MCE INSURANCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Round 1 Brands Hatch Indy Circuit 7/8/9 April CHAMPION HILL FASTEST AS TOP 20 COVERED BY LESS THAN A SECOND Results Free practice session one: 1: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 46.297s 2: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.320s 3: Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +0.416s 4: Alex Lowes (Team WFR Honda) +0.435s 5: Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) +0.459s 6: Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) +0.546s Free practice session two: 1: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 45.979s 2: Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +0.044s 3: Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +0.140s 4: Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +0.224s 5: Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +0.256s 6: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.271s Report Tommy Hill warned the pretenders to his MCE Insurance British Superbike crown that he means business in the Easter Monday opening round after he topped the free practice leaderboard at Brands Hatch. The Swan Yamaha rider was fastest in both sessions around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit with his best lap coming in the afternoon in a time of 45.979secs, but Hill, who clinched the crown in a dramatic last round at the circuit in 2011, is expecting to make further improvements to his bike ahead of Sunday afternoon’s grid deciding session. “We are making good progress the team worked overtime on Friday to solve some fuelling issues and now we’ve worked on the chassis, trying to improve the bike further and also my riding style. The cold weather is making the tyres have to work harder but I am pretty happy with my time as it came when there was some drizzle in the air I’m feeling good, but not over confident. There is a long way to go, but I will be pushing hard,” said Hill. Michael Laverty pushed him hard, closing his Samsung Honda to within 0.044secs as Honda Fireblades packed into the top five. Graeme Gowland, riding in WFR colours was unscathed from his heavy crash at the circuit during Friday testing and recorded the third best time. Ian Lowry aboard the Padgetts Honda was barely a tenth of a second further down and just ahead of Alex Lowes riding the second WFR machine. Shane Byrne, the former two times winner of the crown, was sixth fastest on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki. Barry Burrell escaped with just bruising after high-siding off his Buildbase BMW midway through the afternoon session but still ended seventh fastest overall with a best time of 46.280secs to be marginally faster than former four times series runner-up Chris Walker on the Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki. Dan Linfoot on the second Buildbase BMW was ninth fastest, 46.417secs, ahead of Stuart Easton on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki in a second session that saw the top 20 runners set times within a second of pace-setter Hill. For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Swan Yamaha: SWAN YAMAHA SET THE PACE IN FREE PRACTICE AT BRANDS HATCH Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill set the pace in today’s (Saturday) two opening free practice sessions at Brands Hatch ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session on the Indy circuit in Kent. The top 20 riders were separated by just 0.892 seconds and Hill put in his fastest time of the weekend in the afternoon session despite the conditions getting colder and the threat of rain. However, it held off for the reigning champion to remain fastest ahead of the race one grid deciding session tomorrow. Noriyuki Haga was also able to set his best time of the weekend, 0.711 seconds adrift of the leading time to put him seventeenth. However the Japanese rider believes that tomorrow will see further improvement ahead of the qualifying session. Hill said: “So far, so good for the Swan Yamaha team here at Brands Hatch. It is still early days as it is only practice, but it is obviously good to top both of the sessions. In the afternoon stint I did my fastest lap as it began to drizzle a little and the team called me back into the garage, but to do that in those changing conditions is definitely encouraging. Tomorrow for qualifying and the races on Monday could be a different story if the weather changes but we are happy and feeling ready for it.” Haga said: “Today we decided on the engine to use after testing them yesterday and I was feeling comfortable and now we just need to make a few more changes to help with the balance before qualifying. The lap times are so close between everybody that just to push a little bit more will move me up the order so I am not worried. It is important to get a good feeling with the Swan Yamaha which we have been doing today and we have some more ideas for tomorrow ready for qualifying.” Team manager Gary Ekerold concluded: “After a slightly tricky day yesterday with the fuelling issues the Swan Yamaha team have made good progress today. Tommy topped both sessions and has shown that he comes back here ready to battle. Noriyuki has been making good progress but still needs a little more time, but with the times so close it won’t be long before we see what he is capable of here.” For more information visit www.swanyamaha.co.uk