Luke looks likely to take control

LUKE MOSSEY is well placed to take the lead in the MCE Insurance British Superbike title chase after powering his JG Speedfit Kawasaki on to pole for this afternon’s opening race of the fourth round at Knockhill.

The Cambridge rider (below) set a scorching time of just 48.297secs.

He starts three points down on his team-mate Leon Haslam, who is ruled out of the action at the Scottish circuit.

Haslam suffered a high-speed crash on Friday in which he sustained two cracked vertebrae and concussion.

Jake Dixon ran 0.101secs down on the RAF Kawasaki to be in the middle of a front row DAVE FERN completed by James Ellison on the McAMS Yamaha, while the reigning five-time champion Shane Byrne set the fourth-best time, 48.467secs, aboard his Be Wiser Ducati. Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran starts alongside Byrne with former champion Josh Brookes sixth fastest, though only 0.220secs down, on the Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha. Bennetts Suzuki duo of former World Superbike champion Sylvain Guintoli and young Scot Taylor Mackenzie start from the third row, with Jakub Smrz aboard the PR Racing BMW sandwiched between them.