Reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne took charge in today's second free practice session at Brands Hatch, outpacing title rival Alex Lowes to the tune of four-tenths of a second at the Kent circuit this afternoon.
The Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki man was the only rider to break the 1'26s barrier with a 1'25.959 while Lowes mustered a 1'26.354 on his 17th lap of 21. Both men started the session quickly, setting 1'26.860 and 1'26.963 respectively, before settling down to a comfortable race pace.
Tyco Suzuki team-mates Josh Brookes and PJ Jacobsen had a session-long scrap for third place with the Australian coming out on top. He set a 1'26.648 compared to Jacobsen's 1'26.798, the pair three-quarters of a second off the pace so far.
Veteran Chris Walker jumped into fifth with his last run of laps, setting a 1'27.643 on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki which was enough to fend off the attentions of Jon Kirkham's Buildbase BMW in sixth place.
Milwaukee Yamaha's James Ellison and Tommy Bridewell were split by just 0.025s for seventh as the chequered flag came out, the Kendal man just winning out with his 1'27.651 with Jakub Smrz and Karl Harris, who was forced out of Silverstone with the lurgy, in nine and tenth places.
Showdown man James Westmoreland will be disappointed with his free practice pace, languishing in 11th while team-mate Kirkham challenges for a top-five spot. Josh Waters, Barry Burrell, Noriyuki Haga and Peter Hickman round out the top 15.
