Kio delighted to triumph under pressure
Added on Monday, October 11th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Kio delighted to triumph under pressure
Ryuichi Kiyonari put in a superb performance in the Oulton Park triple header to take the British Superbike Championship title yesterday but admitted that he was feeling the pressure going into Sunday’s third and final race.
The Japanese rider, who returned to BSB from World Superbikes, claimed his third BSB crown with the clean sweep yesterday and was understandably thrilled at his achievement, which equals Neil MacKenzie’s haul of three BSB titles.
“Saturday’s race was awesome and the first race today was good for me but I was feeling more nervous ahead of the last race as I felt that the pressure was on me and that I had more to lose,” he claimed. “It was a good race and I wanted to win so badly.
“The second race I was pushing hard as I knew that the others needed the win, but it feels a relief now as the win was enough to be champion again. It has been a big fight all season and all the other riders haven’t made it easy for me all year.
“It has been tough and there have been good and bad moments but now I can relax. The championship means as much to me as the others and I have to thank everyone for their support and the team for their hard work.”
