Michael Rutter
Snapped gear lever robs Michael Rutter of win at Snetterton
Source: British Superbike News - Wednesday, 21st July 2010, 15:56 GMTmichael rutter @ snetterton RidersMotorcycles.com racer Michael Rutter was robbed of a possible win in the first of Sunday’s two races at Snetterton when his gear lever snapped off while leading the race and left his bike stuck in sixth gear. Having finished Saturday’s race in a strong fourth position, Rutter looked in exceptional form all weekend. In Sunday’s first race starting sixth on the grid, Rutter made a brilliant start, moving into second place by the first corner and leading the race by the end of the first lap. Half a second clear of nearest rival Josh Brookes at the halfway stage of the race things went pear shaped for the Ducati rider when his gear lever snapped. Rutter said: “It’s gutting when something like that happens but that’s racing and you have to take it on the chin. It’s hard to lead a race like that. I saw plus zero on my board and started to ride defensive and then once I’d got the gap, I could back to normal racing lines – the fastest way around the course – and then the gap opened up again.” In race two on Sunday Rutter was once again mixing it with the best, with some stunning overtaking manouvres and a generally outstanding ride. Sadly it was not quite enough to make the podium as Rutter finished fourth once again. “I tried my best but didn’t quite make the podium,” he said. “I’m really pleased how well we’ve gone here because we thought we might just lack a bit on top end down the straights here a lot more than we did. My bike is the best through the corners but the four-cylinder bikes do just have the edge down the long straights here. It’s been another good weekend and I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch now.” Rutter remains in fifth place overall in the British Superbike Championship going into round 8 at Brands Hatch. Team owner Phil Jessopp said; “Michael rode well again. It’s a real shame about the second race – it messed up our weekend really but as Michael said, we’re looking forward to Brands Hatch now which should really suit our bike.” Read article
HM Plant Honda Boys Dominate Wins At Snetterton Round Of BSB
Source: British Superbike News - Monday, 19th July 2010, 17:58 GMTThis weekend saw three races at the Snetterton circuit with the re-run of Race 2 from the Knockhill round of the championship taking place on Saturday and the two races from round seven going ahead as scheduled on the Sunday. Race 1 (re-run of Knockhill race two – Saturday) The HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes took the chequered flag in the re-run of the cancelled Knockhill race 2 on Saturday after passing his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari on the final lap. Kiyonari had dominated the race from the flag ahead of the Relentless Suzuki pairing of Michael Laverty and Alastair Seeley. Tommy Hill on the Worx Crescent Suzuki had soon moved into third position passing both Relentless Suzuki riders as he chased down the leading HM Plant Honda duo. Brookes was sitting in ninth place by the end of the first lap after a terrible start but by the seventh lap had passed Seeley, Michael Rutter and Laverty and was up to third place. The HM Plant Honda rider was soon attacking Hill, passing him on the inside at Riches before going after his team-mate. Kiyonari was defending his position but Brookes managed to make his way past on the final lap again at Riches to take his third win of the season. Hill finished in third place ahead of Rutter in fourth, Seeley in fifth, Michael Laverty in sixth, James Ellison in seventh, Simon Andrews in eighth, Gary Mason in ninth and Tommy Bridewell in tenth. Here are the results; 1. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 19mins 41.650s 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +0.594s 3. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +4.475s 4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +4.989s 5. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.485s 6. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.889s 7. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +9.148s 8. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +11.305s 9. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +14.364s 10. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +14.386s 11. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +14.698s 12. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +15.007s 13. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +17.458s 14. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +28.761s 15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +28.933s 16. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +35.025s 17. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +38.524s 18. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +39.410s 19. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +40.229s 20. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +40.570s 21. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +41.257s 22. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +45.780s 23. Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha +46.729s 24. David Johnson AUS Two Brothers Kawasaki +55.302s Not Classified 25. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda 5 laps completed 26. