Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill narrowly dipped out on taking pole position from today’s Roll for Pole after a titanic qualifying tussle with rival Riuichi Kiyonari. Hill starts tomorrow’s first round of the British Superbike Championship at Brand Hatch in Kent from the front row while his team-mate Yukio Kagayama will start on the second row. The dramatic finish to qualifying came after Hill had put together a commanding performance throughout the three days of practice that culminated with him setting fastest time in third practice on Saturday afternoon. Hill’s performance in the three-stage qualifying today was equally exciting, being the first rider to dip under the 45-second mark then setting fastest time in the second qualifier, with Kagayama third. Hill was fastest for the first half of the final qualifier but was narrowly edged out by Kiyonari in the last minutes. Tommy Hill: “I’m over the moon. A front-row start is just what you need for Brands, so tomorrow I’ll look for a good start, get in a good lap-or-two then work on being consistent. It’s been a good weekend so far, we’ve been top-two in every session while all the time we’ve been concentrating getting the bike set up, as against going after the times. Everything is working well and I’m delighted.” Yukio Kagayama: “Wow, BSB again! Obviously it’s not the first time for me, but still it feels so busy. A short narrow track and so many riders. I’ve done a lot of work in set-up, getting the bike to work in the cold and the wet; there was a lot for me to get used to again. Then in Q2 I was very happy as everything comes together. But in Q3 the tyre gave no grip so I had to pit and we had to put an old tyre back on. I tried my best but the time was gone – second row was the result. So for tomorrow I know I have to get a good start and I try my best.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “We’ve had a very good practice and qualifying. Tommy has been very strong and at the end it was only him and Kiyonari who regularly put in the 45-second lap times. Tommy was unlucky to miss out on pole; to get a good lap here you need the speed but you also need a clear track and that’s hard to find on a track this small. I’m very happy with Yukio’s performance, he’s had a lot of work to do but Q2 showed what he’s capable of. The tyre issue in Q3 robbed him of a possible front row start. “Overall, we’re pretty pleased with the outcome. Both riders have good race set-ups going into tomorrow, the GSX-R1000 is working well and we’re positive of some good results to come.” Pictured: Yukio Kagayama, Worx Cresent Suzuki Team Manager Jack Valentine and Tommy Hill. MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Roll for Pole: 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 45.565s 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.126s 3. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.234s 4. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.278s 5. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +0.296s 6. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +0.522s 7. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.542s 8. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.693s 9. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +0.806s 10. James Ellison (Swan Honda) More, from a press release issued by Quay Garage Racing: SECOND ROW START FOR BRIDEWELL AT BRANDS HATCH Quay Garage Honda rider Tommy Bridewell continued his great form at the opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch when he qualified in a superb sixth position following today’s Swan Roll for Pole qualifying session. After yesterday’s sensational fastest time in the opening free practice session which he backed up with second fastest in the day’s second session, the 21 year old from Etchilhampton near Devizes had to contend with changeable weather conditions aboard the Honda CBR1000 Fireblade which persisted into the qualifying session. In Q1 he showed good pace again to end up fifth fastest and progressed into Q2 where he set fifth fastest time again to end up in the top ten shoot out for pole position. However he suffered a minor problem with the front forks and then the electrics but still held on to set sixth fastest time to start tomorrow’s first race from the second row. Tommy Bridewell: “I was fairly happy with qualifying and in Q1 I was happy with the lap times on race tyres. In Q2 we chose a wrong tyre for the weather conditions but I was still happy enough but then in Q3 I had all my problems. We encountered an electrical problem which affected our traction control and anti wheelie systems which was a bit of a shame and also we had a problem with a fork seal. I’d have liked to have been on the front row and now I just need to make a good start but I’m very confident with my race pace so we’re looking forward to the two races tomorrow.” Ian Woollacott, team owner: “If someone had offered us sixth position on the grid and a row two start for the first race tomorrow I’d have taken their hands off before we arrived at Brands. The fact that Tommy is a little bit disappointed to be sixth is testimony to the speed he’s shown all weekend and had it not been for a couple of minor problems I do honestly think he would have been on the front row of the grid. Hopefully tomorrow he can get a couple of good results under his belt and that will have been a fantastic start to the season for us.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Qualifying 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 45.565s 2, Tommy Hill (Suzuki) 45.691s 3, Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) 45.799s 4, Dan Linfoot (Yamaha) 45.843s 5, Josh Brookes (Honda) 45.861s 6, Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) 46.087s 7, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 46.107s 8, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 46.258s 9, Stuart Easton (Honda) 46.371s 10, James Ellison (Honda) DNS More, from a press release issued by GNS Racing: LOWES QUALIFIES SIXTH AT BRANDS HATCH GNS Racing rider Sam Lowes got his season off to a great start when he qualified the 600cc Honda on the second row of the grid at the opening round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent today. The Lincoln rider set his fastest time of 46.910 seconds in the first qualifying session held yesterday, and was unable to improve upon his time today due to the changeable weather conditions. Team-mate Paul Jordan qualified on the fifth row of the grid, just 0.971 seconds from the pole setter such is the competitive pace but more importantly was third fastest of the Supersport Cup competitors meaning both the young Ulsterman as well as Lowes have an excellent chance of claiming some silverware in tomorrow’s 26-lap race. Sam Lowes: “I’m happy to start on the second row of the grid for the first round as my race pace is mega. I didn’t get full use of the softer tyre in qualifying because of the weather today but the team and bike are working really well and I can’t wait for the race. I’m looking forward to a strong ride and finish so that we can build on that for the rest of the season.” Paul Jordan: “I was happy to end up less than a second from pole position as this is a very competitive class this year. I didn’t get a clear run in the second session and wasn’t able to improve on my time from yesterday and I’m really looking forward to the race tomorrow.” Gary Stubbington, team owner: “I’m very happy with the team, they are gelling together really well and I’m looking forward to a good result tomorrow. I’m really happy with both riders, the way they have been performing has amazed me. After the test here at Brands last month it all looked pretty good and the times they were doing in testing were on a par to where they are now.” Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Qualifying 6th Sam Lowes (Honda GNS Racing) 46.910s 20th Paul Jordan (Honda GNS Racing) 47.707s 1, Billy McConnell (Yamaha) 46.738s 2, James Westmoreland (Yamaha) 46.787s 3, Glen Richards (Honda) 46.828s 4, Paul Young (Triumph) 46.850s 5, Jason OHalloran (Triumph) 46.897s 6, Sam Lowes (Honda – GNS Racing) 46.910s More, from a press release issued by Swan Honda: SWAN HONDA RACE READY AFTER CHALLENGING QUALIFYING The Swan Honda team had a challenging qualifying session in the Swan Roll for Pole at Brands Hatch this afternoon. Stuart Easton and James Ellison both made it through to the final Q3 shootout, finishing in ninth and tenth respectively. Easton put in a time of 46.371s to put him ninth on the grid for the opening race of the season tomorrow, despite still suffering from a leg injury sustained in testing. Ellison suffered a disappointing final session, when he suffered a technical problem at the end of Q2 which forced him out of contention in Q3. He will start from row three in the first race tomorrow. The team will get the chance to improve their grid position for race two though, with the fastest laps in the opening race of the day deciding the grid for the second outing. Ellison said: “It is of course disappointing for me to not have had a chance to set a lap in Q3. We had such a promising start to qualifying, but it could have been worse as it could have happened in one of the earlier sessions and I would have been further back down the grid. I need to get a good start in the first race tomorrow and then for race two, because of the grid changes, I should be higher up the grid. We have shown we have the pace and I am confident that when it comes to the races we can have two strong finishes for the Swan Honda team.” Easton said: “I am happy with how qualifying has gone; it was my goal to be inside the top ten for the final session so to finish ninth is good for me. I was doing lap times in the low 46s’, but in the final session we had a problem with the rear disc so I was using a scrubbed tyre in Q3, hence why the times were slightly slower. I know that I have a consistent race pace though and the Swan Honda is improving all the time. I want to come away with two solid results tomorrow, but I am looking forward to the first race of the season for sure.” Team Manager Shaun Muir concluded: “I am happy with Stuart’s performance in qualifying; he still has the leg injury from testing so to qualify inside the top ten is a bonus. It looked like it was going to be a tough weekend for him, but so far he has really salvaged it so hopefully he can maintain that for tomorrow. A mechanical failure forced James out of Q3, but his pace in the previous session showed that he had the potential to qualify on the front row, so it is disappointing. However, he has a strong race pace and he is confident he can challenge tomorrow.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Roll for Pole: 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 45.565s 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.126s 3. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.234s 4. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.278s 5. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +0.296s 6. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +0.522s 7. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.542s 8. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.693s 9. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +0.806s 10. James Ellison (Swan Honda) More, from a press release issued by Motorpoint Yamaha: The 2010 British Superbike Championship burst into life today at a cold and sunny Brands Hatch. Dan Linfoot the Motorpoint Yamaha Superbike ‘rookie’ grabbed his first ever front row start with an incredible fourth position in a thrilling pole position shoot out. Dan has been the sensation of the winter pre season testing and proved that he is more than ready to step up to battle with the top Superbiker’s in the worlds most competitive domestic series. Neil Hodgson did not have such a good time, struggling to find his confidence and with the weather making it hard to run out fast dry laps he lacked confidence to push to the limits needed to get a good time. Dan Linfoot Motorpoint Yamaha 4th position “That was awesome, I really wanted to show that the winter work was no fluke and we are ready to step up, Brands is like riding in fast forward mode! A 45 sec lap where you have to be inch perfect is a real test. I feel great that I managed to hit all the apex’s and keep tidy, if you miss an inch around here you are punished, Rob kept reminding me to up my concentration and hit the spots and we’d get a 45 and we did!. Not sure if I will be able to sleep tonight now!!” Neil Hodgson Motorpoint Yamaha 22nd position “Well that was a serious baptism of fire! Coming back to the BSB was always going to be a tough call, this is the toughest domestic series in the world and the depth of field stronger than many World Championships. Brands is a tough starting track, a 45 sec lap needs total commitment and confidence and I really do not feel comfortable to push that hard. Dan is flying so that is great for the team and for me as I know the bike is fine, I need more laps and a couple of good races tomorrow” Rob Mac team principal “Fairly tough day first day at the office, I feel for Neil as an ex rider I know exactly what he is going through and Brands Hatch Indy circuit has no place to hide if you are slightly low on confidence! He will be fine after a couple of races tomorrow I am sure. Dan on the other hand is brimming with confidence and his time on the track certainly proved that! Amazing, for this young guy to land on the front row at this early stage of the year really bode’s well for us, lets hope we can turn today’s results into big smiles tomorrow!”