Español

Your shopping cart is empty

Ten Kate Honda >> Kiyonari seeks further success in South Africa

May 14 2009

Ten Kate Racing - Nieuwsbrief

Less than a week after his superb double podium finish at Monza, Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari is looking for more this weekend in round six of the 2009 World Superbike championship at Kyalami in South Africa.
Kiyonari demonstrated in Monza the form that took him to three wins in his rookie WSBK season last year. Despite qualifying in third place on the grid, the affable Japanese rider got a dreadful start in the restarted first race, ending the first lap in 16th position.

However, grit and determination took Kiyonari through the field to fifth place. With Ben Spies running out of fuel and Max Biaggi penalised 20 seconds for cutting a chicane, a surprised Kiyonari found himself promoted to third. Race two was more emphatic, however, and the 26-year-old former double British Superbike champion climbed the podium entirely on merit.
Running in Ten Kate Honda Racing colours this year, with support from Honda Genuine Accessories, Kiyonari visited Kyalami for the first time with his team during a test last December. He admits that he is not the quickest at learning new circuits and therefore hopes to be well prepared for the World Superbike championship’s return to the 4.26km circuit near Johannesburg after a seven-year absence.

Ryuichi Kiyonari
I am still very happy from the two visits to the podium at Monza last Sunday and I would like to thank my team again for all the hard work they have done to give me such a good bike to ride. I want more again at Kyalami this week but I know we will all have to work even harder now, especially the rider! I liked the circuit at Kyalami and did many laps when we tested there at the end of last year. I was not as fast as I would like to be but it was good to spend some time getting to know the circuit – hopefully this will allow us to concentrate on finding the right setting for this weekend and then I will go fast!

HANNspree Ten Kate Honda is sponsored by Hotbodies Racing and uses our windscreens and bodywork on all of their bikes. Hotbodies Racing specializes in manufacturing high-performance parts for high-performance sportbikes, and is the North American distribution of KR Tuned performance parts. Hotbodies Racing is the market leader in Undertails, Huggers, Windscreens, Flush-Mount Signals, Megaphone Exhausts and full-race Bodywork. Hotbodies Racing supports the sport with sponsorship around the world and encourages dealer and distributor inquiries. For more information visit: www.HOTBODIESRACING.com.