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia 0 laps completed Race One - Snetterton It was Michael Rutter on the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati that took to the lead as the opening race got underway ahead of Tommy Hill, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Michael Laverty and James Ellison. Brookes was back in sixth place by the end of lap one despite claiming pole position in the Swan Combi Roll for Pole after another iffy start. By the fourth lap the HM Plant Honda rider had moved up to third while his team-mate Kiyonari was forced to retire from the race following a mechanical problem. Hill had fallen back down the field running behind both Seeley and Ellison but was soon looking to make a pass on the Swan Honda rider which he succeeded in doing to finish the race in second place. By lap 7, Brookes had passed second place man Hill before being gifted the lead 7 laps later when Rutter was seen slowing down with a gear shift problem on the Ducati. Hill finished in second place followed by Seeley in third, Ellison in fourth, Michael Laverty in fifth, Tommy Bridewell in sixth, Chris Walker in seventh, Stuart Easton in eighth, Simon Andrews in ninth and John Laverty rounding off the top ten riders. Here are the results; 1. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 24mins 13.327s 2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +1.472s 3. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +2.740s 4. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +3.757s 5. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +4.152s 6. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +15.640s 7. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +17.779s 8. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +18.417s 9. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +18.860s 10. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +19.131s 11. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +21.546s 12. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +21.838s 13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +32.999s 14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +34.969s 15. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +44.072s 16. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +44.287s 17. Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda +46.654s 18. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +48.050s 19. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +48.514s 20. David Johnson AUS Two Brothers Kawasaki +56.866s 21. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +59.310s 22. Michael O’Brien GBR Motomob/O’Brien Yamaha +1 Lap 23. Steve Heneghan IRL Quattro Plant Honda +1 Lap Not Classified 24. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha 15 laps completed 25. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati 14 laps completed 26. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki 12 laps completed 27. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha 9 laps completed 28. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda 3 laps completed 29. James Edmeades GBR Redline KTM 3 laps completed DNS Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia DNS Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha Race Two Josh Brookes was denied his third win of the weekend after a technical problem occurred seeing him retiring from the race on lap 12. It was the Swan Honda of James Ellison that took to the front of the pack as the race got underway ahead of Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari. By lap 3, Kiyonari squeezed his way through on Michael Laverty before passing his team-mate Brookes seven laps later. On lap 9, the Honda rider had managed to get past the leading Swan Honda rider Ellison as they headed into Riches. Brookes was hot on the tail of his team-mate until he was forced to retire from the race. Kiyonari was leading the race 1.3 seconds ahead of Michael Laverty, Rutter and Ellison until Alastair Seeley attempted a pass on Ellison taking them both out of the race. Michael Laverty made a move on the leading man only to run wide and lose his second position to a stalking Tommy Hill. Rutter finished in fourth place ahead of John Laverty in fifth, Simon Andrews in sixth, Chris Walker in seventh, Andrew Pitt in eighth, Gary Mason in ninth and Yukio Kagayama in tenth. Here are the results; 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda 26mins 52.964s 2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +0.591s 3. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +0.954s 4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +1.584s 5. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +3.897s 6. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +4.899s 7. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +6.127s 8. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +8.211s 9. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +8.349s 10. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +9.566s 11. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha 10.663s 12. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +12.146s 13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +16.226s 14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +17.302s 15. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +17.607s 16. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +20.206s 17. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +21.700s 18. Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda +21.755s 19. David Johnson AUS Two Brothers Kawasaki +28.748s 20. Steve Heneghan IRL Quattro Plant Honda +55.682s Not Classified 21. Michael O’Brien GBR Motomob/O’Brien Yamaha 21 laps completed 22. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki 13 laps completed 23. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda 13 laps completed 24. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda 13 laps completed 25. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 11 laps completed 26. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda 6 laps completed 27. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda 0 laps completed 28. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki 0 laps completed DNS James Edmeades GBR Redline KTM DNS Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia DNS Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha Read article
