From press releases:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM
Round 2 – 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch
Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th April 2002

Qualifying Report

HIZZY SCORCHES TO POLE AGAIN

MonsterMob Ducati rider Steve Hislop kept up his tremendous form by storming to his second successive pole position at the second round of the 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch this afternoon.

The 40 year old Isle of Man based Scot overcame the effects of a crash in timed qualifying but still set fastest time to go last in the all-important Superpole whereby he stamped his authority by maintaining his pole position by just 17/1000ths of a second over fellow Ducati rider Michael Rutter.

“I was riding a bit like an old woman for the first half of the lap because I wasn’t sure how good the tyre was hooking up after the crash but I had it under control. It was closer than I would have liked but it’s good to get to start from the pole again,” said Hislop who remains on course for the £20,000 bonus for setting five successive poles.

Team mate Stuart Easton set fastest time in the opening Supersport qualifying session before dropping back to third aboard the 748cc MonsterMob Ducati. The 17-year-old from Hawick was reasonably pleased with his performance, which will give him his second successive front row start.

“I’m happy with the way things have gone and I’m really looking to bring the bike home with some good points tomorrow” said Easton who DNF’d in the opening round at Silverstone after a first lap tangle with a couple of other riders.

Team boss Paul Bird was delighted with his riders’ performance. “Steve was disappointed to fall off but I was confident he could get pole which he did and Stuart is learning all the time so a good result for him is just around the corner,” said the Penrith businessman.

Superpole

1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 46.214s

2. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 46.231s

3. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 46.313s

4. Paul Brown (Ducati) 46.416s

5. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 46.439s

6. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 46.698s


Supersport Qualifying

1. Jim Moodie (Yamaha) 48.859s

2. Pete Jennings (Kawasaki) 48.992s

3. Stuart Easton (MonsterMob Ducati) 49.021s

4. Douglas Cowie (Kawasaki) 49.285s

5. Adam Redding (Kawasaki) 49.360s

6. Jeremy Goodall (Suzuki) 49.408s




BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUNDS 03 & 04 – BRANDS HATCH (INDY)
13 APRIL 2002 – SATURDAY QUALIFYING & SUPERPOLE

RUTTER MISSES OUT ON POLE BY A WHISKER AT BRANDS HATCH

Team Renegade Ducati’s Michael Rutter will start rounds three and four of the British Superbike Championship from the front row of the grid tomorrow, after missing out on pole position by the narrowest of margins during this afternoon’s Superpole shootout at Brands Hatch.

The 28-year-old former TT winner concentrated on finding a workable set-up and race tyre during the early practice and qualifying sessions, only switching to super-sticky qualifying rubber in the fifteen-minute pre-Superpole practice session. It was a strategy that paid dividends, with Rutter setting his quickest time of the weekend on his Superpole flying lap, to claim second place on the grid for tomorrow’s two superbike races.

‘Pole position would have been good, but I’m happy enough with second place on the grid,’ said Rutter. ‘I’ve been going well all weekend on race tyres, so I knew that a switch to qualifiers for Superpole would allow me to improve on my time from regular qualifying. I was aiming for anywhere on the front row of the grid this weekend, so to qualify less than two hundredths of a second off pole was actually better than I’d hoped for. To be honest, I pulled in at the end of the flying lap knowing I could have gone quicker, but I’m still exploring the limits of the Team Renegade Ducati and I didn’t want to push it too hard and risk a crash. We’ve got a good race set-up, so I’m pretty confident of two good results tomorrow – if I can pick up a podium in both races, then I’ll leave here happy.
‘
Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne’s season continues to gather pace, and his performance during qualifying at Brands Hatch proved just why he’s being touted as one of the hottest prospects in the British Superbike Championship. The reigning privateer champion starts from row two of the grid tomorrow, just behind Renegade Ducati team-mate, Rutter.

