HYDREX BIKE ANIMAL HONDA
FRONT ROW FOR ELLISON IN DONINGTON DELUGE
 Hydrex
Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison left it late but came
up trumps as he qualified in second place at round four of
the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at a wet Donington
Park today.
After an indifferent start to the fifty minute qualifying
session, which was held in torrential conditions at the Leicestershire
circuit, the 27 year old turned things around and despite
missing half of the session after sliding off on his opening
lap, he qualified the Honda Fireblade in a superb second position
in the dying seconds of the session.
In posting the best ever qualifying position for Shaun Muir's
team, Ellison is hoping for a couple of podium positions in
both races tomorrow to follow up the runner up placing he
scored at Oulton Park earlier this month.
Team mate Guy Martin is absent from this round, competing
at the Isle of Man TT.
Shaun Muir (Team Owner): "I'm over
the moon. We've finally got a bike set up right for us and
we're feeling really confident. We've got a good race pace
in the wet and the dry and we deserve to be second on the
grid and I think we could have been even quicker. James fell
off on the out lap which knocked his confidence but all credit
to him, he went out and put it on the front row."
James Ellison: "I'm well happy with
that. I was feeling really comfortable on the bike and I think
I just went too quick too early on the out lap when I slid
off, and after that I didn't really expect to come out with
a second place. I just got more and more confident and quicker
and quicker, and I had a couple of scary moments but I just
got my head down and went for it. I'm hoping for a couple
of podiums tomorrow but this has definitely given me a lot
more confidence."
The first of the two 20-lap races gets underway at 1.00pm
with the second at 3.30pm on Monday.
Qualifying
1, Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1m46.639s, 2, James Ellison (Hydrex
Bike Animal Honda) 1m47.687s, 3, Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1m48.101s,
4, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 1m48.265s, 5, Michael Laverty (Suzuki)
1m48.267s, 6, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 1m48.609s, 7, Leon Haslam
(Honda) 1m48.829s, 8, Leon Camier (Ducati) 1m49.023s, 9, Gary
Mason (Honda) 1m49.250s, 10, Karl Harris (Yamaha) 1m49.338s.
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