After a brief break from the racing calendar, the Bennetts Suzuki team is back in action this weekend, as the MCE British Superbike series heads north to Knockhill for round four of the championship.

The weekend will mark Ryuichi Kiyonari’s return to racing after he suffered a broken collarbone during free practice at Brands Hatch. The three-time British Superbike champion was sitting at the top of the time sheets in FP2 before crashing at Graham Hill, and has spent the last four weeks in his native Japan recovering. Despite missing the test at Snetterton to allow a longer recuperation period, he is confident of being able to pick up where he left off and have a competitive weekend.

Fresh from a podium finish at the previous round and a positive two-day test at Snetterton, Tommy Bridewell heads into the weekend looking to continue his run of form and add more podium credits to his tally, as he pushes for a spot in the championship’s Showdown.


Ryuichi Kiyonari, 

“My collarbone is feeling strong. It's not 100%, but I feel comfortable. In Japan I was in a hyperbaric chamber everyday and also had laser treatment to speed up my recovery. I feel strong enough and fit enough to ride. I have been training so everything should be okay. At Brands, before my crash, my feeling on the bike was very good. Even though I missed the Snetterton test I have great confidence in the team and the bike, and if my feeling is the same at Knockhill, then I think we can be near the front.”

Tommy Bridewell, 

“I’m looking forward to getting back to racing now. We had a good test at Snetterton, tried lots of different things and made some real improvements to the bike. We also got a wet session as well, which was beneficial too, especially as the weather can be unpredictable at Knockhill. We had a bit of a difficult start to the season, but that feels like a long time ago now. We showed at Brands our real potential, and now the plan is to build on that and fight for wins.”

Team Owner, Martin Halsall, 

“It feels like it’s been a while since we were gearing up for a race weekend, but after the break we’re itching to get going again. We’re looking forward to welcoming Kiyo back to the garage. The gap in the calendar has been beneficial for him and has allowed him to take a bit of time to get himself fit. It’s still only been a month or so, but we’re looking for a solid weekend from him and a good haul of points.

“Tommy’s coming into this weekend off the back of a good result at Brands Hatch and a positive test at Snetterton, where he topped the opening session before working on some big adjustments to the bike. He’s really starting to show both his and the team’s potential, and our target is now the podium at every round and a place in that Showdown.”