Cal Crutchlow, who enjoyed maiden race winning glory in the previous round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, carried that form and pace through free practice ahead of the Holiday Monday third round at Oulton Park. The HM Plant Honda rider put in a best lap of 1m 36.596secs, an average speed of 100.32mph, around the 2.692mile Cheshire circuit, heading off the determined challenge of his team-mate Leon Haslam by 0.151secs. Crutchlow, who jointly leads the early season title chase with Shane Byrne, was delighted with his continuing progress: “We’ve tried one or two things and have made a big positive step forward. There are still a few things to test but the bike is handling well.