All three HM Plant Honda riders were at the head of the action during today’s qualifying sessions for Bank Holiday Monday’s race programme. In the Bennetts British Superbike class Cal Crutchlow put his CBR1000RR Fireblade onto the front row, while team-mate Leon Haslam was in seventh position following the wet qualifying session. Steve Brogan will start tomorrow’s Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport race from fifth on the grid, and the 15-lap Metzeler National Superstock 1000 race from second position.
Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
7th position – 1m 48.829s
“I would have liked to have been on the front row, but I’m not too disappointed on the whole. Tomorrow’s the important day and that’s what I’m concentrating on and looking towards. The conditions have been very tricky today and I had a small crash towards the end of the session at Coppice. I’m OK and I’m still confident we can do a good job in wet or dry conditions. I need plenty of points from tomorrow’s two 20-lap races and I’m going to be giving 100% as always.”
Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
4th position – 1m 48.265s
“The weather was freezing cold and I’m freezing cold! I still enjoyed it out there though. I’m happy with the front row and tomorrow I want two good races where I hope to be standing on the podium at the end of both of them. Today’s conditions were very tricky and quite dangerous in a way, as there was standing water on some sections of the track. I think I could have been on pole but I got held up a little in the last part of the session. Either way I’m happy with how things have gone and I’m ready for tomorrow.”
Steve Brogan – Honda (UK) Racing
British Supersport – Honda CBR600RR
5th position – 1m 35.044s
British Superstock – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
2nd position – 1m 34.868s“Today wasn’t too bad really. We made some big changes to the CBR600RR, which has transformed the bike for me and it’s helped my confidence with it no end. We weren’t too far off the pace with the 600 which is good. I was fourth for most of the session but got pipped there right at the end so I’m on the second row. Hudson Kennaugh and Glen Richards are just ahead of me but I’m confident I can beat them tomorrow. In Superstock Jon Kirkham put in a quick lap but I was consistently quick, so again I’m confident. With the conditions as they were today I didn’t go out on the Superstock CBR1000RR as it wasn’t worth the risk – most of us thought the same!”
Havier Beltran – HM Plant Honda team manager“It’s been so strange. We had dry practice sessions and then for qualifying the heavens opened. Donington is notoriously slippy in the wet – more so than any other circuit! Leon had a little crash at Coppice, Cal was aquaplaning everywhere, guys have been crashing everywhere, it’s been mad. Tomorrow the conditions are supposed to be dry then getting wetter which means it could be a bit of a lottery. We just have to hope that all three riders get good starts, keep out of trouble and bring home some points.”