BSB Snetterton: Two fourth places from three races for Rutter
Source: bikeracenews.com - Monday, 19th July 2010, 11:00 GMTMichael Rutter left Snetterton with two fourth places from three races but was robbed of a possible win when his gear lever snapped while he was leading Sunday’s first race Rutter was in great form all weekend on the ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati. His strong fourth place finish on Saturday was just a taste of what was to [...] Read article
Brookes two, Kiyo one but Hill leads title chase
Source: British Superbikes - BSB Blog - Mirror.co.uk - Sunday, 18th July 2010, 19:12 GMTJosh Brookes was denied a hat-trick of wins by a machine problem in the third race of the seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton and that cost the Aussie the lead in the title stakes as Tommy Hill, running second to Ryuichi Kiyonari regained the advantage by two points. Brookes had won the opening race, held over from the weather ravaged Knockhill round, on Saturday afternoon with a last lap move on his HM Plant Honda team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari with Hill, riding the Worx Crescent Suzuki running third from the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati of Michael Rutter. Then, despite having come out on top in the Swan Combi Roll for Pole, Brookes made life difficult for himself with a sluggish start from the front of the grid in the first of the two Sunday afternoon races, to be running sixth on an opening lap led by Rutter from Hill with Kiyonari third from Michael Laverty on the Relentless Suzuki and Swan Honda's James Ellison. Brookes was gaining places to be running third on the fourth lap, but by then Kiyonari had pulled out with a machine problem, leaving the front running duel to Rutter and Hill, but they were soon feeling the heat from the determined Brookes. He moved second on the seventh lap and took Rutter a further seven laps into the race as he slowed with a gear shift problem. Alastair Seeley and Ellison ran ahead of Hill with Ellison showing his Brands Hatch opening round form, prior to the tumble at Thruxton in which he sustained a broken leg soon going second. Hill attacked Ellison, going through to take second place as Brookes completed his second win, reflecting: "I messed up the start and had to work for it but was comfortable with the passes. It was a shame that some of the others had mechanical problems but I am sure that I could have taken them." Ellison, fourth in that race, made a great start to the final race, heading off Brookes with Michael Laverty third from Kiyonari and Hill, but soon Kiyonari was running third and harassing his team-mate, moving ahead of him on the seventh lap and two laps later taking the lead from Ellison. Ellison strayed off-line and Brookes nipped into second place, but not for long before he was sidelined by a machine problem. Kiyonari was leading from Michael Laverty with Rutter third as the Safety Car was deployed as Ellison crashed in a tangle with Seeley. Kiyonari duly completed his fourth win of the season, and his sixth at the circuit, finishing half a second clear of Hill who had finally found a way ahead of Michael Laverty with three laps remaining. For Hill second best was good enough, putting him back on top in the title stakes and he reflected: "We've re-grouped, gelled back and come out fighting. Now we are back to where we need to be, and where we should be. "The team have worked hard, we've had out ups and downs and problems along the way but these three podiums show were are back.The final race here was tough, but halfway through I clawed them in, and felt comfortable," he added. Steve Brogan, riding Jentin BMW won all three Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class races and that put the Liverpudlian back ahead in the title chase 246-241 over Hudson Kennaugh who having switched to riding Splitlath Aprilia took a fifth and two third places. MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, race two result: 1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +1.472s 3. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +2.740s 4. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +3.757s 5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +4.152s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, race three result: 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.591s 3. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.954s 4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +1.584s 5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +3.897s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Snetterton: 1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 218 2. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 216 3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 193 4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 183 5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 165 6. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 129 Read article
