SEELEY SCORCHES BEFORE LAVERTY TURNS UP THE HEAT Results Free practice one: 1:Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) 1m:49.819s 2:Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +0.183s 3:Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.192s 4:Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +0.305s 5:Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +0.577s 6:Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +0.714s Free practice two: 1:Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 1m:49.340s 2:Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.312s 3:Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.446s 4:Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +0.447s) 5:Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.594s 6:Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +0.720s Report Alastair Seeley set the early pace as he scorched to the fastest time in the opening free practice session ahead of the fourth round of MCE Insurance British Superbikes at Snetterton but then after his bike was engulfed in a fireball this afternoon he could only watch as Michael Laverty turned up the heat to go fastest. Aboard the Samsung Honda Laverty was repeating the pace that he had shown in pre-season testing at the Norfolk circuit as he bids to put his title bid back on course after a problematic opening sequence of races. Laverty said: “I’ve put in a couple of really good laps and though I have a good pace we need to continue working on a few things. We are trying all sorts, trying to find a compromise with our setting and do a bit more with the tyres so it is hard work. “The good thing is that we have dry conditions and that gives us the consistency to be able to get on with the job and get it sorted for the races in which I need strong results and a big points score,” added Laverty after he had narrowly out-paced the reigning champion and current points leader Tommy Hill riding the Swan Yamaha and Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne. Seeley had little chance to improve on his first session heroics as he crashed at around 100mph at Riches on his fourth lap of the afternoon, sliding across the run-off area behind his somersaulting bike which caught fire. “The wind caught me and took me off-line and onto a dirty part of the track the front end of the bike folded in and that was it, I was down. The bike went somersaulting across the run-off with me sliding across behind it then I saw it on fire, flames everywhere,” said Seeley. He escaped unscathed: “I’m OK I am a wee bit sore but nothing more than that so I will be able to continue here.” His team however had a big overnight job rebuilding his bike ready for tomorrow’s qualifying. For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Swan Yamaha: HILL ENDS FREE PRACTICE SECOND FOR SWAN YAMAHA AT SNETTERTON Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill narrowly missed out on setting the fastest time in the opening two free practice sessions at Snetterton today ahead of the fourth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship this weekend in Norfolk. Hill leads the standings ahead of the two races on Sunday and looked set to end the day fastest but dropped to second in the final seconds. Hill however is feeling confident that with some final setting changes tomorrow he will be ready to challenge for the pole position in qualifying. Noriyuki Haga returned to the 2.99-mile circuit following his podium finish at Oulton Park but the former World Superbike contender was only able to set the 19th fastest time after struggling with feeling. However he is determined that the team will resolve the issue tomorrow ahead of Sunday’s two races. Hill said: “We have had two fairly good sessions and we progressed forward in both and made some good changes. The temperature has played a part today, it is the same for everyone, but it does mean we have been trying both tyre options but we are fairly consistent and running good lap times with both. We know which one we will use for qualifying but we will see tomorrow what we will decide on for the race. Tomorrow we aim to be up there again, if not one place higher. We just got pipped by Michael (Laverty) in that session but we knew he would be strong here, but we are fairly happy. We still have more work to do and we want to make a step forward again tomorrow. There is definitely more to come from me and the bike so roll on tomorrow and thanks to everyone at Swan Yamaha.” Haga said: “Today we started with the same setting that we used at the pre-season test here and we were able to improve the lap time from then quite quickly. We seemed to have a problem with the feeling of the tyre, but perhaps this is something that was just an issue today. We have been working on the suspension but we haven’t been able to overcome it yet and it hasn’t been too easy today. My team though have a plan for tomorrow and I think we will just have a Ninja setting for tomorrow ready for qualifying!” For more information visit www.swanyamaha.co.uk