Bradley Ray celebrated news of a new deal to remain with Raceways Yamaha for the 2026 British Superbike Championship [BSB] season by claiming his seventh pole of 2025 at Assen.

The 2023 BSB Champion returned to the front of the field with a searing final effort of 1m 35.529secs around the Dutch venue - which features on the BSB schedule for the first time since 2019 - to deny Scott Redding a second pole position on the bounce by +0.022s.

Indeed, Redding had looked on course to mirror his Donington Park pole position after putting almost three tenths between himself and the competition with little more than a minute on the clock remaining in Q2.

However, the PBM Hager Ducati rider would be edged out by Ray just moments later, who made a bold signal of intent to title rival Kyle Ryde as he looks to bounce back from the difficult run of form that has seen him cede what was once a comfortable championship advantage.

Ryde - who is armed with a 28-point lead in the standings - had led the timesheets for much of the session but couldn't make crucial gains in the closing stages like his rivals and will therefore get Race 1 underway from fourth place.

That places him just adrift of Charlie Nesbitt, who usurped the familiar front runners with a fine run to the front row on the MasterMac Honda.

In fifth place, Glenn Irwin robbed himself the chance of better with a crash at De Bult midway through the session, even if his efforts earlier on in Q2 have still earned him a strong starting position on row two.

He is joined there in sixth place by FP3 pace setter Leon Haslam, who headed off top Kawasaki rider Christian Iddon in seventh, John McPhee in eighth on the second of the MasterMac Hondas and Tommy Bridewell on the factory Honda.

Danny Kent completes the top ten on the McAMS Yamaha ahead of Max Cook and Rory Skinner, the Cheshire Mouldings TAS Ducati rider struggling on his first visit to Assen having been out injured during Moto2's visit to the Dutch venue in 2023.