Jon Kirkham picked up his first £250 cheque for claiming pole position as an increased grid of 22 riders took to the Hampshire circuit of Thruxton to qualify for round two of the 2008 Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup.
As the rain started to come down, Adrian Coates made the early running before Jon Kirkham stamped his authority on proceedings. With track time already under his belt today qualifying second in the National Superstock Championship, Kirkham was dialled in to the deteriorating conditions and put in a string of quick laps, posting the eventual pole lap time of 1:22.104 on his sixth circulation.
The session remained fairly static until the final few minutes where the customary position swap began with a vengeance. Seasoned veterans Mason, Emmett and Nutt harried each other, vying for position on the front row. A little further down the field two Thruxton first-timers were beginning to make thier mark. Australian Shannon Etheridge put the pressure on Ben Wilson but eventually settled for an excellent eighth on his debut appearance.
Sam Warren left it late to make his mark on the leading quartet. Running his final lap after crossing the finish line just ahead of the chequered flag, the former Super Moto champion leap-frogged the vastly experienced Sean Emmett to claim the final place on the front row of the grid with a time of 1:23.286s. Emmett's subsequent first split time then gave an indication that he may regain fourth, only to be caught in traffic heading through the final Club Chicane, his time keeping the former Superbike race winner at the head of row two.
The scene is set for a blistering 14-lap season opener, with the lights set to go out at 13.45 (20 April).
Jon Kirkham: "That went just to plan. I intended to go out, bang in a fast time and get out of there - and it worked!."
Rob McElnea:
"That was another tough session for the guys, the weather conditions have been pretty grim for them so far this year. They are all getting more familiar with the bikes now and putting in some impressive lap times. Some of the more experienced riders seem to to have done enough to get to race day, giving a good opportunity for riders like Sam Warren and Shannon Etheridge to shine at a circuit that they have never seen before Proving the series is doing exactly what we hoped and intended. Game on for tomorrow and some good racing."
Qualifying Result:1. Kirkham
2. Mason
3. Nutt
4.Warren
5. Emmett
6. Coates
7. Wilson
8. Etheridge
9. R.Kennedy
10. J.Kennedy
British Eurosport Live TV Broadcast Window, 12.30 - 16.30 (Sunday 20 April)
