Category: British Superbikes

British Superbike race one got underway in Cadwell Park after a delay for rain. Fortunately, the precipitation ceased and we got underway in the dry, Leon Haslam making the holsehot from the middle of the front row, passing pole sitter Bradley Ray into turn one, whilst Jake Dixon held position in third place.

Largely, the positions remained unchanged in the first lap, but on lap two, Ray passed Haslam for the lead, and even began to pull away at the front. That was, until Chrissy Rouse fell at the Hall Bends, and had to be taken away in the ambulance. This saw a safety car period which took us up to lap nine, so we essentially had a ten-lap race to the flag.

Ray made a superb restart, and began stretching the pack again, initially only dragging Haslam with him. Eventually, Glenn Irwin and Dixon behind managed to match the leading pair, and came back into contention, as Tommy Bridewell found some pace too, setting what was at the time the fastest lap of the race.

Whilst Irwin was able to match the pace of the two leaders, he was unable to do anything about passing Haslam, and in fact he seemed to be slightly holding up Dixon behind, although the RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki was slightly slow in a straight line, so passing was tough for the number 27.

Finally, though, after a failed attempt two laps previous, Haslam passed Ray in Park corner on the third-last lap, and simultaneously Dixon slid through on Irwin.

Haslam’s pass was unintentional. It looked like a proper motocross block pass, standing the Suzuki rider up as he went through, but in reality Haslam’s Kawasaki had yet another with the engine blipping, so he ran on a little, passing Ray only to avoid hitting him. It certainly worked, although the time the pair lost in the move meant that the chasers, now led by Dixon, were right on the back of them again.

Dixon then tried to pass Ray in the first part of Charlie’s on the next lap, but got it wrong, ran wide and dropped back to fifth spot.

The next lap was a stunning recovery from Dixon, passing Bridewell in Park and then having a late lunge on Irwin in the hairpin to reclaim that final podium spot. As he mentioned after the race, there is little point for a person in Dixon’s position to finish fourth, because he needs podium points.

Whilst that was happening, though, Ray was unable to have a go at Haslam, who was strong on the brakes, and so Haslam took his eighth Cadwell Park win in the British Superbike Championship.

It was a superb ride from Haslam, riding around problems to take the victory. Also, his strongest point of the race was going to be at the end, as he had appeared to have next-to-no drop off on used tyres across this weekend, so the safety car did not really work to his favour. With that in mind, the field should be worried for the second outing.

Second place represented a solid return to the podium for Brad Ray, his first rostrum finish since race one at Brands Indy. He certainly seems to have gotten over his front end woes from earlier in the season, and should be consistently back in the frame for race wins in the next races.

Whilst the race win slipped away from Dixon, the sixteen points for third place were enough for him to secure his spot in the Showdown, meaning he can now focus 100% on podium points from this moment on.

Fourth place went to Glenn Irwin, who had enough to stick with the leaders, but just not enough to make a pass, and he was ahead of the Moto Rapido Ducati of Tommy Bridewell who was very impressive, as he continues his superb adaptation to the Panigale.

Christian Iddon took sixth place, ahead of Peter Hickman, who might have expected better from race one at what is one of his best circuits on the calendar, and where he took his first BSB win back in 2014. Perhaps the problems lie simply in the kidney infection he picked up in Thruxton, and is still affecting him this weekend.

Tarran Mackenzie had a strong ride for McAMS Yamaha in his first BSB race at Cadwell, finishing eighth, and as top Yamaha – the first R1 in a line of three with James Ellison and Josh Brookes directly behind the rookie. It was a disappointing race for Brookes, and his frustration was clear as he put a tough move on Jason O’Halloran at the Hall Bends, forcing his compatriot off the track, and costing the #22 another two positions. Anyway, a lot to improve upon for Brookes in race two.

Richard Cooper took eleventh place, ahead of a no doubt disappointed Luke Mossey who was twelfth. O’Halloran finally took thirteenth spot, ahead of Laverty who ran off track at Park and ended up fourteenth. Tom Neave took the final point, his first in BSB.

Gino Rea was sixteenth, ahead of Fraser Rogers, Sylvain Barrier, Shaun Winfield and Aaron Zanotti who was the final finisher in 20th.

