PBM Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne has thrown down the gauntlet to MCE British Superbike title challenger, Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes during the second free practice session in wet conditions at Brands Hatch.
Byrne lapped a 1’37.749, going two tenths faster than the Bringelly rider, with Brookes putting down a 1’37.937 to place his Yamaha P3 on the sheets.
Sandwiched in between the duelling riders was Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Howie Mainwaring, with Showdown racer, JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Ellison and Buildbase BMW’s Richard Cooper completing the top five.
Brookes’ team-mate, Jakub Smrz, Tyco BMW’s Michael Laverty and Bennetts Suzuki’s Josh Waters also braved the cold and wet conditions to make their way inside the top eight. Moto Rapido Ducati’s John Hopkins and Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey rounded off the top ten.
Initially it was Byrne who topped the sheets only to be displaced by Ellison with twenty minutes on the clock with a 1’39.683. But title fighter Brookes went half a second faster on his eleventh rotation, with Cooper close behind in P2.
Mainwaring was not holding back and pipped Brookes by 0.2s to go into P1 on the ten minute mark. Showdown racer, Ellison fought back and retained his place at the top of the timing-screens with a 1’38.433, but that was not to last. Meanwhile Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot narrowly missed out on a place inside the top ten and ended the afternoon in eleventh on the timing-screens.
