TOUGH QUALIFYING SESSION FOR RIZLA SUZUKI
 The
Rizla Suzuki team had a dramatic qualifying session today
at Thruxton in Hampshire for the rescheduled opening round
of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with Atsushi
Watanabe finishing in 11th and Tom Sykes in 12th.
Wet and blustery weather made conditions difficult on the
2.4 mile high speed track, but the Rizla Suzuki racers worked
steadily at reducing their lap times throughout free practice.
During the damp 50-minute qualifying session, Sykes crashed
at Noble corner without injury. "The session started
out OK but I decided to try a harder rear tyre which didn't
feel great," explained Sykes. "I got a clear run
out to the back of the circuit and was in fourth gear when
the rear let go. It took up a lot of the session trying to
get back out again on my number two machine.
"The third row of the grid is not where I had expected
to be but it is a long race and I'm going out there tomorrow
to bag as many points as possible," he concluded.
Watanabe worked hard learning the high speed circuit and
was aiming for a top 10 qualifying. He said: "This is
my first time on Pirelli tyres in wet conditions and on a
UK circuit in rain. I wanted a better position but on my last
try for a fast lap there were many slow riders. Lots of different
conditions on the track too - some drying lines and some wet
lines. I'm still learning but I think I can go faster tomorrow."
Jack Valentine, Team Manager commented: "I had a chat
with Atsushi after free practice and we agreed he was aiming
for a top 10 so I'm really pleased that he was moving up the
order and qualified 11th. He is still adapting to the faster
parts of the track but on the slower sections he is able to
stick with the BSB regulars.
"As for Tom he was in contention for the front row of
the grid until he tried a harder rear and that is when the
bike came round on him, he high sided losing a lot of time.
He went back out on his second bike but by the time he got
up to speed he had a lot of traffic to contend with. A good
start tomorrow and I'm confident he can still run at the front."
Pole position was set by Ducati's Shane Byrne with a time
of 1:19.704.
The race action kicks off tomorrow at 1300 followed by race
two at 1530. This will be the first British Superbike race
of 2008 since round one of the championship at Brands Hatch
was cancelled due to heavy snow.
Qualifying Results:
1: Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1:19.704
2: Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.168
3: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.245
4: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +0.322
5: Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.668
6: Leon Camier (Ducati) +0.787
7: Adam Jenkinson (Honda) +1.138
8: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +1.154
9: John Laverty (Ducati) +1.501
10: Sean Emmett (Yamaha) +1.652
11: Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki) +1.674
12: Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +1.694
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