Darren Fry (Buildbase/JHP Ducati) stormed to pole position for Round Two of the Rapid Solicitors Ducati 848 Challenge after a long day of qualifying in very changeable conditions, lapping the Assen circuit in 1:45.750. Only 0.7 seconds behind is Leon Morris (Buildbase/JHP Ducati), followed by Kenny Gilbertson (AOR/Boast Plumbing) and Mike Edwards (MSKWorks.com).

With three qualifying sessions in which to score their fastest lap time, the majority of the riders chose to sit out the first session after the rain started to fall just 5 minutes before the start. Russian rider Alexey Ivanov (DMC Racing) might be wishing he had too as he high-sided his bike coming out of the very tricky Strubben hairpin, dislocating his shoulder.

He was soon back in action for QP2 which was held in bright, sunny conditions that the whole field made the most of. Knowing this was their best chance to put in their fastest lap of the day, all the riders were very quickly out of the blocks and the laptimes began to tumble. Also coming into play were various tyre strategies meaning all the riders were looking to do as few laps as possible but still post a good time, so we had the spectacle of riders pulling into pit lane to weigh up their grid position before deciding if they needed to do further laps.

With the clock ticking down riders began to settle for their current grid position and so it was Fry who headed the field at the end of QP2. The afternoon brought more changeable weather, and in a repeat of QP1 the rain started to fall just before the riders headed out for the final qualifying session of the day, meaning most riders times were slower than earlier with the only exception being Jack Keen (Havoc Racing) who took over a second off his best time.

Fry, the defending champion, was understandably pleased to be back at the front with his old sparring partner and teammate Morris alongside him, but both will be looking across to series newcomers Edwards and Gilbertson and know they won't have an easy time on race day. Also pushing them hard will be the non-848EVO triumvirate of Cheetham (Shorrocks Motorcycles), Connolly, and Poll (Pumpkin Patch Racing) who are proving that the older bikes are more than a match with great riders onboard.