Shakey leads Dixon by just 0.030s with the pair under the lap record in Cadwell Park free practice
Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Jake Dixon were separated by just 0.030s after the second MCE British Superbike free practice session at Cadwell Park this afternoon, with the pair lapping under the existing circuit record to hold off home hero Peter Hickman in third.
Byrne set the original benchmark early in the session but then Hickman surged his way back to the top of the times after topping the opening free practice. However the Smiths Racing BMW rider was nudged back into third place when Byrne and Dixon improved in the closing ten minutes of the session. Byrne had ended the morning session third fastest after having a small crash at the bottom of the Mountain.
Dixon is fighting to move into the top six in the standings this weekend ahead of the Showdown as he holds seventh place ahead of Sunday’s two races and just adrift of him is Tyco BMW’s Christian Iddon.
The Tyco BMW rider was fourth fastest as he bids to climb into the Showdown six, he held off Josh Brookes who completed the top five for Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha.
The McAMS Yamahas were fighting back at Cadwell Park with James Ellison leading the charge in sixth place, narrowly ahead of Leon Haslam, who split him and team-mate Michael Laverty. John Hopkins and Jason O’Halloran completed the top ten.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, Free Practice 1:
Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) 1m:27.150s
Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.040s
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.368s
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.545s
Jake Dixon (RAF Reserves Kawasaki) +0.722s
John Hopkins (Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.834s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +1.010s
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +1.144s
James Ellison (McAMS Yamaha) +1.252s
Martin Jessopp (Ridersmotorcycles.com BMW) +1.254s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, Free Practice 2:
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:26.516s
Jake Dixon (RAF Reserves Kawasaki) +0.030s
Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +0.198s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.583s
Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) +0.637s
James Ellison (McAMS Yamaha) +0.647s
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.690s
Michael Laverty (McAMS Yamaha) +0.819s
John Hopkins (Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.884s
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +1.022s
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Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne
Be Wiser Ducati
“Today hasn’t gone as well as it looks! We had a pretty difficult first session and it kind of continued into the second session too. We played about a bit with the balance of the bike and trying to get more of a feel from the front end of the bike to balance between the front and rear.
“We put a new tyre in this afternoon, but I feel like we have been held back a bit at the moment, so myself and Giovanni sat down and he is coming up with a bit of a plan. It was good to end the session in P1 with a run of decent times, but it is only Friday at Cadwell Park and it is Sunday that matters!
“We were fast in the test here, slightly faster than we were today so we still have work to do and ready to come back stronger for qualifying and the races on Sunday.”