Ryuichi Kiyonari is concentrating on winning races and not the title itself as the BSB Championship enters its most crucial phase.
BSB joint-leader concentrating on race wins for now
Ryuichi Kiyonari says he is concentrating on winning races and not the title itself as the British Superbike Championship enters its most crucial phase.
This weekend's round at Croft is the first in the six-way Showdown, a new-for-2010 system that sees the top six riders start afresh for the final three rounds of the season.
They are each handed 500 points plus any extra points gained from podium finishes, with three for a win, two for a second place and one for third.
The HM Plant Honda rider, who won the title in 2006 and 2007, now lies level on points with Worx Suzuki racer Tommy Hill at the head of the standings, with team-mate Josh Brookes just a point behind in third.
Michael Rutter is just 15 points adrift of top spot on his Ducati with Relentless Suzuki pair Michael Laverty and Alastair Seeley one point and five points further back respectively.
Kiyonari did not win in either of the last two rounds at Brands Hatch and Cadwell Park and knows that will have to change if he is to take a third title.
"At the moment I am not thinking so much of the championship and my focus is on winning races, as I want to be first and I have been on the podium at the last few rounds but not won for a few races now," the Japanese rider told the British Superbike website.
"I think after Croft I will look more towards the championship but there are seven races in the Showdown and we need to be trying to win all of them as otherwise I will not be happy.
"I feel that with each round we have been improving and getting faster; the HM Plant Honda is working much better and the whole team are working hard together to put us up there.
"I think now it is down to my riding and I will be doing all I can to win and beat the other riders. Croft is a difficult track with the bumps, but this is the same for all of us and I need to be back at the front this weekend."
Good weekend
Hill is also hopeful of a good weekend after taking a win and a second place at Cadwell Park.
He told
crash.net: "The GSX-R1000 is now exactly how I want it, as I've said before, it feels like my bike again.
"We've got a little more we could yet do to it and our last test was all positive, but really it now comes down to my riding to complete the job.
"So at Croft I think I'd like same again or just go one better, a double win would certainly go down well."