Neither Mason Law, nor Andrew Irwin started the race. Law broke his thumb and damaged his neck in warm up, whilst Irwin suffered terminal engine issues on the sighting lap.

Martin Jessopp and Chrissy Rouse failed to finish. Rouse helped Jessopp off at the hairpin on the first lap, whilst the Suzuki rider went down alone later on, and brought out the safety car as he had to be taken to the medical centre via ambulance.

The only other retirement was Danny Buchan, who lost the front at the foot of the mountain on lap three.

After winning race one with the fastest lap, Leon Haslam placed himself in prime position to take a third career Cadwell Park double for race two, which he started from pole.

He didn’t make the holeshot, though, that achievement went to Bradley Ray, as Haslam’s start was hampered by the ‘Pocket Rocket’ seemingly losing his balance whilst sat on the grid, so he slightly missed the start. Still, he managed to get in to turn one in second place, just ahead of Jake Dixon, who started from sixth.

Immediately, the front three started to pull away, led by Ray, and the Suzuki rider wasn’t headed until lap twelve, when Haslam slid through on the inside at Park, and was immediately followed by Dixon who made a superb move to the inside in the middle of Chris Curve.

Pretty much from this moment on, Ray started dropping back, and the final seven laps were between Haslam and Dixon for the victory. For the most part, Haslam shadowed Dixon after the #27 passed him at Park on lap 13, but chose the same corner to reclaim the lead from his training partner on the penultimate lap.

Dixon tried to come back on the next lap, once again at Park corner, but Haslam defended aggressively, manoeuvring his Kawasaki to the inside of the track to block Dixon’s attempt. Dixon tried anyway, but the outstretched leg of Haslam meant Jake had no choice but to release the brake and run off into the gravel, allowing Haslam an easy enough final lap to the flag, as well as letting Ray back into second place.

Much has been made of this ‘incident’ since the conclusion of the race, and it’s fair to say that neither Jake Dixon nor his team are happy with Haslam’s move. However, Haslam’s style is to throw his leg in almost every corner, especially the right handers, and ultimately Leon did nothing wrong. He probably thought that Jake would have gone back to the outside, considering Haslam’s line, or that the RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki rider would have backed out in some way. As it is, I can see the point of Dixon, ultimately this moment cost him the chance to fight until the end for the win, and cost him two podium points, but in reality Haslam did nothing wrong.

The win for Haslam marked his third double win in Cadwell Park, two years after his most recent maximum score in the Lincolnshire track. It also strengthened his advantage at the top of the championship, and critically in the podium points standings, where his advantage is now more than one race win. A controversial ride, but a strong one from Haslam, and the points he gained could be crucial for the championship.

Another second place for Bradley Ray means that Cadwell was his best scoring round since he doubled up in Donington Park at the beginning of the season, walking away with forty championship points and six crucial podium credits. He has three races in Silverstone to keep hold of his top 6 spot, and it looks as though it will be a fairly straightforward target for the #28 to achieve.

Of course, Dixon was disappointed to miss out on the victory, but nonetheless he left Cadwell Park with two podiums, and still in the championship hunt. He must look now to Silverstone as a round which he must take advantage of. That triple header could provide the opportunity for Jake to enter the Showdown in real contention.

Peter Hickman and Glenn Irwin were both valiant in fourth and fifth places respectively; Hickman suffering with the kidney infection he picked up back in Thruxton as well as contending with the after effects of a fortnight of little-to-no rest; whilst Irwin was struggling with a shoulder injury he picked up in Friday practice. Considering this, both did brilliant jobs to score solid points, and help their Showdown cases.

Christian Iddon repeated his race one result with sixth spot. In theory, Silverstone should suit the BMW better than the twisty Cadwell Park, and Iddon will be hoping to capitalise on that to fire himself into the Showdown.
Michael Laverty came home in seventh, ahead of Danny Buchan who made a solid recovery ride from a poor grid slot caused by his race one crash, and thus keeping his Showdown hopes alive.

Richard Cooper came home in ninth spot, whilst Luke Mossey rounded out the top ten to end a somewhat disappointing weekend after such a promising Thruxton meeting.

