Round seven 21/22 July Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit BYRNE’S LATE SCORCHER TO SNATCH FIRST POLE START OF SEASON FROM HILL Results Qualifying, top six: 1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 1m:25.908s 2: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.062s 3: Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +0.297s 4: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.431s 5: Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +0.444s 6: Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki) +0.448s Report Shane “Shakey” Byrne saved the best for last as he scorched his Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki to his first pole start of the MCE Insurance British Superbike season, though the former two times winner of the crown was pushed hard by reigning champion Tommy Hill. Swan Yamaha’s Hill who carries the confidence from his winning hat-trick in the previous round had set the pace and was initially under pressure from Samsung Honda’s Michael Laverty but Byrne stole the show on the circuit where he made his racing debut, as he snatched the top spot on the leaderboard. “It has been a long time coming and now we have to convert it into race wins,” said Byrne who had signed off last season with a winning double at the circuit. “We are having to ride really hard and cannot rest on anything. We need to keep working to maintain our race pace and will be trying one or two ideas in the morning warm-up session.” Hill was denied a fifth pole start by just 0.062secs and is gearing up for the races tomorrow at the track where he lifted the title so sensationally last October. He said “We are where we need to be and now we have to keep our pace strong. If we are not moving forwards, others will be, so we will be pushing hard.” Laverty and his team had wrestled with changing settings across the day and found the best for the qualifying session, he said: “We’ve had a few issues and made changes but there is still work to be done and we’ll be looking into that before the races.” Aussie Josh Brookes completes the front row for Tyco Suzuki despite a crash in the earlier free practice session, easing former World Superbike star Noriyuki Haga back into fifth place and with it a second row start alongside Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki’s Chris Walker and the WFR Honda duo of James Westmoreland and Graeme Gowland. For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Swan Yamaha: HILL CLAIMS FRONT ROW START FOR HOME ROUND AT BRANDS HATCH Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill claimed a front row start ahead of tomorrow’s seventh round of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent as Noriyuki Haga just missed out on the front row in fifth. Hill was narrowly edged out on claiming his fifth pole position of the season at his home circuit after setting the fastest time in the two free practice sessions earlier in the day. Haga made his return to the Grand Prix circuit for the first time since 2008 and was just pushed back onto the second row of the grid in the closing minute of the qualifying session. Hill said: “It is always good to be on the front row and that is what you need, especially as it is the same four of us on the front row. We have started the weekend well but it is when the red mist comes down in the other garages you need to be ready and we need to keep making sure we move forwards too. I was a bit frustrated and I was overriding the bike; we have had some fuelling issues and again it felt different today but we made some mapping changes to try and pip Shakey for the pole position at the end of the session but fair play he did a good job. We are all pushing hard and the front row is still a good result. The Swan Yamaha is working well and now we need to do the same at Brands Hatch as we did at Oulton Park in the races tomorrow.” Haga said: “It is good to be back at Brands Hatch and I am working hard to make improvements. With every exit from the pitlane we were trying to improve today and we still have something that we need to work on to get the balance right for me here on this circuit as it is quite different from the others. We still haven’t found this yet. We only need something small to make the difference and I think we will make a plan tonight of how we can improve for the races tomorrow but a second row start is not so bad.” For more information visit www.swanyamaha.co.uk More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes will start tomorrow’s British Superbike Championship seventh round at Brands Hatch in Kent from the front row of the grid after posting fourth-quickest time in today’s qualifying. The Australian GSX-R1000 rider overcame a crash in free practice, when he was forced to take avoiding action because of a slower rider, to bravely return a front row grid position. Team mate Alastair Seeley also crashed in the early session, which put his crew under pressure to repair the machine for qualifying. He did force his way through Q1 but an electrical problem, caused by a damaged wire from the earlier incident, ended his session prematurely and the Ulsterman will start tomorrow’s opening race from row five. PJ Jacobsen was thrown into the lion’s den in today’s National 1000cc Superstock class: The 18-year-old New Yorker, who had never ridden the Brands GP circuit until today, used the opening session to familiarise himself with the layout, posting 18th from the second session for tomorrow’s race. Josh Brookes: “I did come into the weekend feeling quite confident after a good performance here at the end of last season, but I haven’t been quite getting the confidence I need to match those lap times. After the crash this morning I had to use the first qualifying session as practice; then we made a few suspension changes to improve the bike. I was dripping with sweat as I really tried so hard to bridge that gap, and although we are on the front row, we still have a bit of work to do for tomorrow.” Alastair Seeley: “The crash at Druids certainly didn’t help things and put the boys under a bit of pressure. It’s a pity as we were making progress and I was getting into the groove out there but I still think someone is sticking pins in my Voodoo Doll! It’s a matter of making the best of race one tomorrow and posting a lap time to move us up the grid.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “It’s always going to be a hard day when you crash before qualifying, so to have both boys down within minutes of each gave the guys extra work in the garage. Unfortunately for Alastair a tiny wire, which was damaged in his crash and could never have been detected; cost him with a retirement in Q2. Josh did a good job getting up to fourth on a day when he was not entirely happy, which is testament to his determination. PJ was up against it having to learn the circuit, while also trying to qualify and give enough feedback to give him a comfortable set-up. He’s enjoying the experience with our team and I’m sure he’ll finish strong in tomorrow’s race.” Brands Hatch BSB Qualifying Results: 1 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki) 1:25.908, 2 Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 1:25.970, 3 Michael Laverty (Honda) 1:26.205, 4 Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:26.339, 5 Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) 1:26.352, 6 Chris Walker (Kawasaki) 1:26.356, 7 James Westmoreland (Honda) 1:26.413, 8 Graeme Gowland (Honda) 1:26.426, 9 Alex Lowes (Honda) 1:26.815, 10 Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) 1:26.824. 20 Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:27.076.