Swan Yamaha's Tommy Hill has extended his lead at the top of the British Superbike points table at Snetterton by taking the first-race win this lunchtime ahead of an on-form Michael Laverty and Josh Brooks in third place and became the first rider to win two races this season.
Hill battled with the Honda and Suzuki men until just before half-distance when he nipped up the inside of Laverty on the brakes into Agostini's and didn't look back. Laverty and Brookes swapped places a couple more time as Hill made his escape but Brookes ran out of grip and had to settle for third.
Hill's team-mate Noriyuki Haga bagged fourth place after a titanic final-lap battle with Alex Lowes on the WFR Honda. The Japanese rider shadowed Lowes into Murray's for the last time, squared off the corner and outdragged Lowes to the line - with the Lincolnshire man reaching over to touch the R1 as he was past.
Supersonic BMW's Tommy Bridewell had a lonely race for sixth place while Chris Walker just beat Ian Lowry across the line for seventh after the Padgett's Honda man came from the back of the grid after he crashed in qualifying. Patric Muff put the second Supersonic bike in ninth while Barry Burrell rounded out the top ten.
It was disaster for the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team as both Stuart Easton and Shane Byrne failed to finished. The Scottish rider pitted early on with an electrical problem, went back out but was back in soon after while Byrne suffered an engine fault.
Update: There were some post-race handbags after James Westmoreland apparently knocked Ian Lowry off his Fireblade as the pair rolled up pitlane after the race. Lowry remonstrated with Westmoreland in his garage which involved the Irishman grabbing hold of the Yorkshireman.
Grid for race two
M Laverty (pole), Hill, Brookes, Byrne
Haga, Lowes, Scassa, Gowland