Eleventh went to Jason O’Halloran, who was ten seconds ahead of his very impressive temporary teammate, Tom Neave, who took twelfth place in just his fourth British Superbike race.

Meanwhile, Martin Jessopp took thirteenth, ahead of Sylvain Barrier and Shaun Winfield who rounded out the points, and was the final finisher in fifteenth.

James Ellison failed to start the race. He was pulled off the grid before the warm up lap, then sent back out, at which point his R1 started smoking. He lined up on the grid, but was pulled straight off again when the race started.

Tommy Bridewell was the first DNF, crashing out on lap six, one lap after he set the fastest lap of the race (later bested by Dixon). It was a shame for Bridewell. He made a bd start from the middle of the front row, but charged through from tenth for fourth by lap six. He was chasing down the leaders when he crashed, which he admitted was his fault. Still, the number 46 is positive ahead of the rest of the season, where he will hope to get better acquainted with the Panigale, a bike which he is already greatly enjoying.

One lap after Bridewell went down, Andrew Irwin dropped out of the race at Charlie’s, and a couple of corners later, Gino Rea’s OMG Racing Suzuki expired.

Tarran Mackenzie then dropped out on the McAMS Yamaha after nine laps, before Aaron Zanotti stopped. It got worse for McAMS on lap 12, when Josh Brookes’ decent ride was brought to a halt by mechanical problems after climbing up into the top five. Finally, Fraser Rogers retred three laps from the flag.

It was a somewhat straightforward qualifying session for British Superbikes in Cadwell Park, the eighth round of the 2018 season. The people who you would expect to be fast, were, and vice versa.

Finally, it was Bradley Ray who took pole position, the second of his career, his second of the season, and first since Brands Hatch Indy back in April. Ray claimed to have found solutions for his front end woes in Thruxton, and they bore fruit today, and he will be hoping that that continues tomorrow as he seeks to solidify his place in the Showdown.

Leon Haslam has shown supreme pace all weekend, and looked odds on for pole position, and whilst he lost out in the end to Ray’s Suzuki, it seems that the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider has been focusing solely on race pace. So, whilst he was matched in qualifying, he could have the speed and consistency to get away in tomorrow’s races.

The front row of the grid is rounded out by Jake Dixon, despite some health issues through the weekend. If anyone can go with Haslam tomorrow, it is probably Dixon.

Glenn Irwin will be fourth on sunday’s grid , and seems to be back to top form after a difficult Thruxton. In the same vein, Irwin will be hoping to return to the podium tomorrow, especially in view of his Showdown and championship hopes.

In the middle of the second row for the first race will be Tommy Bridewell, who continues his impressive adaptation to the Ducati. Of course, Cadwell Park was the scene of Bridewell’s first BSB win, back in 2014, so the planets seem to be fairly well aligned for a big result for the number 46.

Danny Buchan has been strong all weekend, despite a crash on Friday. He took sixth on the grid, and will be in the hunt for the top positions, as will Peter Hickman who qualified eighth, on row three between Christian Iddon (7th) and Josh Brookes (9th). Brookes, in comparison, has struggled this weekend – just like last season – and it looks like it will be a day of damage limitation for the Australian.

Luke Mossey and his side of the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team made a critical error in Q2. Whilst the rest of the grid came in for a new tyre in the middle of the session, Mossey did not make a second run with a fresh rear slick. As a result, Mossey was knocked out of qualifying at the second stage, and despite some decent-looking race pace, he will have to start from 10th.

Tarran Mackenzie, like teammate Brookes, has not had such a strong weekend in Cadwell as in previous meetings, making their relative lack of pace seem like a McAMS Yamaha problem, or even just a straight Yamaha problem when you consider the results of the other R1s. Mackenzie, like the other Yamaha riders, will be hoping for a step forward tomorrow, but barring that it looks like it could be a long day for the rookie.

Row four is rounded out by Jason O’Halloran who, as you might imagine at the calendar’s most physical circuit, is struggling with his ankle injury. It’s going to be a tough couple of races for the Honda rider tomorrow, but he needs to make it work if he is to remain in contention for the Showdown.

