Thruxton BSB - Starting Positions
SCOTT REDDING will start the first Thruxton Bennetts British Superbike Championship race from pole positioni after taking little more than a day to get to grips with the unique high-speed circuit.
The ex-MotoGP rider had never completed a single lap of the Hampshire venue before Friday’s FP1 but despite a cautious start outside the top ten, he maintained forward momentum all the way to the head of the timesheets by FP3.
He go on to repeat the result in qualifying for his second consecutive BSB pole position on the Be Wiser Diucati. Redding got the better of Panigale counterpart Tommy Bridewell in the closing stages to take pole by a mere 0.059secs .
Another strong qualifying session for the Ducati contingent, Josh Brookes made it three V4s in the top four, with Smiths Racing BMW’s Peter Hickman getting amongst leaders to snag a spot on the outside of the front row.
Joining Brookes on row two are brothers Andrew and Glenn Irwin, the younger of the two nosing ahead this time in fifth on the Honda. However, it was an impressive showing by the older Irwin on his first weekend with the Tyco BMW team following his split with Kawasaki in the run up to the event.
Ryan Vickers was another in impressive form to secure a season’s best qualifying performance of seventh as the leading Kawasaki rider, ahead of McAMS Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran and Chirstian Iddon on the second of the Tyco BMWs.
Elsewhere, Title Showdown contender Tarran Mackenzie has work to do from 19th on the grid after being bumped out of Q1, while Danny Kent qualified a respectable 17th after cracking Q2 in what was the Bike Devil MV Agusta’s first proper Superpole run.
