Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne very nearly claimed the first pole position in three long years for Paul Bird’s team when he looked to have set fastest time in qualifying today for round three of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone. The 30 year old Londoner lapped the 2.21 mile Northamptonshire circuit in a time of 1m 25.616s and looked to have boxed off the fastest time as out came the red flags with just eleven minutes of the session remaining.
Despite circulating throughout the final minutes of the session Byrne looked to have done enough as the VK backed team looked on but then with two rapid laps in succession, HM Plant Honda rival Ryuichi Kiyonari and the Airwaves Ducati of Leon Haslam managed to lap quicker than Byrne who as a result will start tomorrow’s two 20-lap races from third position on the grid.
Team mate Tom Sykes posted ninth fastest time in a hectic session and will start from row three of the grid meaning a good start will be vital for the 21 year old Yorkshireman who has consistently scored points in all the rounds to date.
Shane Byrne:“I’m a bit gutted really, the first qualifier would have definitely gone better but I got blocked a couple of times by other riders. I had a good couple of laps and then I hit a neutral and I just lost all the drive. We’re on the front row so I can’t be too disappointed and we’ve got a good race set up for tomorrow’s races.”
Tom Sykes:“I’m very disappointed with that, I put my qualifier in and another rider spoilt my run and I’ve ended up back on the third row which means I have a lot of work to do. Our race pace is brilliant and we’ve got a good race set up, so I’ll just have to make sure I get a good start but a second row start would have made life a lot easier.”
Paul Bird:“Two front row starts from Shakey in two race meetings is just what we wanted. It was a shame he couldn’t hang on to that pole position but it’s what happens tomorrow in the races that matters. We’re happy with the set up of the bikes and we may just have to wait that little bit longer for the pole but a couple of podiums tomorrow from Shakey will certainly make up for that. As for Tom, third row is not a disaster and although he’s a little bit disappointed with it, if he can get away with them then I’m sure he will be battling up at the front.”
The first 20-lap race gets underway at 12.40 followed by the second one at 15.20 which is live on ITV1.
Qualifying:1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1m25.383s,
2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1m25.406s,
3, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 1m25.616s,
4, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1m25.688s,
5, Chris Walker (Suzuki) 1m25.816s,
6, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 1m26.032s,
7, Leon Camier (Honda) 1m26.139s,
8, Cal Crutchlow (Suzuki) 1m26.218s,
9, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 1m26.284s,
10, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) 1m26.323s.
Related Linkswww.stobartmotorsport.com
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