Continuing the struggling Yamaha theme, James Ellison could only manage P13, ahead of Richard Cooper and Michael Laverty who join him on row five.

Meanwhile, Andrew Irwin joins Martin Jessopp and Gino Rea on the sixth row, and Mason Law, Chrissy Rouse and Sylvain Barrier make up row seven.

Tom Neave will line up 25th in race one tomorrow, ahead of Shaun Winfield and Fraser Rogers on row eight, whilst Aaron Zanotti is the only rider on the ninth row, back in 25th spot.

Five races separate us from the 2018 British Superbike Showdown, and each one of these five will be critical in determining the six contenders for the final three meetings of the year – the seven title-deciding races.

At the moment, going into Cadwell Park this weekend, only Leon Haslam is assured of a Showdown spot, 176 points clear of Peter Hickman who is seventh in the championship. That means that Jake Dixon and Josh Brookes, whilst being in strong positions at the moment, still need to put in performances to make the top six, although anything outside the rostrum for any of Haslam, Dixon or Brookes would be something of a disappointment at this stage, as they are generally now focusing on podium points.

All three riders – Haslam, Dixon and Brookes – have been strong in Cadwell. Brookes is one of the most iconic Cadwell Park figures, typically one of the riders to go “full send”, more than most, over “The Mountain”. However, Brookes could only manage a 12-7 last year with the Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha squad, although the McAMS Yamaha team took the second race victory with James Ellison. Brookes did take the Cadwell double, though, back in 2015 on his way to the championship. Another 1-1 at the Lincolnshire circuit would do a lot for his championship hopes, and help him close the 27-point gap which he suffers at the minute to Haslam in the podium points.

Haslam, though, won last year, in race one, so could be a formidable force this weekend, especially after a strong Thruxton performance two weeks ago where he took his first ever win in the Hampshire track. A double podium for Haslam this weekend could spell real trouble for those hoping to beat him to the title this year.

Jake Dixon has only been to Cadwell Park in BSB twice before, and he picked up a podium last year, finishing second behind Haslam in race one, although like the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider, Dixon also retired in race two, crashing in the Hall Bends section. Like Brookes, Dixon will this weekend be after a strong double podium to try to close his podium points deficit to Haslam.

Glenn Irwin is in a similar points situation to Brookes, sitting five points behind the Aussie in the general standings, and 4 points behind in the podium credits. However, at this moment in the season, you would say that Brookes is in a stronger position with his bike feeling compared to Irwin. However, that assumption is largely based on the results in Thruxton, a very unique circuit where tyre consumption is the most critical aspect. In comparison, Cadwell Park is more ‘normal’ – more like other British tracks – although it still has its own, very unique Cadwell Park flavour. But, considering that it was tyre wear, where Irwin fell short in Thruxton, you might assume that he will be back at the front in Cadwell Park. I suppose it’s important to remember at this point that Irwin had no speed problem in Thruxton – he set pole position – it was all in the tyre duration, which isn’t such an issue in Cadwell.

After another difficult weekend in Thruxton, Bradley Ray will once again be aiming to make a podium return in Cadwell Park this weekend. The positive side is that Ray found something for his front end issues between Brands Hatch and Thruxton, and he found them in a test at Cadwell Park. With that in mind, he could be back in the lead battle this weekend, fighting for the win, but we have been expecting Ray to return to the front for a while now, so whilst the hope may be high, the expectations are somewhat more tempered. Anyway, Ray needs to get his act together if he is to make the Showdown. He is only eight points ahead of sixth-placed Danny Buchan; 15 ahead of Hickman in 7th and 33 clear of O’Halloran in 8th.

Of course, you could say that Danny Buchan needs to pull his finger out, too. But what you have to consider is that Buchan’s form of late has been on an upwards trend. His double-DNF in Thruxton was not his fault, and as another one of the “full send mountaineers” you would expect his impressive speed to continue at this track, where for once his excessive height can be something of an advantage.

Peter Hickman was pretty heroic in Thruxton, going from hospital to rostrum in all of two hours, and then doubling up a few hours after that. He finally seems to have figures out the puzzle of the 2018 Pirelli rear tyre, and at the track where he took his first BSB win back in 2014 in the pouring rain, it is entirely possible that the double 2018 Ulster Grand Prix winner (Supersport and Superbike) could make a return to the BSB top step this weekend for the first time in over one year.