HM Plant Honda get clean sweep
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » BSB - Sunday, 18th July 2010, 16:27 GMTJosh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari gave their HM Plant Honda team a trio of wins at Snetterton this weekend, with each taking one win on Sunday. After gaining the prominent starting position, Brookes again suffered with a slow getaway, however still triumphed where others faltered. Tommy Hill and Michael Rutter shared the early advantage, while Brookes clawed his way back through the pack. Kiyonari was hot on the tail of Hill, when the HM Plant Honda rider stole second away from him. However, his joy was short lived when he was forced to retire with technical problems in the opening stages. Determined to make up ground in his teammates absence, Brookes was soon on a charge, fighting his way back to the front within a matter of laps. Still charging through the pack, it wasn’t too long before Brookes was back in control of this second race, and on his way to a double victory. Hill was his rear gunner in second, with Alastair Seeley in third. James Ellison enjoyed another good outing to finish fourth, with Michael Laverty fifth, and Tommy Bridewell sixth. Chris Walker, Stuart Easton, Simon Andrews and John Laverty completed the first ten positions. Race two saw Ellison as the early pace setter, with the Swan Honda rider taking control to send his weekend another step in the right direction. As ever Brookes and Kiyonari were never far behind, with each looking for the victory. As the race progressed the chaos kicked in, when Brookes found himself slipping down the order and into retirement. It wasn’t long before Ellison joined him, being forced to watch the rest of the race from the side lines. Ellison’s teammate, Easton was another retirement, with the Scotsman not even getting a chance to make his mark on this final race of the weekend. With chief rival out of the picture, Hill was able to slot into second place, however was unable to make much of an impression on leader Kiyonari. Michael Laverty slipped through into third and the final podium position, with Rutter fourth. Some of the battle towards the back end of the top ten was fought out between John Laverty, Simon Andrews and Chris Walker, each slipping into fifth, sixth and seventh places, respectively. Meanwhile, Andrew Pitt, Gary Mason and Yukio Kagayama followed them home in eighth, ninth and tenth. Kiyonari told the BSB website: “I am very happy, especially after the race earlier today when we missed the chance to fight for it. It has been a hard weekend and we had been struggling with the setting but we have worked between the sessions to solve this and we are getting better all the time and I think the championship is looking good again now.” Brookes leaves Snetterton still with the championship advantage in his grasp, with Hill breathing down his neck. The HM Plant Honda rider now leads with 216 points to Hill’s 198 points, with the next round taking place on the 6-8th August on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. Read article
Snetterton BSB: Brookes takes second win
Source: | Motorcycle Sport | British Superbikes - Sunday, 18th July 2010, 13:59 GMTHM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes has taken his second victory of the weekend at Snetterton after winning the first race yesterday. Ducati rider Michael Rutter took the lead fro the start, and led for the majority of the race... Read article
Snetterton BSB: Brookes takes second win
Source: | Motorcycle Sport | British Superbikes - Sunday, 18th July 2010, 13:59 GMTHM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes has taken his second victory of the weekend at Snetterton after winning the first race yesterday. Ducati rider Michael Rutter took the lead fro the start, and led for the majority of the race... Read article
Brookes battles to another win
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » BSB - Saturday, 17th July 2010, 22:04 GMTJosh Brookes gained the upper hand in the first of three races at Snetterton this afternoon, stealing the victory from teammate Ryuichi Kiyonari in the dying seconds. After the final race at Knockhill was cancelled due to rain just two weeks ago, it was deemed the best option to run it during this next round at Snetterton. Rain threatened to play a large part again this afternoon, when the race was yet again red flagged due to the weather conditions. It wasn’t long before the weather was back on the side of the BSB fraternity, and the race could be restarted. At the third attempt of this race, it was Kiyonari who gained the advantage off of the line, immediately launching into the lead. Despite immense pressure from Michael Laverty, Alastair Seeley and Tommy Hill, the HM Plant Honda rider controlled the pace as the laps ticked downwards. Brookes suffered a slow getaway, leaving him ninth by the end of the first tour; however it wasn’t long before he was muscling his way through the traffic. Before too long, Brookes was hot on the tail of chief championship rival Hill. After shadowing his Worx Crescent Suzuki for a short while he saw his opportunity to gain an advantage. Now with nothing but clear track between him and teammate Kiyonari, Brookes was closing the gap, eager to steal the position away from him. After trailing the similar machine for much of the closing laps, the final tour presented the ideal opportunity, when Brookes launched passed his unsuspecting teammate, to take the victory and extend his new championship lead. Kiyonari backed up another one-two finish for the HM Plant Honda outfit, with Hill completing the podium in third. Brookes now leads the BSB standings with 191 points, to Hill’s 178, with Kiyonari in third with 168 points. With the top three places taken care of, Michael Rutter was next up in fourth, just ahead of Seeley and Michael Laverty. James Ellison enjoyed a better outing, ending it with a seventh place finish, two seconds ahead of Simon Andrews. The remainder of the top ten saw Gary Mason and Tommy Bridewell both feature, finishing just inches apart. The regular double header of races will take part tomorrow, during Sunday’s usual race programme. Read article
