EASTON SECURES FRONT ROW START FOR SWAN HONDA Swan Honda’s Stuart Easton will start from second on the grid tomorrow for the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park after narrowly missing out on the pole position. Easton had set the pace across all three free practice sessions this weekend and was lying in pole position during the final eight minute session in the Swan Roll for Pole, when he just got edged out by Tommy Hill in the final seconds. Easton said: “It has been a typical qualifying session for me and I thought that the lap was enough to stay on pole, but unfortunately Tommy just got in there at the last minute. I have been fastest in all of the free practice sessions so I am feeling confident that the changes we have made will mean during this weekend will put us in a strong position for tomorrow’s races. “I really think we can start to challenge for the wins now as we have a good race pace and I am back to full fitness. It is tomorrow that matters most and I really feel that I can really get my championship underway now and I want to be winning, or at least consistently finishing on the podium.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Swan Roll for Pole result: 1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 1m:35.214s 2. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +0.394s 3. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +0.408s 4. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +0.733s 5. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.899s More, from a press release issued by Quay Garage Honda: BRIDEWELL BACK ON TRACK AT OULTON PARK Following his practice crash at Thruxton which ruled him out of round two of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship two weeks ago, Quay Garage Racing rider Tommy Bridewell was back in action in round three of the series and in impressive form at Oulton Park today. After a good start yesterday in free practice, the 21 year old from Etchilhampton near Devizes ended up tenth overall after the three sessions going into the Swan Combi Roll for Poll qualifying session. Having problems encountering slower traffic, Bridewell managed to make the cut in 18th place in the first part but better was to come in the second session whereby he took the ex Gregorio Lavilla Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade to a brilliant fifth place to qualify for the final session. Bridewell couldn’t repeat the heroics in that final session and ended up in tenth place and as a result will start tomorrow’s first 18-lap race from row three of the grid. Tommy Bridewell: “As strange as it sounds, I’m happier with the third session as my lap times were more consistent and reflective of race pace as there’s no way the riders in front can do those fast lap times all race long. I’m pleased with the set up and my finger isn’t causing me too many problems so I’m feeling confident going into tomorrow’s races. The team has worked very hard to get here this weekend following the damage sustained at Thruxton so I’d like to say a huge thanks to them and hope to reward them with a couple of solid finishes.” More, from a press release issued by GNS Racing: SECOND ROW START FOR BATTERED LOWES GNS Racing’s Sam Lowes performed heroics at Oulton Park today to qualify in 8th place for Monday’s third round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. The 19-year-old from Lincoln was involved in a nasty crash in this morning’s first qualifying session on just the second lap when he clashed with a slower rider and, with a dislocated collarbone, there was some doubt if he’d be able to take any further part in the weekend. However, despite being in great discomfort, he showed tremendous courage to climb back on board for the second session later in the afternoon and despite the lack of track time, a lap of 1m39.254s saw him leap up the leaderboard for 8th place and a second row start. Fellow team member Paul Jordan from Maghera felt in Northern Ireland also put in a strong performance and having found himself in 22nd place at the end of first qualifying, he took 1.3s off his lap times to move up to 18th place and be the second of the Cup competitiors. Sam Lowes: “This morning was nothing short of a disaster and I’m feeling quite second hand now but I dug deep and to pull up to the second row having missed all of the first session is great. I’ve shown what I can do and the team have shown what they can do when their backs are against the wall and we’ve done a great job to take 8th. It wasn’t easy out there and I’m a bit worried about how 16 laps are going to be in the race as it’s probably the most physical circuit on the calendar but the race is a different situation so I’ll be giving it 120% on every lap. We always want wins and podiums but if I can get a top five finish tomorrow and some solid points, Ill happily take that.” Paul Jordan: “Compared to where I was on Saturday and again this morning, I’m a lot happier now. I couldn’t get my head into it to begin with and it’s probably the hardest circuit changing from a 125 to a 600 but this afternoon’s qualifying went really well. I tagged on to a group of quick riders and got totally dialled in to what I needed to do so I’m feeling confident going into tomorrow’s race.” Gary Stubbington, Team Owner: “After what happened in the first session, I felt really sorry for Sam as it wasn’t his fault in the slightest yet he suffered a horrific crash and further damaged his shoulder but he bounced back amazingly well and to take 8th on the grid is a stunning performance. It shows what determination and skill he has and he’s back to where he deserves to be whilst the team deserve equal praise for pulling out all the stops to get the bike ready in time. Sam’s desperate for some more support to maintain his title challenge and keep his career on the up so if anyone can help in any way, please get in touch!” “Paul was struggling during practice with the set up of the bike but he worked hard with his mechanics to find a setting he was happy with and, once again, he’s made big strides forward. He’s consistently in the top three of the Cup riders now and close to the top 15 so we’re hoping for more of the same tomorrow.” Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Qualifying 1, Billy McConnell (Yamaha) 1:37.975s 2, Graeme Gowland (Honda) 1:38.377s 3, James Westmoreland (Yamaha) 1:38.469s 4, Paul Young (Triumph) 1:38.834s 5, Ian Hutchinson (Honda) 1:38.897s 6, Tom Grant (Yamaha) 1:38.970s 7, Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) 1:39.093s 8, Sam Lowes (GNS Honda Racing) 1:39.254s 9, Glen Richards (Honda) 1:39.402s 10, Jason OHalloran (Triumph) 1:39.421s 18, Paul Jordan (GNS Honda Racing) 1:40.565s