The two British Superbike races in Thruxton were of course always going to be entirely about tyres, the rider that could manage their Pirelli rear slick the best would inevitably come out on top.

In race one, that rider was, somewhat surprisingly, Leon Haslam. It was a disappointing qualifying for the championship leader, making only the fourth row and going out of Q2, but he made a strong start, and made good progress in the early laps to give himself a good position to allow himself to save the tyre. Whilst Haslam had been fighting through, Luke Mossey had taken off at the front, but Haslam ensure that it was he who claimed the lead when Mossey came back to the pack. From there, he battled with Jake Dixon for the win in the final laps, and had enough tyre at the end to not allow Jake to get close enough to make a move on the final lap. It was Haslam’s first ever win in Thruxton, and a well-deserved one after such a tough battle through the pack.

As such, Jake Dixon’s second place was an important one, as he only lost two points (in podium credits) to Haslam in the championship, and stay within reach as the Showdown draws closer – just two rounds left before the final three championship-deciding rounds.

The two championship leaders were again fighting in race two, this time Dixon coming out on top as he took the final podium spot from Haslam on the final lap, another important result for Dixon as he took a point out of Haslam’s podium credit advantage. Haslam’s fourth place marked the first race since race one in Brands Indy that he had not made the podium.

Josh Brookes also had a mixed day in Thruxton, with a fourth in race one and a win in the second outing. His race one result was mainly down to a short gearing on the McAMS Yamaha, which was hitting the limiter on the run down to the final chicane, which made him vulnerable to attacks as well as making it difficult for the Aussie to make passes. The first race also had a hint of controversy for Brookes, as he put a seriously on-the-limit move on Jason O’Halloran for third place at the final chicane, but ran the pair of them wide, and allowed Peter Hickman onto the podium in third place. Race two went much better for Brookes, as he took the lead early on, and as the pack battled behind he duly cleared off, building a lead of over one second, which he then managed to the flag. That’s three wins in four races for Brookes, and he will be hoping to add to that in Cadwell Park in two weeks’ time.

It wasn’t such a good weekend for Glenn Irwin. Whilst he was able to snag pole position on Saturday, his and the PBM Ducati’s tyre management wasn’t up to a podium challenge, as he went 5-9. Whilst Irwin admitted that he was disappointed to have not been able to challenge for the podium, or the win, he was pleased with the speed that he and the team had showed over the course of the weekend. It’s worth remembering that Thruxton is a very unique round with such a large emphasis on tyre management, and as such form is somewhat thrown out. Expect Irwin to be back at the sharp end in Cadwell, a favourite circuit of the Northern Irishman.

Bradley Ray had another difficult weekend, crashing out of the first race, taking two others with him, and only taking four points from race two with a twelfth place. This was especially disappointing after it seemed that Ray had rediscovered his early-season feeling and form in qualifying, after some positive findings in testing prior to the weekend with regards to the front end. Since Brands Indy, Ray’s form has been abysmal, falling as often as he has scored. The next two rounds, in Cadwell and Silverstone, will be critical for the Suzuki rider, as he looks to return to the front before the Showdown begins.

Danny Buchan could only manage two DNFs in Thruxton, but still maintained his final Showdown spot in the championship. His first race retirement was due to being caught up in Brad Ray’s crash. Ray lost the front on the change of direction in the final chicane whilst trying to pass Buchan round the outside. Unfortunately, Buchan had nowhere to go so was left on the floor, and it was a similar story in race two, as he went down in an incident with Shaun Winfield.

Peter Hickman’s double podium came just a few hours after he was discharged from hospital. The 2018 Senior TT winner was hospitalised on Saturday night with what turned out to be a kidney infection, but was discharged just before noon on Sunday, giving him just enough time to get to the track in time for the first race. He somewhat lucked in to the first rostrum, benefiting from the incident between Brookes and O’Halloran, but in race two he was superb, managing the tyre better than almost anyone, but he was just too late to catch Brookes despite lapping significantly faster at the end. Either way, and despite the illness, this was Hickman’s best event of the year, at least in BSB, and he took his first two podiums of the season. Afterwards he admitted that the second half of the season is his better portion, and he will be aiming to continue to take lumps out of the advantage of Buchan in the championship – which currently stands at seven points – as he looks to make the Showdown.

