Mar-Train Yamaha's Stuart Easton took his second consecutive Motorpoint British Supersport pole at Oulton Park this afternoon, snatching it ahead of his fellow title challenger, Gearlink Kawasaki's Alastair Seeley, by just fourteen thousands of a second.
The wee Scotsman set the marker early in the session and riders were able to get close, only for the Hawick lad to improve his lap time and cement pole position. Northern Irishmen Seeley was on an improving lap time with thirty seconds of the session remaining, however, the red flag came out and the session ended, halting the championship leader's charge. The number one plate holder, Glen Richards, moved on to front of the grid in the closing moments of the session, moving ahead of Graeme Gowland who rounds out the front row.
Adelaide man Billy McConnell heads the second row but is just over half a second adrift of the fastest lap time. Fellow Aussie Jason O'Halloran will line up sixth on the gird for this afternoon's sprint race, ahead of the Oxford TAG Triumph pairing of Richard Cooper and Scott Smart.
Appleyard Macadam's Deane Brown fell victim to O'Halloran's late charge, getting bumped down to ninth on the gird. Mar-Train Yamaha's Glenn Irwin secured tenth on the gird, however, he is still struggling for setup after missing yesterday's dry track time. Spud-missile Ben Wilson crashed out of the session just the minutes in, and as a result will start the race from a disappointing eleventh on the gird. Profile Triumph's Luke Stapleford rounds of the third row of the grid, which is covered by 1'664 seconds.