Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow have placed their HM Plant Honda Fireblades on the front-row for tomorrow’s two Bennetts British Superbike races at Thruxton. Haslam put his CBR1000RR into second position on the grid for Sunday’s two 20-lap races with his team-mate just a few tenths behind in fourth spot. Despite the changeable weather conditions both riders will be aiming to convert their strong qualifying showing into podium positions as they start their championship campaigns.
Meanwhile in the Metzeler National Superstock class Steve Brogan repeated his dominance of qualifying at Brands Hatch by taking pole by more than a second from his nearest rival. Brogan then underlined his love of the Hampshire track by holding pole for most of the session in the final qualifying for the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, before being pipped to the number one spot with just minutes to go. Both Superbike and Supersport races will be shown live on British Eurosport.
Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade2nd position – 1m 19.872s
“I’m over the Moon with that to be honest! We’ve made some more progress from Brands Hatch and I’m really confident for the races tomorrow as in wet or dry we’ve been in the top two. The track and the conditions do make things difficult for us, as it’s hard to gauge the grip you’ve got out there in changeable conditions and it’s such an abrasive circuit it can tear your tyres up. Our race runs have shown that we’re consistent and in qualifying we were P1 until the dying moments, so I’m confident I can win both races.”
Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade4th position – 1m 20.026s
“I’m really pleased with that today! Qualifying didn’t go exactly to plan and with hindsight I think I could have been higher up, but it’s not too much of a drama. We’re on the inside of the front-row and ready for the first corner which is the place to be. Conditions have been tricky today – in the half-and-half conditions we’ve been riding in it can be really greasy out there. It’s better if it’s completely dry or fully wet. I’ve said before that two podiums are the aim for tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to sticking the HM Plant Honda Fireblade on the podium!”
Steve Brogan – Honda (UK) Racing
British Supersport – Honda CBR600RR2nd position – 1m 21.768s
British Superstock – Honda CBR1000RR FirebladePole position – 1m 17.813s
“Things have gone really well for us today. I’m just happy to be on the front-row in both classes. I’m a little bit gutted to be pipped by Glen Richards to pole in Supersport, but hopefully putting one over on him in the race tomorrow will more than make up for that! With the CBR600RR I’m confident of a good result wet or dry. In Superstock we set the fastest time in dry conditions, but in the second qualifying it was wet and I was quickest again, so that does my confidence the world of good for tomorrow’s race. The new Fireblade in Superstock trim is simply unbelievable. It’s such an easy bike to ride fast and that’s helping me no-end.”
Havier Beltran – HM Plant Honda team manager“We’re all very happy with the work done by the boys today: front row in all classes is just what we needed. The weather’s been difficult to predict, but the forecast is supposed to be better tomorrow. To be honest it’s a lottery really, as the windy conditions could blow weather in from anywhere. We would prefer full wet or full dry conditions, as when it’s wet and drying, wet-weather tyres can be shredded in around five laps. In Superbike it’s pleasing to see both Leon and Cal on the front row. They’ve both had some issues on set-up yesterday, but they’ve worked through them and now they both look confident in any weather conditions, although obviously we’d prefer some dry races tomorrow for the start of the season. Brogie on the Superstock and Supersport machines has also been looking good all weekend so we’re looking forward to some good results.”
