The fifth round of the British Superbike Championship at Knockhill produced a weekend of mixed emotions for the HM Plant Honda team as Shane 'Shakey' Byrne extended his advantage in the overall championship standings, whilst Jason O’Halloran was injured in a crash on the opening lap of the National Superstock 1000 Championship race.

In the opening BSB race of the day, Shakey powered through from ninth on the grid following his small crash in qualifying, to fight his way up the order to close in on a podium finish and, despite pressuring for second, he secured another podium finish in third place. Ryuichi Kiyonari meanwhile secured a top ten finish from his third row start to score valuable points for his title bid.

In race two Shakey fought hard throughout the race for the win, however a strong second place in race two means he now has a 31 point lead in the championship and takes his tally of podium credits to 15 ahead of the next round at Snetterton. Kiyo was also able to make further improvements with the setting of the HM Plant Honda Fireblade to finish fourth which elevated him back inside the top six in the overall standings.

In the National Superstock 1000 Championship Jason O’Halloran was determined to secure his first victory of the season for HM Plant Honda, however his challenge was brought to an abrupt end when he crashed with several riders at the first turn on the opening lap. The heavy crash caused a red flag and the Australian was taken to the Queen Mary Hospital in Dunfermline. Examination discovered that Jason suffered some internal injuries, resulting in an operation being necessary to remove his spleen on Sunday evening. He further has damage and swelling to his left kidney although doctors hope the bruising will subside on its own, and the next few days will determine any further course of action that may need to be taken. The young Aussie also sustained a broken left leg just above his ankle and will undergo surgery later in the week to pin this. The HM Plant Honda team will post updates of Jason’s progress on http://www.honda-racing.co.uk over the coming few weeks.

Shakey said:

"It is great to be back on the podium again for HM Plant Honda in both races and I have to say at one point that I thought maybe I could get passed John Hopkins in the first race for second, so I just kept pushing. In race two Tommy just had that bit more than me. I was pushing as I knew that otherwise he would get away at the front and then there were the safety car moments and I realised that John (Hopkins) was out. I wanted the win but the points and podium credits are so vital to the championship and you can't lose sight of that. As well as trying to pass Tommy, I was trying to keep Michael (Laverty) behind me and he kept me honest in that race. We now need to get to another track where we can get them back! I have to thank the HM Plant Honda team for the hard work at the weekend as the conditions were changing all the time and wet or dry we were up there with the Fireblade where we needed to be. I want to also wish Jason all the best for a speedy recovery."

Kiyo said:

“It was a better weekend for us and we are getting closer to being perfect again now. In race one it was the first time we had run a slick tyre and I struggled a little with the grip but then we made some changes in race two and it was much better; I felt confident that I could push again and the machine balance was how I like it. I was confident that I could pass the other riders and I feel that we have solved the problems that we have had at the other rounds recently. I am looking forward to Snetterton now and trying again for a podium.”

Team Manger Havier Beltran concluded:

“It was another weekend of mixed feelings really for HM Plant Honda. For Shakey he had another two good, strong races and still has that slight advantage in the championship ahead of Snetterton, although we cannot be complacent. For Kiyo, he showed he was getting back to where he needs to be and was putting in some determined moves to work his way through to finish fourth in race two. Obviously it is hugely unfortunate for Jason to have been injured in the Superstock race and he will now have a period of recovery before being back racing with the team. It was all starting to come together for him ahead of the race and everyone at HM Plant Honda and Honda (UK) wishes him a speedy recovery from his injuries."

The team now heads back to base in Louth to prepare the HM Plant Honda Fireblades ahead of the sixth round of the season – the halfway point – at Snetterton in Norfolk on 1-3 July.