Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will start from eighth on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park. The Rizla Suzuki rider’s pace on race tyres is impressive but he continues to struggle to get the best from qualifiers and was just one tenth of a second faster on the super-sticky specialist rubber. Team mate James Haydon withdrew from the races earlier today. He completed 11-laps in morning practice while riding with a badly injured left shoulder, forearm and hand. He consulted the team and decided not to participate in the races to prevent any possible further aggravation to his injuries and to concentrate on getting better for the next round at Snetterton in two week’s time. Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla took pole position at the warm and sunny 1.41-mile long Leicestershire circuit. Superbike racing starts at 13:15 on Sunday, June 4th. Shane Byrne: “I gave it my all in qualification and thought I managed a really fast lap but it was just a fraction of a second faster than my best on race tyres. I still am not getting the best out of the qualifying tyres and that’s something I need to work on. “On race tyres my Rizla Suzuki feels mega and I want to be mixing it at the front of the pack in the races, that’s what I’m here for.” Niall Mackenzie – Race Operations Manager: “It’s been a frustrating day for Shakey. He is amongst the fastest on race tyres and looks composed on his bike but it just didn’t happen for him on qualifiers. If he can get a decent start there’s no doubt he can compete for the podium. “The team is disappointed that James has had to withdraw from the races but it was the right decision. He is already talking to doctors about treatment and is doing all he can to regain his fitness in time for Snetterton and the next round of the Championship. He will be with the team at Mallory Park tomorrow lending his support to Shakey in the races and meeting the fans.” Qualification: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 55.375, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.065, 3: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.116, 4: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.260, 5: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.305, 6: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.414, 7: Michael Laverty (Honda) +0.517, 8: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.810, 9: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +0.840, 10: Glen Richards (Honda) +0.935. Audi Performance Award: 1: Lavilla 42, 2: Haslam 39, 3: Harris 32, 4: Rutter 23, 5: Kiyonari 21, 6: Rea 20, 7: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 13, 8: Thomas 11, 9: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 10, 10 Laverty 5.