Althea Hondas's Tommy Hill was forced to go out on a bike with unfamiliar settings during today's Superpole session as he tipped off his number two bike in the preceeding free practice session.

The youngster was trying some different suspension and tyre combinations and lost the front while following Regis Laconi. He then had to get back to the pits and jump on his number one bike for Superpole.

Speaking to bikesportnews.com, Hill said: "The two bikes are set up so differently it felt like my number one bike was a toatally different bike entirely.

"The fork springs were softer and there was less oil in them too, so it didn't feel right after riding my other bike. The laptimes prove how competitive this series is. I've got Haslam, Rea and Neukirchner on my row, so I'm in good company.

"It was another hard day at the office but, as they say, if this was an easy thing to do, cricketers would be at it!"