Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne was challenging for pole position at the 13th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch when rain interrupted qualifying and left him frustrated in second place. Riding in front of his home fans, Byrne was in provisional pole for much of the 50-minute session. His lap time was bettered with 15-minutes remaining and before he could get out of the garage for another lap the rain started to fall, scuppering his chances of going any faster. Team mate James Haydon only managed one qualifying lap before the wet weather closed in, but he was content to end up in a strong starting position of seventh on the second row. John Hopkins from Rizla Suzuki’s MotoGP team completed a brace of demonstration laps on his GSV-R at the 2.60-mile long circuit. He will return on race day for another 10-minute display before joining the Rizla Suzuki Superbike team to cheer on Byrne and Haydon. Ducati’s Leon Haslam took pole position and won the Audi Quattro Performance Award in the process. Shane Byrne: “I am gutted not to have taken pole position. I think I had the measure of the rest of the field but the rain made sure I didn’t get a chance to show it. On the front row at the top of the hill is pretty good though, so that’s ok. “My Rizla Suzuki is in great shape and I am enjoying riding at my home circuit. I’m at the front, racing in my neck of the woods, and fancy a couple of wins to end the season on a high note.” James Haydon: “On my qualifying lap I made a couple of small mistakes and I really wanted a second attempt at setting a time. I got out of pit lane before the rain started but half-way round the next lap the heavens opened and I had to settle for seventh. “I’m happy with my Rizla Suzuki and we have settled on a tyre for both wet and dry conditions. I am looking forward to the racing and hoping I can run with the leaders and go for the podium.” Niall Mackenzie – Race Operations Manager: “There’s a real excitement and buzz within the team at the moment. We are all encouraged by Shakey’s second place on the grid and his obvious determination to challenge for race wins this weekend. It is all coming together for him. “James is just over half a second away from pole position and has a similar race pace to the front row. We are expecting good things from him in the races.” Qualifying Times: 1: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:26.558, 2: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.062, 3: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.194, 4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.195, 5: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.240, 6: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.353, 7: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +0.674, 8: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.753, 9: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +1.136, 10: Glen Richards (Honda) +1.179.