Anvil Hire TAG Kawasaki’s Richard Cooper set the fourth quickest time in the combined MCE British Superbike free practice timesheets, at the Brands Hatch GP circuit.
The diminutive rider lapped a 1’26.446 during the first free practice outing, and managed to stay within the top four during FP2. For Cooper it’s a change in tyre that has worked for him today, and it is the SC0 tyre option that has given him that extra pace.
It is also the first time that his team have used the SC0 tyre on a Friday, during the free practice sessions, as they usually hold back until qualifying on Saturday afternoon. But for Cooper the change in tyre choice paid off and he’s looking forward to improving during FP3, and ultimately qualifying tomorrow.
“We came out this morning and the times came quite easy on old tyres - as we always use old tyres in FP1 early on, but we managed to get a new tyre towards the end of the session,” said Cooper, speaking to bikesportnews.com, from the track.
“We benefited from the new tyre, and it all came together quite nicely - I was quite surprised. In FP2 I made minimal changes to the bike and we concentrated on riding it really, and we were a tenth off where we were this morning but we were still fourth fastest overall - which is a huge confidence boost for me.”
“We concentrated on the SCO tyre which is something that we don’t usually do, as I usually run an SC1 on a Friday and then an SCO for qualifying, and it is the first time we used an SC0 (on a Friday) and it has paid off - so we need to get the bike set-up around the tyre.”
“I am glad that we made that choice to stick with it right from the off, rather than changing to it on a Saturday afternoon in time for qualifying - I am quite happy tonight.”
