Source: BSB.

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne clung on to claim pole position for the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Knockhil.

Despite a crash at the end of the Datatag Qualifying session, the PBM Kawasaki rider pushed to hold his advantage in Scotland.

The order changed consistently throughout the top 10 in the final stages of qualifying and as Josh Brookes and Stuart Easton battled to bring down the champion at the top of the times; Byrne was sliding through the gravel in a bid to extend his advantage.

Byrne though had done just enough to hold on to pole position in the final minutes despite both his teammate Easton and Milwaukee Yamaha’s Brookes also posting times inside the lap record as they closed in.

Honda’s Jason O’Halloran heads up the second row after he was bumped outside the top three in the closing five minutes of the session, holding off an improving Ryuichi Kiyonari who was putting in his best times of the weekend when it mattered most on the Buildbase BMW.

James Ellison was sixth fastest for JG Speedfit Kawasaki despite the pain of a broken rib, forcing Michael Laverty back to the third row in seventh on his Tyco BMW.

MCE BSB rookie Danny Buchan qualified in the top 10 for the third time this season in eighth position with Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot and Luke Mossey on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki completing the top ten who are separated by just 0.684s.

Of the remaining Aussies, Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki) slotted into 14th, Billy McConnell (Smiths BMW) 18th, Broc Parkes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 23rd and Jed Metcher (PR Racing Kawasaki) 24th.

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