Christian Iddon had something of a nightmare on Thruxton race day. Unfortunately, he was unable to achieve the distance on the tyre that he needed through the weekend, and it showed in the races. He took thirteenth in race one, and after softening everything up in race two, destroyed the tyre still, to the extent that he flicked himself over the high side coming out of the chicane on lap fourteen. He hit the barrier but was okay.

Jason O’Halloran enjoyed a return to form in Thruxton. He got unlucky in race one with Brookes’ move, but was running at the front, which was an improvement on Brands Hatch. In race two he received a 2.1 second penalty for cutting the final chicane, but fortunately for the Aussie he had enough of a gap over seventh place to not lose a spot. O’Halloran is not yet out of the Showdown, only 25 points behind Buchan in that sixth spot, and had five races to make up that difference to get himself into championship contention.

Michael Laverty had a disaster in qualifying, making only nineteenth spot. He came through to ninth on the first lap of race one but was the third rider involved in Brad Ray’s lap two crash. Without that, his day could have been entirely different, with a good result in race one and a decent grid spot in the second race. As it was, he took no points from the first race and had a bad grid spot for race two, in which he finished thirteenth. A case of ‘what could have been’ for Laverty.

Sunday was fantastic for Tarran Mackenzie. Qualifying was a disaster for him, as bike issues prevented him from even setting a lap in Q1, meaning he had to start last for race one, in which he finished ninth, only 9 seconds off the win. He got a better grid for race two, and fought for the podium until the end, but was unable to pass, so could ‘only’ manage fifth. Anyway, it was another very impressive meeting for Mackenzie, and proved that Brands Hatch was no fluke for his results. That first podium isn’t too far away now.

It was another disappointing weekend for James Ellison. A tough qualifying meant his race day was always going to be a tough one, and so it proved as he went 12-15.

It wasn’t a much better day for Richard Cooper who didn’t finish the first race, and could only manage 14th in race two.

Tommy Bridewell continued his good form with the Moto Rapido Ducati, though, going 11-7, although he was closed down in the championship by Luke Mossey who went 7-8.

Dan Linfoot, of course, was absent after his Brands Hatch crash and resulting injury, but Andrew Irwin had another impressive weekend, despite a crash in race one. Race two went better for the rookie, finishing ninth. But Andrew didn’t completely destroy his tyre, and he set the fastest time of the weekend in Q2. His learning curve isn’t getting much shallower, his progress is really impressive.

8th in race one and 10th in race two represent Mason Law’s best weekend of the season in his rookie year, and he put some big moves down too. Mason’s talent has never been in doubt, but a performance like this is testament to that; a double top ten from a rookie in Thruxton is a very impressive scorecard.

Chrissy Rouse went very well in race one, but suffered a nasty crash on lap on in race two. Hopefully the youngster will be back strong in Cadwell Park.

For Gino Rea, it wasn’t such a brilliant weekend, with a DNF in race one and only a 17th in race two. Contrary to that, Sylvain Barrier had perhaps his best race of the season in the first outing, with fourteenth, but he could only manage eighteenth in the second race.

It was also Shaun Winfield’s best weekend of the season, as he made Q2. He then took sixteenth in race one, but dropped out of race two when he had contact with Danny Buchan.

Martin Jessopp picked up his second point of 2018 in race one with fifteenth, and came home sixteenth, two seconds off the final point in the second race.

In Brands Hatch, two weeks ago, Glenn Irwin took his first British Superbike Championship pole position, and backed it up with two second places, narrowly missing out on both race victories. Coming into this weekend, his intentions were always going to be to right the wrongs of round six, and take his first victory. He provided himself with a good opportunity to do that in race one tomorrow, as in Saturday’s qualifying session he managed to take his second career pole, and second in succession. He couldn’t be in a better position to try to take his first win, but the race is very different to qualifying – especially in Thruxton – and managing the tyre will be the critical element.
Before we discuss that more, it is important to speak about the riders also on the front row: Luke Mossey and Glenn’s brother and teammate Andrew Irwin.

