Premier Velocity Triumph’s Luke Jones took his first Motorpoint British Supersport pole of his career this afternoon at Thruxton, tackling the dodgy weather conditions with great expertise.
The heavily delayed session, due to torrential downpours, finally got underway two hours late and it was Northern Irishman Alistair Seeley aboard his Mar-Train Yamaha who set the first marker. He held provisional pole for the early stages and as rain began to fall again it looked to be secured before championship leader Billy McConnell surpassed him.
With ten minutes remaining, Jones jumped to the top of the time sheets and continued to improve on his lap time, eventually finishing 0.319 of a second clear of Seeley, who cemented second place on the grid with his last lap. Smiths Triumph’s Billy McConnell will start from the outside of the front row of the grid for this afternoon’s sprint race.
Heading the second row of the grid is Smiths’ Graeme Gowland, who escaped a possible fourth row grid start with his last lap. The Northumbrian will line up ahead of Appleyard Macadam’s Bjorn Estment. The South African clinched a career best qualifying of fifth place but his teammate, Jake Dixon, was not able to produce back to back pole positions after technical problems plagued his session, forcing him to start from the back of the grid.
Tyco Suzuki’s Taylor Mackenzie rounds out the second row of the grid. Gearlink Kawasaki’s Glenn Irwin fronts the third row ahead of True Heroes Racing’s Dan Helyer. The diminutive rider held provisional pole at the start of the session and will line up as the front EVO rider in eighth. Floridian James Rispoli rounds out the third row of the grid aboard his Traction Control Yamaha.
