MCE British Superbike Championship

Knockhill Circuit, Scotland

June 25, 2016

Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):

From Qualifying Knockout Session Three (wet conditions):

1. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), 51.374 seconds

2. Jason O’Halloran, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 51.375

3. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 51.513

4. Peter Hickman, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 51.658

5. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), 51.686

6. John Hopkins, USA (Yam YZF-R1), 51.770

7. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 51.932

8. Richard Cooper, UK (BMW S1000RR), 52.207

9. Danny Buchan, UK (Duc Panigale R), 52.297

From Qualifying Knockout Session Two (wet conditions):

10. James Ellison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 52.556

11. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW S1000RR), 52.589

12. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 52.626

13. Jake Dixon, UK (BMW S1000RR), 52.654

14. Ryuichi Kyonari, Japan (Suz GSX-R1000), 52.721

15. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), 52.882

16. Billy McConnell, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), 52.884

17. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), 53.105

18. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), 53.110

From Qualifying Knockout Session One (dry conditions):

19. Stuart Easton, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 48.875

20. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), 49.051

21. Filip Backlund, Sweden (Kaw ZX-10R), 49.059

22. Howie Mainwaring Smart, UK (BMW S1000RR), 49.066

23. Alastair Seeley, UK (BMW S1000RR), 49.094

24. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), 49.350

25. Josh Hook, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), 49.415

26. James Rispoli, USA (Yam YZF-R1), 49.732

27. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 49.734

28. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 49.824

29. Jenny Tinmouth, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 50.022

30. Josh Wainwright, UK (BMW S1000RR), 50.405

31. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Italy (Kaw ZX-10R), no lap time recorded

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Shakey snatches pole position by just 0.001s from O’Halloran at Knockhill

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne mastered the wet conditions at Knockhill to claim pole position in Datatag Qualifying at Knockhill by just 0.001s from Jason O’Halloran ahead of tomorrow’s two races in Scotland after a frantic final wet Superpole session.

Datatag Qualifying started in dry conditions but a heavy downpour after Q1 meant that the remainder of the session became an incredible battle for pole position in the wet. It was an early end to the session for Tyco BMW’s Christian Iddon who crashed out of the second session at turn two unhurt, pushing him outside the top nine in the closing stages and he starts from the fifth row.

The wet Superpole session saw six different riders move to the top of the times with rookie Glenn Irwin initially setting the benchmark on the Be Wiser Ducati, before Richard Cooper displaced him from the top. However the Carrickfergus rider claimed the position back with his next flying lap.

Irwin was then nudged from the top spot by his team-mate Byrne as the four-time champion moved ahead, only for the pair to swap places again just two laps later.

Byrne was on a charge though and he saved his best until the final moments of the session when he powered the Be Wiser Ducati to his first pole position of the season, but O’Halloran was on the counterattack and at the line the Australian missed out by the narrowest of margins.

As the leading pair pushed for the pole position Leon Haslam also leapt up the order in the final minute to move third and complete the front row for JG Speedfit Kawasaki.

Peter Hickman was another rider who shuffled his way up the order in the final minute to snatch fourth place from Irwin, who had secured his place in the final stage of Datatag Qualifying for the first time this season.

John Hopkins had been holding a front row position until the final minutes of the session and the American will complete row two ahead of Dan Linfoot on the second Honda Racing Fireblade and Richard Cooper. Danny Buchan held ninth place with his strongest qualifying performance so far this season for the Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati team.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Datatag Qualifying:

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 51.374s

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +0.001s

Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.139s

Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.284s

Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.312s

John Hopkins (ePayMe Yamaha) +0.396s

Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +0.558s

Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) +0.833s

Danny Buchan (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.923s

For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) pole position

“It is all work in progress, this is a new project and step by step we are getting better. If I’m honest, there are two corners on the track that I’m particularly struggling with in the dry. Not because I have a problem but because I don’t have any feeling. I feel both me and the bike should be able to go through them much faster but it’s just down to not knowing what’s going to happen if I push.

“I think we’ll be fine tomorrow. The difficult thing for me is that I’m quite an experienced rider and I’ve had lots of problems in my career and usually you can find a way around them but with this track wet one minute and dry the next you’re wanting to try things but you can’t really test. The boys know what they need to do if it’s dry tomorrow but either way we have a good rhythm, Sunday is race day and that’s what we live for. “

More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:

Superb Knockhill Qualifying For Be Wiser Ducati

The Penrith-based Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team enjoyed a superb day at Knockhill for round four of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship today with both Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Glenn Shane ByrneIrwin putting in excellent rides during this afternoon’s Datatag Extreme Qualifying session.

Aboard the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, 39-year-old Londoner Byrne posted the seventh fastest time in the first qualifying session, held in dry conditions at the Scottish venue. The local weather then intervened though and torrential rain brought proceedings to an abrupt halt, resulting in both the second Q2 and Superpole sessions being held in the wet.

