Quay Garage’s Gary Mason has made British Superbike history in being the first Privateer Cup rider to qualify on the front row.
The Lichfield rider also became for the first Cup rider to make it into the third round of the Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole putting him third on the grid with a time of 1’15.351s, half a second behind pole position rider Leon Camier of Airwaves Ducati.
Stunned and delighted at his result, Mason said: “I have only ever had one front row start and that was back with Yamaha when I teamed with Steve Hislop.  The team is great, we’ve been working really hard.  We have struggled with the Pirelli’s as they were a different compound to the Dunlops and now we have got the geometry right.” 
“This weekend we have just worked on a race setup, we’ve put no soft tyres in at all.  I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, I looked down at my time and I knew it had to be good, can’t believe it.  All respect to Ian [Woollacott] for believing in me as if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here.”