The HM Plant Honda team will begin their title assault this Easter weekend when the British Superbike Championship gets underway at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit.

Josh Brookes is back onboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade for a second season with the team following his fourth place in last year’s crusade and has been one of the early pace-setters in pre-season testing. He is joined in the garage by retuning double BSB champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, who makes a fond return to the Kent circuit where he previously lifted his two championship title victories.

Completing the HM Plant Honda line-up is reigning British Supersport champion Steve Plater, who will now line up on the fiercely-competitive National Superstock 1000 grid.


Brookes said,

“I haven’t actually had a BSB race on the Indy circuit yet, but I am familiar with the track from when I raced in the World Superbike and Supersport Championships as it forms the majority of the full Grand Prix layout. We have been strong in testing and the HM Plant Honda is already an improvement on what we raced last season as there have been changes to the engine characteristics and suspension for 2010. We can see from testing that we have the potential. The times we have been running have been up the sharp end but I know we still have more to come.

“There is always a lot of emphasis on the opening round of the championship as you always have lots of speculation on how everyone is going to perform after pre-season testing. What you have to remember is that testing is one thing and those performances don’t always translate to the race. At the first round you do get slightly nervous beforehand as it proves once and for all where everybody is at on track. The talking stops, and how you perform on track speaks for itself. It is the time to bring out the big guns and make the most of the opportunities. I certainly won’t be happy unless I'm at the front.”

Kiyonari said,

“I am feeling excited about Brands Hatch as I am really pleased to be back racing in BSB. I have said it before but I am really happy about coming back to the HM Plant Honda team as I feel like I have come home. We have done lots of testing and the bike feels completely different to the one I rode when I won the championship in 2007. It has different engine characteristics, different suspension and also runs on Pirelli tyres.

“The Brands Hatch Indy circuit can be difficult as it is very close and the laps go fast so I think qualifying is going to be very important there. I really like Brands Hatch as there is always a big crowd and I have missed Paddock Hill Bend! The tests have gone well in Spain and Cadwell Park and the Fireblade is getting better all the time. We still have some improvements to make, but we can do this at Brands Hatch as we have the extra session on Good Friday. I am ready for the comeback!”

Plater said,

"Testing has gone well for us and we recently had a really positive day of testing at Brands Hatch, which gave me the chance to adjust to the Superstock specification Fireblade. I am feeling happy ahead of this weekend as we left the Brands Hatch test with a strong set-up so if the weather is kind to us Bank Holiday Monday we should be on for a good opening race."

HM Plant Honda Team Manager, Havier Beltran, concluded,

“The whole team is eager to get the season underway now, especially after such positive pre-season tests both in Spain and at Cadwell Park last week. We had a lot to work through during the winter break with the new engine management system and also the new suspension package, but both Josh and Kiyo have utilised the track time to make good progress. It has been a long winter but we have high expectations for this season in both the Superbike and Superstock classes so now we are looking forward to getting our championship campaign off to the best possible start at Brands Hatch.”

Track action from round one of the British Superbike Championship commences this Good Friday, 2 April, with the races taking place on Easter Monday rather than on the traditional Sunday race day.

Racing action can be seen live on British Eurosport on Monday 5 April from 12.30 to 17.30, with highlights programmes available on ITV the following week.