Well-earned double podium for JR at Oulton Park RIZLA SUZUKI’S John Reynolds battled for the top honours in both of today’s Superbike races at the 11th round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire, eventually scoring two third place podium finishes. Three riders managed to breakaway from the pack in both races reigning Champion JR, Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla and Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari. Clearly the class of the field, they set a blistering pace and enjoyed some of the closest racing of the season so far, with Kiyonari eventually prevailing to take two wins. Rizla Suzuki ace James Haydon started from ninth place on the grid and finished sixth in the opening event before retiring out of the second race after being hit by another rider in the first corner and having his brake lever broken, rendering his Rizla Suzuki unrideable. Young Suzuki privateer James Buckingham won the British Superbike Championship Cup today, wrapping the title up with two rounds to spare on his GSX-R1000. You can catch highlights of all of the action on Channel 4 next weekend. Rizla Suzuki will be racing again in the 12th round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park in Leicestershire on Sunday, September 25th. John Reynolds: “Those were two hard-fought races and I enjoyed them both immensely. It is the first time this year that we have been able to run at the front and I must say a big thank you to my team for providing me with such a fast race bike. “We have improved my Rizla Suzuki with virtually every lap this weekend and I have also raised my game and pushed harder than before. We now know we can run at the front and we are not far away from moving up the podium. I certainly want to make the two short steps to the top of the rostrum before the end of the season.” James Haydon: “I am absolutely gutted. After the first race we knew we had the pace to run at the front and I was focused on a good start. I got away okay but then in the first corner another rider ran into me and snapped my brake lever. I went on for another couple of laps trying to ride around the problem but there was no chance and I was forced to retire. “That’s pretty hard to swallow as we have been competitive all weekend. My Rizla Suzuki is sorted it’s doing what I want it to and my crew and team deserved a better result. Roll on the next round and a bit more luck with it”¦” Robert Wicks, Team Manager: “It’s been a great effort from the team today and another two podiums are a well-earned just reward for JR’s performances. He was able to run at the front with the two main Championship contenders and that gives us all great heart. He felt a bit weaker through the slow corners than his rivals but was able to catch them up through the faster sections. We’ll work on improving that for him in time for the next round. “James did a good job with a strong sixth place finish in race one. His lap times were quick and we were all convinced if he got a better start he could be in contention for the podium. Unfortunately we never got to find out as a broken brake lever meant he couldn’t use the front brake and he was forced to retire. He suffered the same problem during the team’s first visit to Oulton Park earlier this year and that’s just pure bad luck. “We need to direct more focus at our qualifying performances. If James had qualified on the front or second row of the grid then he may have avoided being struck by a slower rider and collected results more representative of his true race pace. “Momentum is building for Rizla Suzuki and with two rounds to go we are more competitive than ever this year. We are looking forward to Donington Park in a fortnight’s time.” Race One Result: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 29:15.364, 2: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +2.287, 3: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +3.511, 4: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +4.295, 5: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +5.178, 6: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) +12.521, 7: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +13.954, 8: Karl Harris (Honda) +14.836, 9: Gary Mason (Honda) +14.893, 10: Michael Rutter (Honda) +15.122. Race Two Result: 1: Kiyonari 29:14.768, 2: Lavilla +0.004, 3: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +2.365, 4: Haslam +4.613, 5: Harris +13.776, 6: Hill +13.860, 7: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +16.942, 8: Richards +17.846, 9: Mason +22.432, 10: Steve Plater (Honda) +30.739. Championship Points after 11 of 13 Rounds: 1: Kiyonari 367, 2: Lavilla 366, 3: Rutter 330, 4: Haslam 269, 5: Richards 218, 6: Harris 188, 7: Thomas 159, 8: Mason 141, 9: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 128, 10: Michael Laverty (Honda) 113, 12: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) 99.