‘Obviously I’m disappointed not to be on the front row, but we stuck in a new front tyre for Superpole and it wasn’t quite as scrubbed in as I’d have liked,’ declared Byrne. ‘It gave me a couple of scares on my flying lap, which cost me quite a bit of time. However, I know I can go a lot faster on the Renegade Ducati, especially around the Brands Hatch circuit, so if I can get a good start in tomorrow’s two races, then who knows – races have been won from the second row in the past.’

BSB Brands Hatch – Superpole Times

1. Steve HISLOP, Monster Mob Ducati UK, 46.214

2. Michael RUTTER, Renegade/Highland Spring, 46.231

3. Sean EMMETT, IFC Racing, 46.313

4. Paul BROWN, IFC Racing, 46.416

5. John REYNOLDS, Rizla Suzuki/Crescent, 46.439

6. Glen RICHARDS, Hawk Kawasaki, 46.698

7. Shane BYRNE, Renegade/Highland Spring, 46.728

8. Dean THOMAS, Dienza Ducati, 46.766

9. Karl HARRIS, Rizla Suzuki/Crescent, 46.810

10. Paul JONES, Appleyard/Virgin Mobile, 47.011

11. Simon CRAFAR, Virgin Mobile Aiwa, 47.039

12. Dean ELLISON, D&B Racing, 47.128

13. Steve PLATER, Virgin Mobile Aiwa, 47.183

14. David JEFFERIES, ETI Racing, 47.238

15. Gary MASON, Team Motopower Firehawk, 47.275



Team Suzuki News Service

BSB Round 2 Qualifying
======================

RIZLA SUZUKI’S REYNOLDS & HARRIS FOCUS ON FAST STARTS

BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP – Round 2, Qualifying, Brands Hatch,
April 13th:

Rizla Suzuki team-mates John Reynolds and Karl Harris will line up for tomorrow’s two 30-lap Superbike races on the favoured outside of the Brands Hatch starting grid having finished in 5th and 9th in today’s Superpole qualifying session.

Reigning British Superbike Champion John Reynolds, put in a clean flying lap on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to finish just over two tenths of a second off pole position, a margin that he is confident of reducing when the race gets under way on the 1.22-mile Indy Circuit.

“At the smaller circuits like this one at Brands I tend to steadily build up my lap times like I did in the first qualifying session,” said Reynolds. “When it comes to Superpole everything is focused on one flying lap and it’s clear that we still need to find the two tenths of a second I’ve been searching for all day. But, the Suzuki’s getting better and better each time out and we know that there’s a lot more to come. Roll on race day.”

Suzuki’s British Supersport Champion Karl Harris saved his machine from a slide out of Druids Bend to finish his second-ever Superpole six tenths of a second from pole. Consistent lap times earlier in the day throughout two 40-minute qualifying sessions gave the Sheffield youngster high hopes for tomorrow’s race.

Harris said, “I only had one slide out of Druids all weekend and it had to happen during Superpole. Still, I know that I’ve got a good race set up and having put in steady and fast laps on race tyres during qualifying I feel good about the race. With my usual quick starts, I should be away with the front runners and in line for a good position.”

Nick Medd, Rizla Suzuki’s scholarship rider qualified outside of Superpole in 19th position. He is still looking to get the best out of the machine but his improvement over his Silverstone qualifying takes him a step closer.

Paul Denning, Team Manager: “Superpole positions of 5th and 9th do not truly represent the potential of the team, or reflect the progress we have made. Having said that, we are comfortably ahead of the other four cylinder machines behind a Ducati front row and at this particular circuit, 5th and 9th gives an advantage on the outside of the grid where it is flatter as opposed to the steeper and cambered inside line. John was second quickest in pre-Superpole practice and both John and Karl have good race set ups.”


British Superbike Championship, Superpole:
1. Steve Hislop (Ducati), 46.214
2. Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.017
3. Sean Emmett (Ducati) +0.099
4. Paul Brown (Ducati) +0.202
5. John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) +0.225
6. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +00.484
7. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.514
8. Dean Thomas (Ducati) +0.552
9. Karl Harris (Rizla Suzuki) +0.596
10. Paul Jones (Yamaha) + 0.797