The Airwaves Ducati team completed 76 laps in two practice sessions at Croft today. Shane Byrne recorded the fastest time of the day, 1:20.973 to finish first this morning. However whilst aiming for a repeat performance this afternoon he slipped off 4 laps in to the session, prematurely ending his day. Shane commented on his crash saying; ‘It was a third gear high side on the chicane; it was strange because I went through the turn no differently to any other time I have this weekend but the rear came out on me and the Airwaves Ducati launched me up into quite a big one! I am generally ok; I have bruised my shoulder which is sore and a bit stiff, I’ve also got a bit of a dead leg and I have knocked my front teeth out. I should be able to get myself fixed up and I will be ok but I will need to have a medical in the morning and we will take a view on it after that.’ Whilst this afternoon’s damp track prevented him from bettering his time of 1:21.695 from first practice Leon Camier felt he learnt something from his two 5th place finishes. ‘We have taken positive and negative points from the changes we made to my Airwaves Ducati today. This afternoon was frustrating as I only did 9 laps but the track was getting damp so we opted not to go out for the remainder of the session. We may have to rethink the plan tomorrow anyway as I think it is going rain but we shall plan for that as and when we know. Overall I am confident that the Airwaves Ducati team will prepare the best possible package for me and I will perform to the best of my ability for them and the fans.’ Qualifying for round 10 of the British Superbike Championship takes place tomorrow, Saturday September 13th at 13.45pm. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Rizla Suzuki Tom Sykes and Atsushi Watanabe got the 10th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship off to a steady start with Sykes claiming third place during free practice and Atsu grabbing 12th. The Rizla Suzuki pair spent the dry morning session dialling their GSX-R1000s into the 2.125-mile North Yorkshire circuit. Sykes, who had a small off with just five minutes of the first session to run, was pleased with how things were shaping up. His Rizla Suzuki technicians were working on his gearing and improving his front end feel ahead of the second session which was red flagged when Championship leader Shane Byrne crashed. Sykes had already hit the top of the time sheets during this session and decided to sit the rest of it out as a light rain was falling and there was nothing to be gained from the mixed conditions. Watanabe continued to learn the twisting track and as he became more familiar with the challenging venue he dropped his lap times. He is just 1.5 seconds off Byrne who set the pace, and with more to come tomorrow, he is keen to push into the top 10 during the new Formula One-style qualifying. He showed what he can achieve at Cadwell Park last time out and he wants to go one better at Croft. Qualifying will take place on Saturday at 1425 with racing commencing on Sunday at 1315 and race two at 1535. British Eurosport will broadcast live 1230-1700. Tom Sykes: “Today has been a fairly steady start to the weekend; I did enough laps to get a feel for the place and to start work on dialling in my Rizla Suzuki. I had a small tip off this morning but it was nothing serious, I just tucked the front end at Tower corner. We have a good direction to go in and I know my team will give me the bike I need to do the job this weekend just as they have done before. I’m really up for it as this is my home round and I’ve a lot of family and friends coming along.” Atsushi Watanabe: “I enjoy riding at Croft as it is very flat like a Japanese track. I came here a few weeks ago for a track day so I have some knowledge of the circuit. I need to get more laps under my belt as the fast section at the back is still difficult. The only difference between a Japanese track and Croft are the bumps – it is very bumpy here. I like the track and I want another top 10 for my Rizla Suzuki team.” Free practice results: 1: Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1:20.973 2: Leon Haslam (Honda) 1:21.024 3: Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 1:21.105 4: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 1:21.337 5: Karl Harris (Yamaha) 1:21.500 6: Leon Camier (Ducati) 1:21.695 7: Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1:21.859 8: James Ellison (Honda) 1:22.380 9: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:22.469 10:Gary Mason (Honda) 1:22.483 12: Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki) 1:22.681 More, from a press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: Byrne fastest, but crashes Haslam and Sykes on the pace BENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Round ten 12/13/14 September Croft Shane Byrne, the leader in the Bennetts British Superbike title stakes, set the early pace in free practice ahead of the tenth round at Croft but then took a bruising in a big highside that briefly halted the afternoon session. The Airwaves Ducati rider, who had recorded a lap of 1m 20.973secs, during the morning session at the North Yorkshire circuit, was powering out of the chicane when his machine snaked out of line, throwing him high over the top. “It was a third-gear high-side, and I was on the same line out of the chicane as every other lap when the rear end of the bike came out,” explained Byrne, adding “It was a big one. “My shoulder is a bit stiff and sore and I’m not happy about my front teeth, my leg is a bit sore and we’ll have to take a view on it, but I should be OK to race,” added Byrne who will have a medical check at the circuit on Saturday morning before being given clearance to race on. Byrne has a lead of 110 points over Rizla Suzuki rider Tom Sykes and could seal the title for the second time in his career with a pair of top two finishes but the 23 year old Huddersfield rider is in mood to make things easy for him. Sykes ran third fastest, marginally down on HM Plant Honda rider Leon Haslam, with the leading trio split by little more than a tenth of a second. “Obviously winning the championship here is a possibility, and that would be fantastic, but this is hardly the best starter for the weekend,” reflected Byrne who had taken a real bruising. Haslam and Sykes are the ‘form-men’ of the series having won the previous six races between them and they will be joined in their scrap for the runner-up spot by Cal Crutchlow, riding the second HM Plant bike, who ran fourth on the leaderboard with a lap in 1m 21.337secs, his hopes of any improvement dashed by light rain towards the end of the afternoon session. Karl Harris, like Sykes eager for strong results on his home circuit, ran with a best time of 1m 21.500secs aboard the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha, edging Leon Camier back into sixth place, two tenths up on the North West 200 Ducati in the hands of Michael Rutter. James Ellison powered his Hydrex Bike Animal Honda eighth fastest, lapping in 1m 22.380secs, ahead of Simon Andrews on the Lloyds British Jentin Yamaha with Gary Mason, the fastest of the Daily Star Cup contenders, tenth up with a lap in 1m 22.483secs. John Lavery, the leader of the Cup title stakes, ran a second down on him and is still suffering pain from the knee ligaments damaged in a crash at Knockhill last month, but remains confident he can seal the title here. Top ten free practice times 1. S Byrne Airwaves Ducati 1:20.973 2. L Haslam HM Plant Honda 1:21.024 3. T Sykes Rizla Suzuki 1:21.105 4. C Crutchlow HM Plant Honda 1:21.337 5. K Harris Rob Mac Yamaha 1:21.500 6. L Camier Airwaves Ducati 1:21.695 7. M Rutter NorthWest 200 Ducati 1:21.895 8. J Ellison Hydrex Bike Animal Honda 1:22.380 9. S Andrews Lloyds British Jentin Yamaha 1:22.469 10. G Mason Quay Garage Honda 1:22.483