Editorial Note: Americans Brandon Paasch and Nic Swensgard are not competing this weekend at Silverstone. Paasch races in the British Motostar class, which is not part of this weekend’s program, and Swensgard has scaled back his 2019 plans and will only compete in selected rounds of the 2019 British Junior Supersport Championship.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Silverstone Circuit
Northamptonshire, England
April 20, 2019
Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):
From Qualifying Three:
1. Tarran Mackenzie, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 53.549 seconds
2. Jason O’Halloran, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), 53.603
3. Scott Redding, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), 53.607
4. Josh Elliott, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), 53.738
5. Luke Mossey, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), 53.808
6. Dan Linfoot, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 53.874
7. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Duc Panigale V4 R), 53.893
8. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), 54.081
9. Luke Stapleford, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), 54.223
From Qualifying Two:
10. Andrew Irwin, UK (Hon CBR1000RR), 54.122
11. Xavi Fores, Spain (Hon CBR1000RR), 54.181
12. Claudio Corti, Italy (Kaw ZX-10RR), 54.238
13. Ryan Vickers, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 54.274
14. Danny Buchan, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 54.309
15. Glenn Irwin, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 54.325
16. Bradley Ray, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), 54.381
17. David Allingham, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 54.680
18. Josh Brookes, Australia (Duc Panigale V4 R), no lap time recorded in Q2
From Qualifying Three:
19. Ben Currie, Australia (Kaw ZX-10RR), 54.213
20. Keith Farmer, UK (BMW S1000RR), 54.489
21. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW S1000RR), 54.507
22. Sylvain Barrier, France (Duc Panigale V4 R), 54.656
23. Matt Truelove, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 54.711
24. Joe Francis, UK (BMW S1000RR), 54.730
25. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 55.104
26. James Ellison, UK (BMW S1000RR), 55.288
27. Dean Harrison, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 55.332
28. Fraser Rogers, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 55.341
29. Dean Hipwell, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 55.357
30. James Hillier, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 55.568
31. Sam Coventry, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 55.734
32. Conor Cummins, Isle of Man (Hon CBR1000RR), 55.744
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Mackenzie claims first Bennetts BSB pole position as Redding debuts on the front row
Tarran Mackenzie claimed his first pole position in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone this afternoon, holding off his hard-charging team-mate Jason O’Halloran by 0.054s whilst Scott Redding fired himself onto the front row ahead of his race debut tomorrow (Sunday).
There was a dramatic start to the opening Datatag Qualifying session of the season for Josh Brookes, who suffered a technical problem with his Be Wiser Ducati, causing a brief red flag delay and the 2015 champion will start 18th on the grid for tomorrow’s opening race.
It was a close battle to qualify for Q2 with 24 riders covered by just 0.728s and the first rider to narrowly miss out was Quattro Plant – JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Ben Currie in the closing seconds of the opening session.
In Q2 there was another incredible battle to be inside the top nine to qualify for the final Q3 stage; the Honda Racing pairing narrowly missed out on making the cut, just 0.056s putting Andrew Irwin the first in the drop zone adrift of Christian Iddon, who held ninth for Tyco BMW.
When Q3 got underway Mackenzie was straight out of pitlane and instantly on the attack for a flying lap, setting the benchmark early ahead of O’Halloran and Josh Elliot as OMG Racing Suzuki qualified for the final qualifying stage for the first time.
Redding meanwhile had been building momentum during his first Datatag Qualifying experience and he moved into sixth, before a final attack put him into third and on the front row ahead of his much-anticipated race debut.
Elliot was able to hold off his team-mate Luke Mossey to head the second row as the OMG Racing Suzuki celebrated their strongest qualifying performances to date ahead of Dan Linfoot on the Santander Salt TAG Yamaha.
Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Racing Ducati team will start in seventh place after their hard work to rebuild the stricken machine after yesterday’s crash with Christian Iddon and Luke Stapleford completing the top nine.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, Datatag Qualifying result:
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 53.549s
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.054s
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.058s
Josh Elliot (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.189s
Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.259s
Dan Linfoot (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) +0.325s
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.344s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.532s
Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki Suzuki) +0.674s
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha
Pole position at Silverstone
“It feels really good to be on pole position as I didn’t have the best pre-season really. I felt good on the bike but I just wasn’t that fast, so coming here after the test I was a bit more confident.
