Qualifying 3
Josh Brookes 1’35.198
Luke Mossey 1’35.856
Dan Linfoot 1’35.865
Josh Brookes stormed to pole ahead of tomorrow’s opening MCE British Superbike Championship race as the track continued to dry at Brands Hatch.
The Anvil Hire TAG Racing rider stuck in a hot lap of 1’35.198mins in the closing moments of the session, as the track continued to dry.
Meanwhile, Be Wiser Ducati's Shane Byrne – who had been the dominant force in all earlier free practice sessions – could only manage the sixth fastest lap and will start from the second row.
Second on the grid for tomorrow’s opening scrap will be JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey who managed a 1’35.856 while Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot will share the front row after ending the session third.
Smiths Racing BMW rider Peter Hickman will head the second row after setting the pace early on in the session, while the Moto Rapido Ducati of John Hopkins starts fifth.
James Ellison could only manage to power his McAMS Yamaha to seventh, ahead of the second JG Speedfit machine of Leon Haslam who had been with a mechanical issue at the end of Q2. James Westmoreland was ninth quickest aboard his Gearlink Kawasaki
Qualifying 2
Shane Byrne 1’36.759
Josh Brookes 1’37.239
Leon Haslam 1’37.305
Luke Mossey came out fighting as he jumped up to the top spot after his first lap, but local man Byrne quickly spoilt his fun as he set the first lap in the 1’38s.
Mossey continued to push, following Byrne into the 1’38s and just 0.083secs off Byrne’s time, as Peter Hickman moved third, before hitting the top on his next lap.
But it wasn’t to last, as Brookes then recorded the first 1’37 lap on his first flying lap and times suddenly began to tumble across the board.
Byrne secured the top spot when he became the only rider to break the 1’36s, as Leon Haslam put himself in third place before mechanical problems hit on the Cooper Straight.
Behind, some of the series big hitters missed out on a place in Q3, including Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran, Tyco BMW’s Christian Iddon and McAMS Yamaha pilot Michael Laverty.
Eliminated
McConnell
Iddon
O’Halloran
Dixon
Irwin
Jackson
Laverty
Bridewell
Guintoli
Qualifying 1
Josh Brookes 1’39.173
Shane Byrne 1’39.218
Leon Haslam 1’39.273
The session got underway 20-minutes later than scheduled thanks to heavy rain which lashed the track an hour earlier.
It was Brookes who launched himself to the top of the timesheets early doors, as the pack headed out for an extended 20-minute session on a wet but drying track. One rider not out, however, was Kuba Smrz, who had left his Lloyd & Jones PR Racing BMW embedded in a fence after a massive crash in FP3.
Westmoreland shot to the top seven minutes in, and was soon replaced by Luke Mossey as the track began to dry a bit more.
Byrne became the first man to break the 1’39s as he moved into the top spot with just under five minutes to go, and a few minutes later James Ellison went second.
Brookes charged up to P1 two minutes from the flag, while behind the battle was on to avoid elimination.
John Hopkins got himself out of the danger zone on his last lap, as did Lee Jackson on the second Smiths Racing BMW. RAF Reserves rider Jake Dixon threw in a quick one on his last shot to move out of trouble and steal a place in the second session, having struggled early on.
Eliminated:
Jessopp
Reid
Ray
Mackenzie
Winfield
Zanotti
