Haslam Takes British Superbike Pole Position At Cadwell Park

Haslam Takes British Superbike Pole Position At Cadwell Park

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Rizla Suzuki’s James Haydon left his best lap until the end of today’s qualifying sessions to secure an eighth place second row start for tomorrow’s 10th round of the British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park. Haydon raised the ride-height on his Rizla Suzuki in the morning to speed up turning through the tight Hall Bends section of the track and instantly found extra speed. With the exception of his final lap during the afternoon session on a qualifying tyre, he was held-up by back-markers and was relieved to secure a second row start. British Superbike Champion John Reynolds will start from 12th on the third row of the grid after struggling to find front-end grip. The wind increased in strength as the day progressed and only a handful of riders went faster in the afternoon session. Ducati’s Leon Haslam will start from pole position. Traditionally, Cadwell Park is one of the most popular races of the year with crowds in excess of 40,000 making the trip to the picturesque Lincolnshire circuit. Superbike racing starts at 1315 on Bank Holiday Monday. James Haydon: “I desperately wanted a clear lap without traffic on a qualifying tyre and had to wait right until the very last minute before I got it. Even then, I made a mistake right at the end of the lap. Going into the hairpin – the penultimate corner – there was some oil on track and I ran wide. It cost me a few tenths so I was glad when I came into the pits to see I had managed to get onto the second row.” John Reynolds: “Every time I went to lift my pace, the front end would push out through the corners. The bike gave me a lot of warning shots today and I was unable to commit over the bumps due to a lack of front-end grip. I’m going to spend some time thinking and discussing this with my crew and we are aiming to find a solution in tomorrow morning’s warm-up.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “Eighth place on the grid for James is a fair result given his proven speed on race rubber and lack of clear laps on qualifying tyres. His aim is to compete for the podium tomorrow and if he gets his trademark good start, then that’s achievable. “‘JR’ has lost confidence in the front end of his bike and is now focusing on getting it back. Starting from 12th isn’t ideal but he is a Champion and will dig deep and go for the best result he can. “The team enjoyed a successful test here at the end of July and it is frustrating not to have made as much progress as we would have hoped for now we are back here racing.” Qualifying Times: 1: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:27.280, 2: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +0.360, 3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.375, 4: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.763, 5: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +0.809, 6: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.993, 7: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.998, 8: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +1.165, 9: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +1.278, 10: James Buckingham (Suzuki) +1.293, 12: John Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki) +1.410.

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