HM Plant Honda's Shane Byrne used his final lap of the final British Superbike free practice session at Croft this morning to top the timesheets and fend off a four-Yamaha charge into this afternoon's qualifying.
The two-time champion knocked Swan Yamaha's Michael Laverty off top spot with a 1'20.377 just after the Irishman had increased his lead with 1'20.553 as the Motorpoint Yamaha duo of Loris Baz and James Westmoreland set up camp in third and fourth, half a second off the pace.
Tyco Honda's Peter Hickman spoiled what would have been another Yamaha in the top five when his last lap of 1'21.052 just demoted yesterday's quickest man Tommy Hill into sixth but he was only 0.005s faster than the injured title contender.
MSS Kawasaki's Gary Mason spent most of the session in the top four but slipped to seventh right at the end and then crashed unhurt at the Complex while Alex Lowes has again forgotten he is on an Evo-spec bike, parking his WFR Honda in eighth.
American John Hopkins is ninth fastest on the Samsung Suzuki with Stuart Easton rounding out the top ten and a little under a second off the pace. Dan Linfoot, who lobbed his Sorrymate Honda at the scenery with 15 minutes left, is unhurt in 11th, just ahead of Josh Brookes and Michael Rutter with Ryuichi Kiyonari in 14th and Steve Brogan in 15th.
Glen Richards is the second Evo rider and sits in 17th overall, eight-tenths slower than Lowes, while Simon Andrews is 19th and Scott Smart 22nd. The second Samsung Suzuki of Jon Kirkham finished dead last after only doing two laps.
