Qualifying three

Ryuichi Kiyonari 2’10.141

Gary Mason 2’11.531

Buildbase BMW Ryuichi Kiyonari will start the opening MCE British Superbike race from pole position after a 2’10.141 was good enough to place him on the number one spot on the starting grid. He even held off the attacks from his main championship rival, Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne.

The session started off on a wet track, but the sun came out and by Q3 most of the riders were on full slick tyres – apart from Byrne who opted for an intermediate front and rear slick tyre. In the end a last lap dash from the triple-champ was not enough to snatch pole from the Japanese rider.

Byrne was one eighth off the pace of his fellow three time BSB champ. But the surprise of the session was Tsingtao WK’s Gary Mason. The last time the veteran racer was on the front row was five years ago, and the rider put in a dominant performance throughout all three qualifying outings, to end the day with a 2'11.531.

Halsall Racing’s Jon Kirkham upped his game and heads row two, and is joined by Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes who salvaged a 2’12.896, just ahead of Buildbase BMW’s James Westmoreland. GBmoto Kawasaki’s team-mate’s Chris Walker and James Ellison were both lapping in the 2’13, but Walker had that slight edge to grab seventh, with Ellison in eighth.

Right at the start of the final qualifying session Milwaukee Yamaha’s Tommy Bridewell crashed at Farm, on his out-lap, meaning he will start from tenth on the grid for race one tomorrow. Fellow Showdown rider, Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Dan Linfoot rounds up the third row, after his best lap of a 2’14.985.

Qualifying two

Ryuichi Kiyonari 2’12.759

With five minutes of the session remaining Brookes was setting the pace – as the circuit began to quickly dry in the Autumnal sun. Most of the riders went out on intermediate rear, and front slick tyres and the times began to drop at the circuit.

But the Aussie was soon out lapped by Kiyonari and Mason, but the Milwaukee backed Yamaha was soon back at the top of the screens with a 2’16.624, but was pipped to the post by both Kiyonari and Byrne in the final minutes of the outing.

TWR’s Jenny Tinmouth made her return to the BSB paddock this weekend, after being out since Oulton because of lack of funds, but shear people power brought her back into the fold but she could not progress into Q3, but did enough to start from 18th on the grid.

One of the biggest casualties during the second session was the Tyco Suzuki pairing of John Hopkins and Josh Waters. The pair have be on the pace all weekend but fell short of going through to Q3, and to fight for a front row start. GBmoto Kawasaki’s James Ellison was languishing in the drop zone but put down a time good enough to propel him to sixth.

This resulted in Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Stuart Easton falling into the elimination spots, with Halsall Racing’s Jon Kirkham clinging on to the tenth fastest time. Easton is joined by FFX Yamaha’s Filip Backlund, Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Howie Mainwaring and Tinmouth.

Eliminated

Easton

Waters

Da Costa

Ingram

Backlund

Hopkins

Mainwaring

Tinmouth

Qualifying one

Shane Byrne 2’21.093

Ryuichi Kiyonari 2’21.473

Byrne left it till his last lap to set the fastest time on a wet track, with Waters 0.4 seconds adrift of the triple champ. But rival Kiyonari was also on the pace and recovered from his earlier crash in FP3 to go third quickest in the opening qualifying session.

The track was still wet from the earlier heavy rain showers, with all the riders going out on full wets for the first qualifying session. The outing determines who bags pole for the opening race of the penultimate round at the historic English track.

Tinmouth narrowly made it into Q2, but it looked that Zanotti and RAF Reserves Peter Hickman would push her back into the drop zone – but she had done enough to hold on to the all important 18th on the timesheets, and once again moves into Q2.

Hickman who usually performs so well in the wet couldn’t get that added pace to nab that coveted 18th on the timing-screens and is also joined in the elimination spots by Gearlink Kawasaki’s Ben Wilson, Jessopp, WD-40’s Barry Burrell and Alstare Junior Bimota’s Christophe Ponsson.

Eliminated

Zanotti

Hickman

Jessopp

Wilson

Muff

Burrell

Ponsson

Winfield

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