POLE STAR LEON’S A LITTLE SMASHER
LEON HASLAM smashed his own Cadwell Park lap record as he powered to pole for today’s eighth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship.
The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider is now aiming to use that speed to end a run of seven races without a win that has seen him slip 25 points adrift of series leader Shane Byrne.
Haslam scorched in a time of 1min 25.923secs around the narrow Lincolnshire circuit as he rewarded his team for their hard work over the weekend.
He said: “We’ve kept chipping away with the bike and I am so happy to take pole start. I saw that I had done a 1m 26.1secs lap but then made a couple of mistakes.
“I didn’t realise the time that I had set, so I am really delighted and feel confident for the race.”
Chasing
Byrne starts his Be Wiser Ducati alongside him at the front of the grid, having qualified only 0.236secs down with his final lap of the grid deciding session.
“The front row start here is so important and so I gave it another big push to be up there,” said Byrne, who is bidding to take the title for an unprecedented fifth time.
Chasing the leading duo down is Richard Cooper, aboard the Buildbase BMW, who ran only 0.003secs down on Byrne.
Cooper is sixth in the title standings and goes into these races knowing he needs strong results to boost his chances of making the cut for the Showdown sequence that decides who wins the crown.
He said: “The bike is working fantastically well and now is where that really counts – we are in good shape now.
“I know what I have to do in the races and am confident that I can be there when it matters.”
Lee Jackson set fourth fastest time just ahead of third in the title chase Jason O’Halloran, who rides for the locally-based Honda Racing team.
Aussie O’Halloran, who escaped injury in a couple of tumbles over the weekend, is aiming to continue his fine run of form at what he regards as his “home” circuit.
He said: “I’ve lived locally for five or six years, my friends and personal sponsors are here and I’ve had podium finishes in other classes here in the past, but now I want them in BSB.”