Press release:
Qualifying 2nd fastest at Knockhill today, Leon Camier will start tomorrows two 30 lap British Superbike Races from the front row of the grid. James Ellison will start from the 2nd row in 6th.
In a day interrupted by 4 Red Flags, Leon topped the timesheets in Qualifying 1 and 2. James joined his teammate in Qualifying 3 by going 7th fastest. Early on in the final session, with James the only rider to have completed a lap, an incident on track brought qualifying to a halt. When the session resumed, both riders pushed hard to reduce their lap times in the remaining 8 minutes. Leon immediately went fastest but was pushed down to 3rd by the Honda's of Josh Brookes and Karl Harris. Then on lap 7 of 10, Leon posted a time of 49.056 to secure 2nd. With 3 minutes to go, James produced his best lap of the weekend, 49.348 to go 6th.
Pleased with the improvements made over the weekend,
James commented:
"We've made some big steps forward this afternoon. A couple of small adjustments to the Airwaves Yamaha have made a difference. But the biggest difference has come from changes to my riding. I'm feeling a lot happier with the chicane section, which is where I was struggling yesterday. But I need to keep pushing to find more time. I'm not looking to make changes to the bike, I need to adapt my riding style further. The Airwaves Yamaha is quite a big bike, so I need to use my weight, and move around on the bike more to make it go where I want it. We've got good race pace for tomorrow so I'm looking forward to a couple of strong races."
After Qualifying
Leon said:
"It's good to be on the front row for tomorrows races, but I'm a bit frustrated not to be on pole. Well done to Josh, he really pulled that lap out of the bag. There were a few spots of rain at the start of the final session, so I was conscious not to go onto the white lines. They can be like ice when wet. But I tried to get into a rhythm and push as hard as I could. It's going to be important to get a good start to the races. With Knockhill being such a short circuit, it can be hard to make up time. The pace of the Honda's looks strong so I think we'll be in for some close racing."
Qualifying Results:1. Josh Brookes HM Plant Honda 48.759
2. Leon Camier Airwaves Yamaha 49.0563. Stuart Easton Hydrex Honda 49.110
4. Michael Rutter Worx Crescent Suzuki 49.133
5. Karl Harris Hydrex Honda 49.183
6. James Ellison Airwaves Yamaha 49.348For more information on the Airwaves Yamaha team please log on to
www.airwaves-yamaha.co.uk
