Reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Tommy Hill has topped the final free practice session held at a dry Oulton Park this morning and fended off a late charge from Shane Byrne who ran the Swan Yamaha man very close, lapping half a tenth slower with his final push.
Hill went round in 1'36.846 while the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki man followed him home on a 1'36.903. The pair pushed leader Alex Lowes into third but the WFR Honda man is only two-tenths off the pace while yesterday's quickest man in the wet, Josh Brookes, slipped back to fourth and more than eight-tenths in arrears.
Noriyuki Haga showed his pace in the dry to take fifth place and a tenth behind him is the Padgett's Honda of Ian Lowry. Jon Kirkham is the leading Samsung Honda in seventh and he has Graeme Gowland, on another WFR bike, just behind him and a second slower than Hill.
Showdown man Michael Laverty is ninth and still-injured Chris Walker, on the Primo Kawasaki, rounds out the top ten. Tristan Palmer, Tommy Bridewell, Peter Hickman, Luca Scassa and Alastair Seeley round out the top ten. Keither Farmer had made his BSB debut, jumping up from Superstock to stand-in for crocked team-mate Stuart Easton.
