Crutchlow charges to pole number four ahead of Haslam BENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Penultimate round 27/28 September Silverstone Cal Crutchlow outpaced his HM Plant Honda team-mate and rival for second place in the overall Bennetts British Superbike Championship to claim pole start for the penultimate round at Silverstone where Shane Byrne, the Airwaves Ducati rider who needs only a top nine finish to take the title, missed out on a front row start for the first time this season. Byrne ran sixth fastest, starting from the second row, with a time half a second down on the scorching lap set by Crutchlow who powered in a time of 1m 25.489secs to top qualifying for the fourth time this campaign. The 22 year old Coventry rider is keen to convert that pace into race winning speed he has not tasted the victor’s champagne since the third round back in May not has he won from pole position. “I haven’t been able to convert a pole position in to a win yet, but there is no reason why I can’t win here,” reflected Crutchlow. “It is great to be on pole again, we definitely need to get back to winning. “I do have some pressure on my shoulders now to do well on a Superbike before I head off next year and get back on a Supersport bike. But I have been riding well this weekend and the team have been working hard to put together a fantastic bike, so I need to thank them. “I really want two race wins here, I am looking forward to getting out there. I am excited about the races,” added Crutchlow who is currently fourth in the rankings, adrift of Rizla Suzuki rider Tom Sykes who ran fifth best here to head up the second row. Haslam, the man in form with four race wins in the previous five races, ran within three tenths of Crutchlow and is confident that he can maintain his run of success having earlier set the pace in free practice amid a strong, consistent performance across the weekend. Leon Camier set seventh best time, to start alongside his team-mate Byrne, while James Ellison, whose Hydrex Bike Animal Honda team had worked wonders to keep him on track in the Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole grid deciding session, completed the second row of the grid. Michael Laverty starts his Relentless Suzuki from the third row, a split second up on leading Daily Star Cup qualifier Gary Mason riding the Quay Garage Honda, with Kawasaki riders Stuart Easton, on the MSS Discovery bike, and Hawk’s Scott Smart. Top ten qualifiers 1. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) 1m:25.489s 2. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) +0.301s 3. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +0.463s 4. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha) +0.487s 5. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.523s 6. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) +0.647s 7. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) +0.686s 8. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +1.066s 9. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +1.423s 10. Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda) +1.522s More, from a press release issued by GSE Racing/Airwaves Ducati: SHANE AND LEON START ON SECOND ROW AT SILVERSTONE Tomorrow GSE Racing will be looking to achieve their 4th British Superbike title. Airwaves Ducati riders Shane Byrne and Leon Camier will start round 11 from the second row of the grid. Championship leader Shane qualified 6th and Leon 7th with only 0.039 seconds separating the pair. Knowing he needs just a top 10 finish tomorrow to secure the 2008 title, Shane commented, “I went as fast as I felt necessary today. Towards the end of qualifying I decided to push a little harder but made a couple of mistakes. Fortunately they weren’t big mistakes but big enough for me to think about the championship being at stake. After that I rode at 99% but still managed to achieve a1:26.136 lap and bring the Airwaves Ducati home! Although I’m a little disappointed not to be on the front row I am pleased with my times today. Both Leon and I have a really good race pace which is what the Airwaves Ducati team has been working towards all weekend and I think we should be in great shape for tomorrow’s races.” Leon worked hard to improve his lap times over qualifying with his fastest time of 1:26.175 coming on lap 4 of 7 in the final session. “We made a big change to the Airwaves Ducati this morning ahead of practice and I’m really confident we’ve made a step forward with our race pace. Although the settings aren’t ideal for one quick qualifying lap, we’ve focused on getting ourselves the best possible set up for the races”. The schedule for Round 11 of the British Superbike Championship is as follows: Race One 1315 Race Two 1625 Qualifying Results: 1. Cal Crutchlow HM Plant Honda 1:25.489 2. Leon Haslam HM Plant Honda 1:25.790 3. Michael Rutter North West 200 Ducati 1:25.952 4. Karl Harris Team Yamaha 1:25.976 5. Tom Sykes Rizla Suzuki 1:26.012 6. Shane Byrne Airwaves Ducati 1:26.136 7. Leon Camier Airwaves Ducati 1:26.175 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Rizla Suzuki’s Tom Sykes will head the second row in fifth place for tomorrow’s double-header 11th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone in Northamptonshire after displaying blistering pace on race tyres that mark him out as a contender for top honours. Sykes led the first tier of qualifying and followed it up with third in the second session. Going into the crucial final qualifying to determine the top 10 he improved his lap time at the 2.213-mile twisty and demanding track. Lapping consistently and impressively in the low 1m 26s bracket he finished fifth but if he can maintain that pace for the races he will be right at the sharp end at the chequered flag. In glorious sunshine, Rizla Suzuki’s Atsushi Watanabe was 10th in the first qualifying but could not match his lap times in the second session, finishing 17th and eliminated from the exclusive top-10 shoot-out. Honda’s Cal Crutchlow took pole position. Superbike racing starts at 1315 at Silverstone tomorrow with the second race commencing at 1625. Tom Sykes: “I am trying hard and pushing as fast as I am comfortable. I can run my lap times consistently and come tomorrow that should put us in contention for the podium over race distance. “There are a few changes we can make to my Rizla Suzuki that we can test in morning warm-up. I’d like my gear change lever moved slightly to help with selection and there are a couple of ideas we have to give me a bit more confidence through ‘Priory’ where I feel there is time to be gained.” Atsushi Watanabe: “I quite like Silverstone and think the circuit is very high level. I also like the weather this weekend; it is not usual for British Superbikes as there is sunshine and I hope it stays for the races. “I am little disappointed in final qualifying as I think I could have been higher and competing in the top 10. In the second qualifying session an issue with my number one bike meant I rode my second GSX-R1000, but I was not as comfortable and I ended up 17th. We will go back to my other bike and tomorrow I think I can still compete for top 10.” Jack Valentine – Rizla Suzuki Team Manager: “It’s the penultimate round of the Championship and the competition is really hotting up – a bit like the weather really. Tom put in a good performance and can run his lap times for a full race distance and that should let him fight for the podium. We’ll try a few changes in the morning to improve his pace further and starting from fifth on the grid is the right side of the track for entering turn one. He’s in good shape. “Atsu started well in qualifying but a machine switch for the second qualifying did not work to his advantage and he ended up further down the field than we expected. He has top-10 speed and I fully expect him to get up there in the races.”