News 26 Aug 2013

Lowes lowers benchmark pace in BSB Cadwell Park qualifying

Samsung Honda's Alex Lowes will start the Bank Holiday Monday British Superbike Championship races from pole position after topping Extreme Qualifying at Cadwell Park.

Alex Lowes celebrates his pole position at Cadwell Park.

Alex Lowes celebrates his pole position at Cadwell Park.

Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes will start the Bank Holiday Monday British Superbike Championship races from pole position after topping Extreme Qualifying at Cadwell Park.

Lowes’ 1m26.708s lap was a strong 0.652 seconds clear of points leader Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne, with Milwaukee Yamaha’s James Ellison third and over a second shy of the benchmark time.

The performance secures the home favourite his fifth pole position of the season, and strong momentum in the fight for podium credits.

“All of the fans here are worth half a second a lap to me but as good as it is to be on pole, it does not count for anything as the races are what matters tomorrow,” said Lowes.

“I know that they will be hard, but I am going to get a good early night to be ready for them and then will be giving everything.”

Byrne, meanwhile, is confident he will have the pace to challenge during the races.

“We have been chipping away but I still feel like we are a session behind so we have a bit still to do in morning warm up and then it should be good for the races tomorrow, especially as there should be a huge crowd here,” he explained.

US rider PJ Jacobsen heads up row two on the first of the Tyco Suzukis, ahead of Kawasaki’s rider Tommy Bridewell and Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari.

Leading Aussie contender Josh Brookes will have to fight from the third row of the grid after he crashed during the final qualifying session.

“We’ve gone away from the normal strategy this weekend and are trying a few things, but to fall off was just me trying hard,” explained Brookes.

“You get to the final qualifying and I wanted to try as hard as I could and I just pushed the front. It was never going to be an amazing lap but it was definitely one of the best laps that I’d been on.

“I’m not hurt and the bike is not too bad so we should be in good shape for the opening race tomorrow.”

Fellow Australian Josh Waters qualified his Milwaukee Yamaha in 13th.

The Supersport class Sprint race went down to the wire between pole sitter Ben Wilson on the Gearlink Kawasaki and Stuart Easton on the MarTrain Yamaha.

Wilson held on by a narrow 0.174s margin, with Graeme Gowland third. Aussies Billy McConnell and Jason O’Halloran were competitive in fourth and fifth place respectively.

In the Superstock classes, Tommy Aquino will start from pole in the 1000cc category, while Callan Cooper secured the top spot in the hotly-contested 600cc ranks.

Levi Day led the Aussie charge in STK600, qualifying 10th. Countrymen Mark Wilkinson and James Mutton will start mid-pack in 21st and 22nd respectively.

2013 British Superbike Championship
Round eight – Cadwell Park
Superbike qualifying top 10:

1. Alex LOWES 1m26.708
2. Shane BYRNE 1m27.360
3. James ELLISON 1m27.711
4. PJ JACOBSEN 1m27.734
5. Tommy BRIDEWELL 1m27.886
6. Ryuichi KIYONARI 1m27.961
7. Josh BROOKES 1m28.266
8. Keith FARMER 1m28.317
9. Peter HICKMAN 1m28.551
10. Chris WALKER 1m28.750

Click here for detailed results.

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