SYKES 2ND AT SNETTERTON
 Rizla
Suzuki's Tom Sykes set the second fastest lap time during
free practice for round five of the Bennetts British Superbike
Championship at the high-speed Snetterton circuit in Norfolk
today.
Sykes ran at the front during both the 50-minute free practice
sessions putting in consistent laps as he got dialled -in
to the fast 1.952 mile circuit. His powerful Rizla Suzuki
GSX-R1000 is perfectly matched to the historic airfield track
that boasts two long straights and top speeds of around 200mph.
Combined with an agile chassis, he feels he has a winning
package.
Team mate Atsushi Watanabe, who has just returned from podium
success at the Suzuka 300Km race in Japan, also had a productive
day on track. This is the first time that he has ridden at
Snetterton so he spent his first session familiarising himself
with the track before setting about dropping his lap times.
He completed second free practice in 15th place but intends
to improve on that tomorrow.
Honda's Leon Haslam set the quickest time today.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday at 1500 with race one
kicking off at 1315 on Sunday and race two at 1630.
Tom Sykes:
"It's been a decent day. Right from the off my Rizla
Suzuki has felt good and I've been comfortable. My Crew Chief,
Pete Jennings, had a list of small changes for us to work
through during second free practice and that took up the bulk
of the session. We now have a superb set-up and I'm putting
in consistent times on race tyres. We have a perfect direction
for my GSX-R1000 tomorrow for qualifying."
Atsushi Watanabe:
"This is my second visit to Snetterton but this is
the first time that I get to ride. We had a little problem
this morning but this afternoon free practice went well and
I made a big improvement of two seconds. My third place finish
at the Suzuka 300Km race in Japan has given me a good feeling
and my Rizla Suzuki has a strong engine which is ideal for
Snetterton. I believe it will be a good weekend."
Free Practice Results:
1: Leon Haslam (Honda) 1:05.448
2: Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 1:05.547
3: Leon Camier (Ducati) 1:05.847
4: Karl Harris (Yamaha) 1:05.923
5: Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1:05.974
6: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 1:06.121
7: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:06.146
8: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 1:06.485
9: Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) 1:06.495
10: Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) 1:06.579
15: Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki) 1:07.480
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