Jonathan Rea starts the Easter Monday opener to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship from pole position having shattered the Brands Hatch grand prix circuit outright lap record. The HM Plant Honda rider had set the pace throughout much of free practice and having worked hard to ensure a perfect setting and tyre selection for the races, then made expert use of a qualifying tyre to break the high-speed challenge of Gregorio Lavilla.
The Spaniard, uninjured in a tumble the previous afternoon, had settled well with a series of consistently strong laps, but Rea stunned him with an inch-perfect performance that not only earned him the third pole start of his Superbike career, but also shaved almost a quarter of a second off the previous best set by World champion Troy Bayliss.
“I knew that I had a target on my back after the pace I’d been setting in testing, but had concentrated for much of the time in working on the set-up of my bike. Importantly, I have a good race pace, and having worked hard with tyre selection have a good one for the races and that is what really matters,” explained Rea who is working under the eagle eye of five Japanese technicians.
“Then I went for a fast time, and to be honest that fast lap felt really easy – it was the first time that I had tried a qualifying tyre all weekend and it was just superb,” he said with a smile as he enjoyed his lap around this demanding 2.3009 mile circuit in 1m 25.235secs, an average speed of 97.18mph.
Despite his speed, Rea is not making predications about a winning double to start his terms as a factory rider: “It would be good to enjoy that success here, but, the first round is all about solid point. You can’t win the title here, but you can certainly lose it – I want to be in the top three and take from these races what I can.”
Lavilla starts his Airwaves Ducati alongside him, having set a best lap in 1m 25.477secs, with the front row completed by two more young British riders. Leon Camier, the local hero, punctuated his Superbike debut with the Bike Animal Honda team, by setting the third best time, 1m 25.739secs, just ahead of last year’s runner-up, Leon Haslam, who recorded a time of 1m 25.813secs.
Chris Walker, returning to head up the Rizla Suzuki challenge, ran fifth, 1m 25.832secs, just ahead of his team-mate Cal Crutchlow, the British Supersport Champion, while former champion Shane Byrne, brought his Stobart Honda into seventh place, with a lap in 1m 26.223secs. Reigning champion Ryuichi Kiyonari completed the second row, insisting he had no problems despite lapping a second slower than his pole setting team-mate Rea.
James Buckingham, the winner of the British Superbike Cup in 2005, set the pace among the privateers, running four tenths of a second up on Marty Nutt.
Dennis Hobbs, riding the Padgetts Honda, starts the opening round of the MAXXIS British Supersport Championship from pole position; Ashley Beech claimed pole start for the British 125GP race; BJ Toal headed the qualifying for the Virgin Media Cup; Glen Richards is on pole for the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship, with James Hurrell heading the qualifying in the Superstock Cup.
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