for Linfoot, who suffered a broken C6 vertebrae in a free practice crash at Brands Hatch three weeks ago.
Speaking about his return, Kiyonari said:
“I am sorry to hear about Dan, and first of all I wish him a speedy recovery. I am happy to fill for him at Oulton Park with the team I have been racing with for a long time. BSB is a like a home to me and I am thrilled to be back racing with the boys again. I have been on the Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR since last season and with the team we know each other well. I will do my best to finish high up in the races.”
Kiyoanri has a great record around the Cheshire circuit and is the most successful rider in the track’s history, with 12 race wins to his name.
Team manager Havier Beltran added:
“It’s great to have Kiyo back with us for Oulton Park and I can’t think of anyone better suited to fill in for Dan. Kiyo has a lot of history with Honda and this team, and it’s good that he knows most of the guys so it won’t take him long to get settled back in. He’s a very talented rider and Honda has always had an extremely high regard of his skills as a racer, and his long-term experience with the Fireblade will surely help the team.”
The racing action at Oulton Park will take place on Bank Holiday Monday (May 7), with race one scheduled to start at 13:30 and race two due to begin at 16:30.
