Lowes bounces back from crash to lead BSB field in Assen practice
Samsung Honda's Alex Lowes ended the opening day of track running at Assen running near record pace as the first round of the British Superbike Championship (BSB) Title Fighters Showdown got underway.
Alex Lowes set the practice pace on the first day of track running in the Netherlands.
Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes ended the opening day of track running at Assen running near record pace as the first round of the British Superbike Championship (BSB) Title Fighters Showdown got underway.
Lowes made a solid recovery after crashing in the opening practice session while chasing further improvements to his 1m38.702 effort which headed off the Tyco Suzuki of PJ Jacobsen and Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne.
He reduced his best lap to a 1m38.049 in the second practice, again ahead of Jacobsen, with Milwaukee Yamaha’s James Ellison third.
“It was frustrating to crash as that lost me time in the session this morning, but in the afternoon the bike was good and we put in some decent laps,” said Lowes. “We still have a few things to work on but we are feeling happy.”
He arrives in the Netherlands riding the momentum of four consecutive race wins and is hoping to continue that form and close the gap to current leader Byrne.
Teammate Ryuichi Kiyonari was a solid fourth-fastest, and importantly, quicker than Byrne as he also looks to create an opportunity to challenge for the title.
Byrne’s new teammate, Noriyuki Haga, was just 0.621s off the pace at the end of the opening day and should provide solid cover to the points leader as he sets about chasing down another BSB title.
The day was a tough one for Aussie Josh Brookes, who could only manage ninth-fastest on the second Tyco Suzuki.
In the Supersport field, MarTrain Yamaha’s Stuart Easton set the benchmark time from Smiths Triumph Aussie Glen Richards and Oxford TAG Triumph’s Richard Cooper.
Samsung Honda’s Jason O’Halloran was a solid fourth-fastest, with Billy McConnell rounding out the top 10 on the second Smiths Daytona 675R.
British Superbike Championship
Round 10 – Assen, Netherlands
Superbike practice top 10:
1. Alex LOWES 1m38.049
2. PJ JACOBSEN 1m38.313
3. James ELLISON 1m38.431
4. Ryuichi KIYONARI 1m38.505
5. Shane BYRNE 1m38.514
6. Noriyuki HAGA 1m38.670
7. Chris WALKER 1m39.193
8. Jakub SMRZ 1m39.202
9. Josh BROOKES 1m39.254
10. Tommy BRIDEWELL 1m39.256
Supersport practice top 10:
1. Stuart EASTON 1m41.294
2. Glen RICHARDS 1m41.380
3. Richard COOPER 1m41.505
4. Jason O’HALLORAN 1m41.722
5. Luke MOSSEY 1m41.756
6. Alastair SEELEY 1m42.007
7. Graeme GOWLAND 1m42.026
8. Kervin BOS 1m42.079
9. Scott SMART 1m42.245
10. Billy MCCONNELL 1m42.249
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