Profile Triumph’s Luke Stapleford stormed to his debut Motorpoint British Supersport pole position in emphatic style by posting the fastest ever Supersport lap around the Cadwell Park circuit.
Stapleford edged past World Superbike champion Tom Sykes’ eight year record with a lap of 1’28.825 but he was pushed hard by championship protagonists Billy McConnell and Graeme Gowland. The Smiths Triumph duo jumped on to the front row with their last laps.
Aussie McConnell had to settle for second place, just 0.027 of a second adrift of Stapleford, and teammate Gowland was another 0.020 behind him in third. The front row, eventually covered by under half a tenth, all went under the previous fastest ever lap.
Teccare Triumph’s Luke Mossey will front the second row of the grid after being bumped backwards by Gowland in the closing stages. The Cambridge rider ended the session a quarter of a second shy of the front row of the grid. Appleyard Macadam’s Jake Dixon overcame electrical issues of free practice to claim fifth on the grid, ahead of Gearlink Kawasaki’s Luke Hedger.
Heading the third row of the grid is the final championship protagonist Alistair Seeley. The Mar-Train Yamaha rider was left with heavily bruised ribs after an Oulton Park qualifying crash and the ultra-physical Cadwell Park circuit is taking it’s toll. The wee wizard of Carrickfergus ended one and a half seconds adrift of pole position in seventh.
Acumen Industrial Triumph’s Luke Jones ended the session in eighth place ahead of Gearlink Kawasaki’s Glenn Irwin, who dropped backwards to ninth after a technical fault put his session to an end after fifteen minutes.
