Gregorio Lavilla powered in the fastest ever two wheeled lap of the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit to claim pole start for the final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, posing problems for the three riders gunning for the country’s premier crown.
Ryuichi Kiyonari, the reigning champion, is in the driving seat to retain the silverware, starting with a 37 points advantage over his HM Plant Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea, while Leon Haslam, the double race winner of Donington Park, is third, a further four points down.
They were all upstaged by the stylish Spaniard who took the title two years ago, and who was intent on bettering his own record speed around the 1.1986 mile Kent circuit as the first part of what he intends to be a winning end to his campaign.
The Airwaves Ducati rider clocked a time of 45.190secs, 95.48mph some six tenths of a second inside his own record and he reflected: “After the ups and downs of this season I want to finish in style – the first thing was to take pole, then to win the races.
“The bike is feeling good, the tyres are feeling good, the best for a long time and as these are the last races of the season, I like to finish with good results.”
Lavilla ran 0.191 secs ahead of the fast maturing talent of 22 year old Yorkshireman Tom Sykes aboard the Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda while Rea was just 0.002secs adrift as he secured a front row start, with another former champion Shane Bynre, fourth fastest in 45.384secs.
Kiyonari, fifth, heads the second row, having run just 0.001secs down, with Cal Crutchlow, riding Rizla Suzuki, ahead of Haslam, whose best lap came in 45.484secs. Karl Harris, aboard the Hydrex Honda, was eighth on the leaderboard.
James Haydon, continuing aboard the Hawk Colchester Kawasaki, heads the third row from Ian Hutchinson and Chris Walker, who took a battering as he crashed spectacularly during the morning free practice. Sore and bruised, he, qualified his Rizla Suzuki eleventh fastest, 46.077secs, ahead of Michael Rutter.
Remarkably in a high-speed session, fourth row starters Steve Plater and Dean Thomas both ran within a second of the record breaking pole time, while Tristan Palmer riding the THR Racing Honda set the pace in the British Superbike Cup.
He ran a quarter of a second up on James Buckingham, riding the Quay Garage Honda with Neil Faulkner enjoying his best qualifying performance of the season on his local circuit, running ahead of Tom Tunstall, Kenny Gilbertson, Malcolm Ashley and Paul Barron.
Glen Richards clinched the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock crown with third place in a penultimate round won by John Laverty.
Top ten qualifying times – Bennetts British Superbike Championship
- G Lavilla - Airwaves Ducati - 45.190secs
- T Sykes - Stobart Honda - 45.381
- J Rea - HM Plant Honda - 45.383
- S Byrne - Stobart Honda - 45.384
- R Kiyonari - HM Plant Honda - 45.385
- C Crutchlow - Rizla Suzuki - 45.450
- L Haslam - Airwaves Ducati - 45.484
- K Harris - Hydrex Honda - 45.564
- J Haydon - Hawk Kawasaki - 45.970
- I Hutchinson - Bike Animal Honda - 46.074
Points all Round at Magny-Cours for Greg & Chris
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