BROOKES OVERCOMES SPEEDY SEELEY IN FREE PRACTICE MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ROUND SEVEN SNETTERTON 16/17/18 July Josh Brookes twice fought off fierce challenges from Alastair Seeley to set the pace in the opening practice sessions ahead of the triple race seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton. The HM Plant Honda rider, who leads the title chase by four points, topped the leaderboard in each of the two sessions at the Norfolk circuit, but not without being closely challenged by Relentless Suzuki riding Seeley, and the two riders ended the day with only 0.120secs between them. “This is the best practice day I have had this year and the first time I have topped two consecutive free practice sessions so I am feeling really positive now ahead of the first race,” said Brookes with a smile. “It has been a pleasant return here after the past two rounds. I don’t really like Mallory Park and then Knockhill was ruined due to the weather, but this track is great for Superbikes and you can really utilise the full speed on the straights here and the turns are so flowing. “I am therefore enjoying it more and when you ride like that it gives you more confidence and the times just come,” he added as he prepared for the Saturday afternoon opening race, held over from the weather ravaged Knockhill round, and the two Sunday afternoon races. Brookes can take nothing for granted. Apart from Seeley, Michael Rutter, fresh from his Scottish victory was again running at the sharp-end of the pack on his RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati to be a split second up on Tommy Hill who is eager to regain the lead in the title standings. Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Hill dominated the early season action, but has had two lean rounds, and while he is well placed for a challenge for the crown, he is not happy at being second best in the rankings. “Everyone wants to see a close fight for the title and I think that is what they are going to get; this weekend is certainly going to be close,” said Hill, adding: “I had a big lead and you can see how fast the order can change so I need to be back on the podium.” Dan Linfoot ran fifth fastest aboard the Motorpoint Yamaha with the Laverty brothers Michael, riding Relentless Suzuki, and John, Buildbase Kawasaki, either side of Quay Garage Honda’s Tommy Bridewell with former twice World Supersport champion Andrew Pitt ninth fastest ahead of Chris Walker, who was making his debut for the Sorrymate.com SMT Honda team. Swan Honda’s James Ellison, running twelfth fastest, was sandwiched between the MSS Colchester Kawasaki riders Simon Andrews and Gary Mason while Ryuichi Kiyonari, twice a double race winner at this circuit in his two title winning years, struggled with the set-up of his bike to be just ahead of fifteenth fastest Stuart Easton who was experiencing grip problems. Steve Brogan, riding the Jentin BMW, was the fastest of the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class runners, only 0.004secs slower than Easton, as he put in a series of consistent laps, underlining his determination to peg back series leading Hudson Kennaugh in the title chase. Kennaugh, who has switched from MAR Kawasaki to ride for Splitlath Aprilia at this round, was fourth fastest in class a second down on Brogan and adrift of his new Aprilia team-mate Chris Burns and Close Print Finance Honda’s Craig Fitzpatrick. For the record Superbike top ten times in free practice Friday Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 1m:05.731s Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.120s Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +0.295s Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.334s Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.672s Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.741s Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +0.770s John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +0.775s Andrew Pitt (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.946s Chris Walker (Sorrymate.com SMT Honda) +1.038s Superbike lap record: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1m 04.688s, 108.63mph (2006) More, from a press release issued by Swan Honda: SWAN HONDA SEEK FURTHER IMPROVEMENT AT SNETTERTON The Swan Honda team are determined to turn their fortunes around ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying and opening race at Snetterton after ending today’s practice sessions with James Ellison in twelfth and Stuart Easton in fifteenth. The high-speed Norfolk circuit proved challenging for both riders as they strived to find a setting to put them in contention as both Ellison and Easton ended the opening two sessions outside the top ten. However, the team are now feeling fired up to change the situation around in the final practice session tomorrow before the race two grid deciding qualifying shootout and the opening race of the weekend. Ellison said: “We have had a few issues today and we just haven’t been able to get the front planted on the track; in the first sector before the corners we were up there, but if you look at the other sectors we are really struggling and it is because we simply can’t carry the speed. The wind today has been picking up and has been folding the front so we need to look tomorrow at getting some more weight on the front end. Today has been a case of doing the best with what we had and then tomorrow we need to come back stronger.” Easton said: “Today we have struggling again and it is obviously disappointing to not be up the sharp end where we need to be. We have had a few problems with the rear suspension and it has been dropping when I am not on the throttle, which has slowed the pace. We have sat down and had a debrief and we now have a few ideas on what we can try tomorrow as it really needs to be resolved ahead of qualifying and the first race. We know that we have the pace we just need to find it in the morning.”