Ryuichi Kiyonari takes a one-point lead over Gregorio Lavilla into the double race penultimate round at the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park on Sunday 25 September and that should ensure a fast, frantic and fierce 'shoot-out' for supremacy.
Neither rider can afford to lose as they power into the action at the Leicestershire Grand Prix circuit for races that could provide the decisive action in the chase for the country's premier crown.
The way was paved for this terrific 'winner takes all' confrontation which was set-up earlier in the month at Oulton Park where the exciting 22-year-old Japanese rider charged his HM Plant Honda to a winning double, taking the second race of the day at the Cheshire circuit by inches, or officially 0.004 seconds, from Lavilla.
That fast, desperate dash to the finish line by Kiyonari gave him the lead in the title stakes over his Airwaves Ducati rival who could hardly believe he had been beaten, as he had held the advantage going into the final corner.
Those heroics put Kiyonari on course to become the first Japanese rider to win the British crown, already he has won a dozen times this season, but a couple of crashes have cost him dearly, allowing first his team-mate Michael Rutter and then Lavilla to head the points tables.
Rutter, having ridden strongly for much of the season, has lost the initiative with a run of ill-fortune that has seen him tip-off his bike in each of the last three rounds and now he is playing 'catch-up', trailing the leading duo by 36 points, and a mountain to climb if he is to secure the title that he has come so close to claiming in recent years.
Twice the runner-up in the series, Rutter knows that he too has to go all out for victories, but given the pace and confidence of both Kiyonari and the 30-year-old Spaniard Lavilla, that is a tough order.
Kiyonari, who has already sealed one major prize, winning the £30,000 Audi Quattro Performance Award, as a result of his consistent speed over qualifying and racing, has a simple strategy: "Win races, ride hard, finish well, in that way the championship takes care of itself." He knows the Donington circuit well, having enjoyed his first victories in the series there, chalking up a winning double in the finale to the 2004 season.
Meanwhile, Lavilla is keeping a cool head as the series nears its climax: "As I've said all along, I feel no extra pressure and I feel comfortable on the bike at the moment. I'm happy with my recent performances, I always thought I would get better and better with more time on the Ducati. If everything goes well, I will be looking to challenge for race wins and hopefully finish in front of Kiyonari. I will be giving 100% and will be concentrating on challenging for race wins."
