Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider Shane Byrne claimed pole for tomorrow’s opening MCE British Superbike Championship race with a blistering lap time of 48.333 seconds. That lap, would give Byrne the outright lap record in the Superbike class if he manages to recreate the same pace on Sunday.
Credit: www.power-images.co.uk
However, hot in Byrne’s wheel tracks was Aussie, Josh Brookes; returning to short circuit racing following his heroics at the Isle of Man TT. Brookes also dipped below lap record pace himself by posting a 48.343s lap of his own in Q3 of the Extreme Datatag ID qualifying session. Samsung Honda’s, Alex Lowes completes the three-pronged front row grid with John Kirkham, Ryuichi Kiyonari and PJ Jacobsen filling the 2nd row berths.
In an exhilarating qualifying session which saw a number of riders progress through each session by the skin-of-their-teeth. In Q1, James Ellison left it to the very last lap to make it into the top 18 for Q2; whilst Keith Farmer, won a six-rider shoot-out to claim a spot in the final session of the day. Ellison later admitted on BSB radio:
“We were really struggling today, but we found something in that last session which gives us hope for tomorrow.”
Byrne was more than happy with his performance, commenting:
“I was really pleased with that. l knew the times would be quick and when l went for my second lap and saw my board l was well pleased.
“It’s great to be on pole, some of the teams have done a few laps around here recently; so for us to come here and stick it on pole is good. Our race pace is also really good and l’m looking forward to tomorrow’s races.”
Tomorrow’s track action kicks off at 08.45am with a series of warm up sessions for various classes. Racing action will start at the revised time of 10.05am, to accommodate the re-scheduled Eastern Airways British Sidecar Championship race cancelled from today.
Credit: www.power-images.co.uk
You can pre-book tickets in advance up to midnight this evening saving a few pound on the gate price. All tickets will be subject to box office collection, located on the main drive on the right hand side. You can also purchase tickets at the gate tomorrow – check here for all pricing!
See additional event info here.
For all the latest feedback from today’s qualifying be sure to check out the MCE British Superbike Championship website.
Roll on tomorrow, it’s all shaping up to be a classic.