BSB Snetterton Qualifying Results | Iddon pole in crash-strewn qualifying
Christian Iddon keeps it upright in a delayed, crash-strewn qualifying session at a rainy Snetterton as top BSB title favourites suffer mixed fortunes
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54 years 8 monthsChristian Iddon has secured both his and Buildbase Suzuki’s first British Superbike Championship (BSB) pole position of the season amid treacherous conditions at Snetterton.
After a Friday beset by inclement weather conditions, Saturday morning’s BSB qualifying proved to be similarly tough for the riders, leading to a strung-out session that took almost 90mins to complete.
With Q1 getting underway in damp, greasy conditions - leading to some initial attempts being tiptoed at a slower pace than a warm-up lap - the pole-deciding Q2 session was first red flagged due to debris from an engine blow, only to be delayed by a huge rain shower just prior to the restart.
Moreover, though the rainfall was torrential, unusually it only covered the Norfolk circuit’s second-half, with riders crossing from big puddles down the home straight to bone dry conditions in sectors one and two.
It served to throw an unusual curveball into proceedings and led to numerous fallers in Q2 especially, but it was Iddon - helped by a rapid final sector split - that would emerge up top, the Suzuki rider seemingly boosted by having completed crucial mileage prior to the session via Q1.
He gets underway from Kyle Ryde, who put in a confidence boosting run to second on the grid on a weekend where he appears most under pressure to retain his Title Showdown spot following a run of poor form.
Another rider on the bubble in sixth overall coming into the final round before the Showdown gets underway, Tommy Bridewell completes the front row in third place, ahead of Glenn Irwin, who will be looking to formalise his qualification into the final stages of the season in fourth.
Championship leader Bradley Ray shrugged off a late fall to land fifth on the grid, ahead of Yamaha stablemate Tarran Mackenzie on the factory-backed McAMS R1.
Another rider to make the most of coming through Q1, Takumi Takahashi claimed his first top ten start in BSB with a solid seventh place, ahead of Tom Sykes, who might have started higher but for a fall at the dry Montreal bend while he was top of the timesheets.
Peter Hickman and Rory Skinner rounded out the top ten, the latter doing so despite he and FS-3 Kawasaki team-mate Lee Jackson - who starts 13th - also coming down during the session.
Andrew Irwin and Josh Brookes sit between the two Team Green bikes in 11th and 12th, ahead of Chrissy Rouse.
After his two wins last time out at Cadwell Park put him back on the cusp of the Title Showdown positions in ninth overall, Danny Buchan faces a task to carry that form into the final reckoning after only managing 15th following his own late tumble.
2022 British Superbike Championship | Snetterton | Qualifying RESULTS
2022 British Superbike Championship | Snetterton | Qualifying RESULTS | Round 8 / 12 | |||||
Pos | Rider | Nat. | WorldSBK Team | Superbike | Timing |
1 | Christian Iddon | GBR | Buildbase Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 2m 06.645 |
2 | Kyle Ryde | GBR | RICH Energy OMG Racing | Yamaha R1 | 2m 06.809 |
3 | Tommy Bridewell | GBR | Oxford Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 2m 06.922 |
4 | Glenn Irwin | GBR | Honda Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 2m 07.563 |
5 | Bradley Ray | GBR | RICH Energy OMG Racing | Yamaha R1 | 2m 07.757 |
6 | Tarran Mackenzie | GBR | McAMS Yamaha | Yamaha R1 | 2m 08.545 |
7 | Takumi Takahashi | JPN | Honda Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 2m 12.006 |
8 | Tom Sykes | GBR | MCE Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 2m 12.013 |
9 | Peter Hickman | GBR | FHO Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | 2m 12.043 |
10 | Rory Skinner | GBR | FS-3 Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 12.396 |
11 | Andrew Irwin | GBR | Synetiq BMW Motorrad | BMW M 1000 RR | 2m 13.068 |
12 | Josh Brookes | AUS | MCE Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 2m 13.459 |
13 | Lee Jackson | GBR | FS-3 Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 13.615 |
14 | Chrissy Rouse | GBR | Crowe Performance | BMW M 1000 RR | 2m 14.321 |
15 | Danny Buchan | GBR | Synetiq BMW Motorrad | BMW M 1000 RR | 2m 14.359 |
16 | Dean Harrison | GBR | DAO Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 14.321 |
17 | Luke Mossey | GBR | iForce Lloyd & Jones | BMW M 1000 RR | 2m 14.359 |
18 | Danny Kent | GBR | Buildbase Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | 2m 14.624 |
19 | Jason O'Halloran | AUS | McAMS Yamaha | Yamaha R1 | 2m 01.732 |
20 | Liam Delves | GBR | Rapid CDH Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 01.788 |
21 | Leon Haslam | GBR | VisionTrack Kawasaki | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 01.916 |
22 | Josh Owens | GBR | Rapid CDH Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 04.061 |
23 | Ryo Mizuno | JPN | Honda Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 2m 06.542 |
24 | Storm Stacey | GBR | Team LKQ Euro Car Parts | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 2m 07.871 |
25 | Ryan Vickers | GBR | FHO Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | 2m 12.764 |
26 | Tom Neave | GBR | Honda Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | No Time |
27 | Leon Jeacock | GBR | Specsavers Suzuki | Suzuki GSX-R1000R | No Time |