From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

Round 9 – 2003 British Superbike Championship powered by HALLS, Oulton Park

Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August 2003

POLE FOR EASTON AS BYRNE TAKES FIFTH

MonsterMob Ducati rider Stuart Easton romped to his fourth pole position with a stunning display in glorious conditions at Oulton Park, Cheshire today when he posted fastest time in the Supersport final qualifying aboard his 748cc Ducati.

Fastest in the first session, Easton blotted his copybook with a crash late in the session but still emerged top of the pile.

“I got pole position by a decent margin so the job is done there. I was a bit disappointed with the second session when I lost the front end and tipped off but I got the job done anyway.” said Stuart.

Meanwhile, Superbike rider Shane Byrne’s hopes of his ninth successive front row start were scuppered after his strategy for the Dunlop Super 12 ran out of time.

The series leader ended up fifth on the grid despite a low speed spill in the previous qualifying session but wasn’t too despondent about his performance.

“I planned three stints and when I came in for the last one the team told me I would run out of time which I hadn’t realised but row two isn’t a disaster, I can still win from there.” declared ‘Shakey’.

Superbike Qualifying
1. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 1:36.738
2. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1:36.955
3. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 1:37.158
4. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 1:37.180
5. Shane Byrne (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:37.334
6. Gary Mason (Yamaha) 1:37.815
7. Steve Plater (Honda) 1:37.832
8. Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:38.010
9. Mark Heckles (Honda) 1:38.817
10. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 1:38.826
11. Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 1:39.137
12. Dave Wood (Suzuki) 1:39.375

Supersport Qualifying
1. Stuart Easton (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:39.836
2. Karl Harris (Honda) 1:40.570
3. Tom Sykes (Yamaha) 1:40.755
4. Dean Thomas (Honda) 1:41.091
5. Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:41.098
6. John Crockford (Honda) 1:41.265
7. Adrian Coates (Honda) 1:41.387
8. Michael Laverty (Honda) 1:41.732
9. Craig Jones (Triumph) 1:41.773
10. Rob Frost (Kawasaki) 1:41.848


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

BSB Round 9, Oulton Park

QUALIFYING/DUNLOP SUPER 12
Saturday August 9
Track length: 2.692 miles
Weather: dry, bright sunshine, 36 C
Track: dry, 48 C

Cracked pipe cools Richards’ challenge in sizzling Super 12

Hawk Kawasaki’s Glen Richards and Scott Smart made it through to the Dunlop Super 12 qualifying session at Oulton Park today, despite incredible heat and humidity from what has to rank as one of the hottest days of the year.

Track temperature soured to almost 50 C and sticky humid conditions made qualifying an extremely draining experience for all three Hawk Kawasaki riders. Richards qualified a strong seventh in the afternoon’s 45 minute session, just nine tenths of a second off pole, but his efforts during the Super 12 were thwarted by what a suspected cracked exhaust.

“My bike didn’t feel quite right through the Super 12, so the boys are going to check it over to see if anything’s gone wrong,” explained Glen, who will start from tenth lace on the grid for tomorrow’s two races. “It might have cracked an exhaust or something like that, but it definitely didn’t feel quite its best. I’m a bit disappointed because I feel I could have gone a fair bit quicker than that. The weather’s a bit uncomfortable and it’s going to be real hard work around here in this kind of heat if it’s like this tomorrow, but at least it’s better than when it rains. It used to get real hot when I raced in Australia, but that was a different kind of heat – a dry heat. This is humid heat, which is harder to race in.”

Scott Smart ignored the pain and discomfort of a back injury and gave a gritty performance to make it into the Super 12, which decides the first three rows of the BSB grid. Despite struggling to move about his ZX-7RR all weekend, Smart will start round nine from eleventh and may even, he believes, be able to use the humid conditions to his advantage: “My lower back is swollen and solid and there’s not a lot I can do about it other than three or four days rest,” said Scott of his injury. “It was quite a relief to make it through to the Super 12 because of the way my back has been restricting me. It was really hard work too. I still wish we could have done better, but I haven’t been able to push all weekend. Tomorrow I’m just going to try and be as smooth as possible, but you also need a really good start here. I’m normally really good in the heat though, so I’m not that fussed if it stays as hot as today.”

Lee Jackson missed out on the Super 12 by just 0.8 of a second, but his growing confidence with the Hawk Kawasaki, plus his ability to turn in consistently fast laps despite the heat, made up for the disappointment. “The bike’s feeling really good, but I think I’m going to make a small front end adjustment in the morning,” said Lee, who shaved a second from his fastest morning lap to qualify fourteenth. “The harder I go the more it seems to push the front, so maybe we’ll go a bit harder on compression. When I was following Glen in qualifying and went to deep into Cascades I couldn’t get it to turn because the front was so loaded up, so if we can stop it doing that it’ll be better.”

“Super 12 didn’t quite work for us that time,” said Hawk Kawasaki team boss Stuart Hicken, of his riders’ qualifying performances at the tough Cheshire track. “But it’s hard work around here as always. We know we’ve got a good pace on race rubber though, so that will help us tomorrow. The good thing is that Lee’s in the grove again and that’s excellent. Hopefully we’ll have a good race from all three guys and see them all in the top 10.”