“In Q2 the bike felt perfect so I felt happy going into Q3, I didn’t expect pole position so this is awesome and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Scott Redding – Be Wiser Ducati
First Bennetts BSB front row start
“If you are an adrenaline junkie that was exactly what you want to do – for me that was insane! I am used to one qualifying session and then maybe a second one. You don’t want to make a mistake in Q1 but then in Q3 you just close your eyes and go all in.
“That was so much adrenaline and I am super happy with that. I was a bit nervous to start with but this system is amazing as you can get clear laps at the end. I wanted to go for the pole position, that was my mindset and I think how it was for everyone. Unfortunately it wasn’t me today but it is a good start to my season.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Front Row For Redding At Silverstone
The Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team of Josh Brookes and Scott Redding endured contrasting fortunes in Datatag Extreme Qualifying for round one of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone this afternoon with Redding taking an excellent third place but Brookes back in 18th after a technical issue forced him out early on in proceedings.
In glorious conditions, the duo enjoyed strong performances across the three free practice sessions on the factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale V4 R to head into the Datatag Extreme Qualifying this afternoon with Brookes second fastest and Redding in sixth.
Aussie Brookes started the first 18-minute Q1 segment in superb fashion, his time of 54.213s placing him second quickest, but the session was only five minutes old when a technical problem forced him to pull off the circuit and bring out the red flag. The former BSB champion eventually slipped back to seventh overall and with the team having no time to fix the issue he had to sit out the remainder of qualifying which means he’ll start the first race from the sixth row of the grid tomorrow.
That left former MotoGP rider Redding to single-handedly fly the flag for the Penrith-based team and a time of 54.051s saw him post the second quickest time in Q1 and comfortably make it through to Q2 where he promptly went quicker still around the 1.64-mile National circuit at 53.974s.
That gave him the fifth quickest time and meant he joined eight other riders in the final eight-minute Q3 session which would determine grid positions for tomorrow’s first 30-lap race. He duly strung together a succession of quick laps with his best time of 53.607s seeing him claim third place and the final spot on the front row, just 0.058s off pole position on his BSB debut.
Scott Redding: “I’m overwhelmed to be on the front row and although I really wanted pole position for the first BSB race of the season, that may have been a bit over-ambitious. The three-part qualifying session is different to what I’m used to, and I got stuck in traffic a bit which was frustrating, but I managed to get some clear track and made a big step with my lap times. It’s also a bit of a juggling act with the tyres but third place and the front row for my first BSB race is superb and full credit to the team who have been working really well right from the word go. I’m glad to get my first qualifying session under my belt and can now look forward to the two races.”
Josh Brookes: “The weekend had been going really well up until Q1, but these things happen and what’s encouraging is that we’ve been very strong from day one of the project which is still very new. We’re developing the bike all the time and understanding it more and more so although the sixth row of the grid isn’t ideal, it’s not so bad when you know you have a good motorbike underneath you. Being so competitive this early in the season gives me a lot of confidence and I’ve got a good feeling for the races, so we’ll fully utilise morning warm-up to fine tune the bike that bit more and look to have two strong rides tomorrow.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been a bit of a mixed bag today and we’re bitterly disappointed for Josh as he’d been at the sharp end in every session up until Q1. It was unfortunate that we had a mechanical issue, but his pace has been strong throughout and whilst starting from the sixth row of the grid gives him a lot of work to do, I’m confident he’ll be able to make good progress in the first race. On the other side of the garage, Scott did a superb job and a front row for his first BSB race is superb. He’s on a big learning curve and obviously has a big target on his back having come from MotoGP but he’s the consummate professional and is chipping away with the plan we have all the time. There’s a lot of differences in BSB compared to MotoGP but we can’t ask for anymore so roll on tomorrow’s races.”
There is live action on Eurosport with the Bennetts BSB races shown at 13.30 and 16.30. Free-to-air channel Quest will be showing the action live and highlights will be broadcast during the week including on ITV4 on Wednesday evening at 20.00.
For further information, please visit the team’s website, www.pbmuk.net and the official website of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship www.pbmuk.net
Qualifying Results
1 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha) 53.549s
2 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha) 53.603s
3 Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 53.607s
4 Josh Elliott (Suzuki) 53.738s
5 Luke Mossey (Suzuki) 53.808s
6 Dan Linfoot (Yamaha) 53.874s
18 Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) 54.213s