Glenn Irwin picked up the baton of Be Wiser Ducati team leader and ran with it, as he set the pace in today’s first Bennetts British Superbike Championship practice at Snetterton.
Irwin clocked a hot lap of 1’48.051s on his final run around the Norfolk track this morning, as the series returned from its six week break.
The riders were greeted with hot sunshine and track temperatures of around 37 degrees as they headed out for the opening session just before 10.30am.
Richard Cooper, James Ellison and Jake Dixon spent the opening 15 minutes swapping places at the top, as the times quickly tumbled.
With 15 minutes gone, JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Leon Haslam became the first rider to hit the 1’48s, quickly followed by Glenn Irwin as he set himself a marker with a 1’48.631.
A relatively quiet 20 minutes followed as most of the field headed back to their pit boxes, and when they re-emerged, Luke Mossey on the second JG Speedfit machine was quickly on the pace, moving up to third and making up for ground lost earlier when his machine stopped at the pit lane exit on his out-lap.
Irwin held court at the top of the pile throughout, and it wasn’t until the final two minutes that things really changed in the battle for the top spot.
Mossey was on a charge, as he shot to second place as the clock ticked onto the final minute, but James Ellison, on the Anvil TAG Hire Yamaha wasn’t hanging about either, as he displaced Mossey for P2 moments later.
But Irwin still had something left in the tank, and as he scorched to his 1’48.051 after the flag had fallen, as Ellison secure the second quickest time with a lap some 0.395s adrift.
Mossey held onto third, as Danny Buchan – who has enjoyed a strong start to the season on his FS-3 Racing Kawasaki – was fourth ahead of Haslam in fifth and Ray sixth.
Josh Brookes was the quickest of the McAMS Yamaha riders as he ended the session seventh quickest, with the second Buildbase Suzuki of Richard Cooper eighth, and Smith’s Racing’s Peter Hickman ninth.
Dan Linfoot made a solid return to action as he ended the session with the 10th fastest lap and the quickest of the two Honda Racing riders.