However, Shakey and the team clearly had a good set up for the inclement weather conditions and having topped the leaderboard in the second Q2 session, Shakey then served up a repeat performance in the third to claim his first pole position of the season and his 43rd in total.

Team-mate Irwin fared equally well and although he looked strong in the initial dry session, he really excelled in the wet weather and at one stage looked like he’d join Byrne on the front row. Sixth in Q2, the Carrickfergus rider repeatedly went quickest in the final Superpole session before being bumped back to third by Shakey and Leon Haslam. He then got held up on his final lap resulting in him ending the session in fifth overall. Nevertheless, it puts the 26 year old in an excellent second row starting position for tomorrow’s opening 30-lap race.

Shane Byrne: “The team have done a great job once more this weekend and it’s great to get pole position for them and in front of Ernesto Marinelli, the boss of Ducati Corse. My crew chief Giovanni gave me a great bike and I was pretty happy in the wet conditions as I was in the dry too. It’s difficult to find the initial setting with the bike but once we find it, it simply gets better and better and that’s how the weekend has unfolded. I’d still like to have a bit better feel in the dry but we’re still competitive so that’s the main thing.”

Glenn Irwin: “It’s the first time I’ve made it into Superpole this season and to do it in front of Ernesto is great, we’ll have to get him along to more rounds! I felt I could have taken P3 in the last bit of Glenn Irwinqualifying but I had a couple of moments and got held up slightly although I’m still very satisfied with fifth. My pace in the dry has been strong too and I always go better in the races than I do in qualifying so I’m feeling confident and am aiming for two top ten finishes tomorrow.”

Paul Bird, Team Owner: “It’s nice to have taken our first pole position with the new Ducati and both riders look strong in both the wet conditions and the dry so we’re looking forward now to two sets of good results on race day. It’s very important for us to be on the front two rows and although it’s results on race day that ultimately matter, everything is coming along nicely in our development and progress.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

CHALLENGING BSB QUALIFYING FOR BENNETTS SUZUKI

Bennetts Suzuki had a tricky qualifying session at Knockhill in Scotland, with tight lap-times and changeable weather conditions hampering preparations for tomorrow’s races and round four of the MCE British Superbike championship.

Ryuichi Kiyonari, returning to action for the first time since breaking his collarbone at the previous round, spent much of Friday practice finding his feet and ensuring he felt comfortable on his GSX-R1000. After two solid sessions, he set the second fastest time in FP3.

He progressed comfortably from Q1, but a sudden rain shower saw the second qualifying session red-flagged and delayed on safety grounds. Kiyonari started strongly when the session resumed, but unfortunately couldn’t hang on to his position in the top nine, and finished the session 14th.

Ryuichi Kiyonari:

“My collarbone isn’t too bad. It’s a bit sore, but I’m okay when I’m riding. My feeling on the bike is good. Not quite as good as at Brands Hatch. This circuit has a lot of undulations, so we have had to change in areas and we haven’t found a perfect set-up yet. But my feeling was good, in the dry more than the wet, and we have improved in every session. For sure I think my race pace is a lot better than our qualifying position. There are a few corners where I’m losing a little bit, but overall I’m confident for tomorrow and I’m ready to race.”

Tommy Bridewell endured a difficult day, struggling to find a comfortable set-up on his GSX-R1000 for the undulating and finicky Knockhill circuit. He will start tomorrow’s opening race from 20th on the grid.

Tommy Bridewell:

“It’s been a tricky weekend so far, and we’re not sure why. We’ve come from Brands with a good feeling and obviously we were on the podium, and then a good test at Snetterton where we were strong. It’s difficult, but the whole team is working hard to try and fix our issues and find a solution, and we’ll keep working tonight to see if we can get it sorted as 20th on the grid is the opposite of where I need to be. But I’m sure we can find something with the bike and if we can get it right we can move forward tomorrow. It’s going to require some fairly hard moves and I probably won’t make many friends, but we’re here to race and get results.”

Martin Halsall – Team Owner:

“Unfortunately it’s not running as smoothly as we’d like this weekend and we’re struggling a little bit. Kiyo’s shown some pace and I think his grid position doesn’t accurately reflect the pace he’s shown. He’s nursed his collarbone a little so far this weekend too, but he’s also shown that he’s still committed and riding hard, and I think we’ll see more from him in the races tomorrow.

“On Tommy’s side of the garage we’re struggling to find a set-up that suits him around Knockhill. It’s tricky here, it’s quite an undulating circuit, lots of off-camber sections, and at the moment we can’t quite get him comfortable. But everyone in the team is still working hard. We’ll go through the data from today and come up with a plan for warm-up, and hopefully we’ll find something that can get him up to where we need to be in the races.”