After an eventful qualifying session at Knockhill today (Saturday 23rd June) it was Swan Yamaha rider Tommy Hill who secured the P1 spot for the first MCE British Superbike race tomorrow. Hill who hadn’t quiet been as dominant as he was last year around Knockhill, finally forced his way to the top of the time sheets with a stunning time of 48.785 seconds, a time, almost in sight of Shane Byrne’s lap record (48.474s).
“That pole is all down to the team, they just made the bike as light as possible and that’s what made the time. We’ve done our job, done what we needed to do really. It’s important to be on the front row around here, let’s see what we can do tomorrow,” said Hill afterwards.
Not to be undone, Samsung Honda rider Michael Laverty has been one of the major riders all weekend. He also managed to navigate the circuit in a sub 49 second lap (48.853s) to take the 2nd slot on the grid, despite a fall late in the session when he was pushing for pole, Laverty heads to tomorrow in confident mood, he commented:
“Just a little slide, l made a few mistakes and was probably just pushing too hard. P2 is good, we’ve been quick in the wet and the dry, so we know we’ll be up there whatever the weather tomorrow.”
Lining up alongside Hill and Laverty will be Australian, Josh Brookes. Brookes who currently leads the Championship by a single point was happy enough with his qualifying performance. Brookes has been a strong performer around Knockhill over the past few years and will be determined to leave on Sunday with a few podiums under his belt.
He said: “Front row, that’s an achievement, l made a lot of mistakes out there but Tommy’s time is impressive. The tarmac is 100% out there, l was just a bit nervous going over the kerbs, but still did my best lap on that final run. I’m looking forward to the races now.”
And what races they promise to be, having already had seven different winners this season, the top four riders in the Championship occupy the first four slots on the grid. To say we’re excited about tomorrow’s races is an understatement.
Advanced tickets will be available until midnight tonight (box office collect), alternatively tickets will be available on the gate.
Click here to see the timetable for tomorrow and here for all the reaction on the Official BSB website.
We can only hope you’ll join us for all the action.