CHAMPION BYRNE ON POLE FOR FINAL ROUND
Shane Byrne scored his 5th pole position of the 2008 British Superbike season at Brands Hatch today. Leon Camier put in a strong performance to claim 6th on the grid for tomorrow’s two 30 lap races.
Both Airwaves Ducati riders progressed through to the final phase of qualifying after posting the two fastest times in the previous session. Cutting nearly three tenths of a second off of his previous best, Shane’s pole time of 45.799 came on lap 3 of 11.
Shane was clearly delighted with his qualifying result saying, “I’m so pleased to be starting on pole for my last race weekend with Airwaves Ducati. In first qualifying we made sure we did just enough to get us through to the next stage but I pushed harder in second qualifying and was really happy with our consistent pace. In the final session I felt under pressure to get my lap time down further as I really wanted to get pole; the team’s hard work really paid off! I’m going to be pushing 100% to finish a fantastic season with a victory tomorrow.”
Leon’s best time of 46.303 came on lap 2 of an eventual 12 and will see him start on the second row tomorrow.
“It’s been a good day. I’ve been riding a lot better and I’ve worked hard on reducing my lap times. Getting a good start will be key for me tomorrow and then I think the Airwaves Ducati will be competitive throughout the two races. I’ll definitely be looking to get onto the podium once again and in doing so help Ducati to the manufacturer’s crown.”
The schedule for Round 12 of the British Superbike Championship is as follows:
Race One – 1400hrs
Race Two – 1645hrs
Qualifying Results:
1. Shane Byrne – Airwaves Ducati 45.799
2. Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda 46.096
3. Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda 46.118
4. Tom Sykes – Rizla Suzuki 46.201
5. James Ellison – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda 46.255
6. Leon Camier – Airwaves Ducati 46.303