Firstly, Mossey. His 2017 season was ruined by a crash in Thruxton last year, before which he looked like a genuine championship contender and after which he looked like what he was: a rider recovering from a big injury sustained in a big, fast crash. It was a big moment in Mossey’s career and it has affected him until, well, today. Of course, he was not helped by the change in tyre spec for this year, which ruined his preseason, but the after effects of the injury from last year have been a factor, too. So, what does he do when he returns to the scene of the accident that has lingered for the past twelve months? Well, he sticks it on the front row. This, from Mossey, is another one of those insane moments in motorcycle racing that are difficult for us mere mortals to comprehend, in a similar vein to, for example, the feat of Jorge Lorenzo in Assen 2013. Returning to something which has caused so much long term pain is a tough thing to do, for anyone, and what Mossey did in qualifying today deserves tremendous respect.

Now, Andrew Irwin. It’s his fourth British Superbike meeting after returning to the British championship from a half-season in the World Supersport Championship. Superbikes are incredibly complex and, ultimately, alarming. They have more power than they can deal with, and with no electronic assistance the confidence of the rider is critical, and fragile. The McAMS Yamaha pair for this year are good comparisons. Josh Brookes, one of the most experienced riders on the grid, entered this year with no speed, because he had a poor feeling and thus no confidence. The take Tarran Mackenzie. He has been riding the Yamaha R1 since last winter, and only at the last round in Brands Hatch was he able to make the top ten. In comparison, Andy Irwin has come in has immediately been fast. In every circuit he has visited with the superbike, he has been up in the top ten in practice, but in Thruxton there is always a question mark, because if you feel a little bit off it costs you more than usual because the speeds are so high. But he arrived, and he was fast immediately. In Q2, he was the fastest rider, and that time stood as the fastest time of the weekend even after Q3, when he qualified third for his first front row in BSB, in just his fourth round in the championship. Irwin has been incredibly impressive, but I think I echo the feelings of everyone when I say that I hope he doesn’t make a mistake soon, because whilst confidence takes a long time to build, it can be completely destroyed in ten seconds. A mistake now could have career-defining consequences, which Irwin doesn’t deserve to have to endure.

Josh Brookes took fourth place, which he wasn’t overly impressed with, but his race pace is demonic; beating the Aussie over race distance tomorrow will be a challenge for anybody and everybody.

Bradley Ray discovered something to fix the front end issues he has suffered with the front end of the Suzuki in the last few rounds. It seems the opening round double winner is back to something like his giant-killing best. The podium has to be the aim for Ray tomorrow, it would be his first since race one at Brands Indy.

Jake Dixon has looked quite strong this weekend, and qualified decently in sixth place. He has a good chance to make the podium tomorrow from the back of the second row, but the most important thing for Jake tomorrow is to take points out of the podium credits lead of Leon Haslam.

Speaking of Haslam, he only managed to qualify eighth, behind Christian Iddon and ahead of Danny Buchan. The championship leader has a job on tomorrow to extend his advantage over Dixon, but he can take some steps closer to confirming his spot in the Showdown.

Jason O’Halloran qualified tenth, ahead of Friday’s fastest man, Peter Hickman, who was ill today. Richard Cooper completes row four.

Tommy Bridewell was thirteenth for Moto Rapido Ducati, ahead of an impressive Martin Jessopp and equally impressive Chrissy Rouse. James Ellison was sixteenth, a surprising Shaun Winfield seventeenth and Mason Law was the last of the Q2 contenders in 18th.

Michael Laverty made the mistake of only using one tyre in Q1, which means he only starts 19th for tomorrow’s first race, whilst Gino Rea rounds out the top twenty and Fraser Rogers completes the seventh row.

Dan Linfoot’s replacement, Tom Neave, qualified 22nd for his first BSB, ahead of Sylvain Barrier, Luke Hedger and Aaron Zanotti.
Tarran Mackenzie had a bike issue on his out lap in Q1 which means he starts from the very back of the grid in 26th for tomorrow’s first race.