BeerMonster Ducati’s Glenn Irwin topped the timesheets in the penultimate British Superbike Championship practice session at Brands Hatch on Saturday morning.

The BeerMonster Ducati rider setting the fastest lap of the weekend so far to edge out Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) and Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW).

It was Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) who topped the timesheets with his first flying lap, a time of 1’26.201s putting him 0.317s clear of Irwin who immediately lapped quicker than what he had done the day before, with Vickers, Brookes, Kyle Ryde on the second OMG Yamaha and Storm Stacey (Starline Raving Kawasaki) completing the top six.

That all changed next time around with Vickers, Irwin’s team-mate Tommy Bridewell and Ryde all in the 1’25’s, the former just 0.007s quicker than Bridewell. Ryde, Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) and Brookes was now the running order behind.

Bridewell then upped the pace further with a 1’25.534s, edging closer to his best lap time of the day before, whilst Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) was again impressing in sixth before being knocked down a spot by Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha).

Both Vickers and Ryde improved their times to close the gap to Bridewell, just 0.163s covering the top three, and with eight minutes to go the top six read Bridewell, Vickers, Ryde, Haslam, Josh Owens (Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing) and Jackson.

Brookes then jumped up to the top of the leaderboard with a 1’25.360 putting him 0.174s clear of Bridewell but Vickers then pushed the Ducati man down another spot to third with six minutes to go. O’Halloran was now fourth with Danny Kent, fourth on Friday, showing his hand for the first time in fifth on the Lovell Kent Racing Honda.

Vickers’ good run continued as he went quickest once more but it didn’t last long as Irwin, who’d dropped down the order, leapt 14 places to go to the top of the leaderboard, his lap of 1’25.088 the fastest lap of the weekend to date and 0.159s quicker than the Yamaha rider.

Brookes remained in third and there were to be no changes in the top three in the closing stages but behind them, a late flurry of action saw Kent reclaim fourth with Danny Buchan (Synetiq BMW) taking sixth ahead of O’Halloran. Bridewell, who had a late spill at Druids, Ryde, Jackson and Haslam completed the top ten.