Source: BSB.

James Ellison claimed his first pole position of the 2015 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season by pushing under the Brands Hatch Indy circuit lap record to fire his JG Speedfit Kawasaki to the top of the times ahead of Jakub Smrz and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

The intense Q3 session saw the position change at the top almost every lap in the final 10 minute battle for the pole start in a top ten that featured six different manufacturers and five different nationalities.

Ellison had been on the pace across the free practice sessions, but found that little bit extra in reserve to post a 45.310s flying lap to head off the intense challenges of Czech Republic rider Smrz on the Lloyds British Ducati.

Smrz had also been lapping inside the record to briefly head the time-sheets, but Ellison retaliated with two flying laps that broke the opposition which included Kiyonari, the three-time title-winner, and eager to make amends for his disappointment in the opening round.

Buildbase BMW’s Kiyonari closed to within 0.020s of Smrz to secure an all-important front row start in third place amid a real scrap for positions.

Australian Josh Brookes had ridden hard aboard the Milwaukee Yamaha but had to settle for the fourth best time, just 0.059s down, narrowly ahead of reigning Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne.

The PBM Kawasaki rider, still suffering the effects of a serious hand injury sustained in pre-season testing, was 0.030s adrift, but just ahead of his team-mate Flying Scot Stuart Easton.

There were some riders rounding out the top ten who qualified for Q3 for the first time including Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran who heads the third row from Christian Iddon, riding the Bennetts Suzuki.

Broc Parkes aboard the second Milwaukee Yamaha clawed his way up to ninth, just ahead of Jack Kennedy who bounced back from a big crash this morning to complete the top ten qualifiers for Team WD40 Kawasaki.

Of the remaining Aussies, Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki) will start out of 16th and Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing BMW) from 30th.

In Supersport race one Levi Day (CPE Motosport Kawasaki) was 15th overall and seventh of the Evo runners, while in Superstock 600 Benjamin Currie (PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha) qualified second.

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