Brookes in last lap ambush
Source: British Superbikes - BSB Blog - Mirror.co.uk - Saturday, 17th July 2010, 19:00 GMTHM Plant Honda's Josh Brookes won the opening race of the weekend at Snetterton after a stealth last lap move on his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari, who had led the entire race until he was passed by his championship-leading team-mate. Brookes said: "I had the pace but made it hard on myself with a bad start. My lap times were strong and I was looking for places to get ahead of Kiyo and was lining him up in several places. "He was very strong though and our bikes are equally matched so I went for a lunge on the last lap as I knew I could win if I could get ahead. I muscled my way through and to have won again is a great result for me as I have increased my lead over Tommy." Kiyonari had taken the holeshot off the line on the opening lap to lead the pack into Riches for the first time ahead of the Relentless Suzukis of Michael Laverty and Alastair Seeley and Tommy Hill. The Worx Crescent Suzuki of Hill though was on the attack and made a move on Seeley into Riches and a good run on the second lap put him third and within striking distance of leader Kiyonari and Laverty. Brookes had finished the opening lap in ninth and had given himself work to do to close the gap on his Japanese team-mate who was holding an advantage of 0.5s over Hill in by the fifth lap. He was making rapid process through the pack though; passing Seeley, Rutter and Michael Laverty then closed on to the back of rival Hill by the seventh lap. Brookes made his move at Riches on his Worx Crescent Suzuki nemesis, taking the inside line on the brakes to put himself firmly ahead and he then had his sights set on closing the gap to leader Kiyonari. He was soon menacingly shadowing his team-mate and despite several attempts to make a pass the lead was defended, but on the final lap a concerted move down the inside at Riches gave him the lead which he held to the flag to score his third win of the season. Hill maintained his third position, despite several attempts from Rutter to return to a podium position, whilst Alastair Seeley ended the race fifth after getting the better of team-mate Laverty on the eleventh lap. James Ellison took a top ten finish despite starting from the sixth row to recover from a disappointing day on track yesterday during free practice, but the second Swan Honda of Stuart Easton was forced to retire on the sixth lap with a technical problem. Simon Andrews was the highest placed Kawasaki for the MSS Colchester team in eighth ahead of team-mate Gary Mason who clawed his way through to ninth with Tommy Bridewell rounding out the top ten. Steve Brogan finished sixteenth to win the Mirror.co.uk BSB - Evo race. MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, race one result: 1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.594s 3. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +4.475s 4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +4.989s 5. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.485s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after race one: 1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 191 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 178 3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 168 4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 156 5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 152 The next round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship is a triple header at Snetterton this weekend (16/17/18 July). For more information visit www.snetterton.co.uk or call 0870 950 9000. Read article
Brookes breaks Seeley’s spell
Source: British Superbikes - BSB Blog - Mirror.co.uk - Friday, 16th July 2010, 16:43 GMTHM Plant Honda's Josh Brookes returned to the top of the times in the second free practice session at Snetterton this afternoon, dispelling Relentless Suzuki's Alastair Seeley who had topped the session until the final five minutes. Brookes said: "It has been a pleasant return here after the past two rounds; I don't really like Mallory Park and then Knockhill was ruined due to the weather. "This track is great for Superbikes and you can really utilise the full speed on the straights here and the turns are so flowing. "I am therefore enjoying it more and when you ride like that it gives you more confidence and the times just come. "This is the best practice day I have had this year and the first time I have topped two consecutive free practice sessions so I am feeling really positive now ahead of the first race tomorrow." Seeley proved he is going to be a threat this weekend at Snetterton after he flew to the top of the pack, becoming the first rider to break into the 1m:05s lap times, but Brookes bettered that lap by 0.120s to maintain his commanding position. Michael Rutter shuffled between second and third throughout the session, but the Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati rider was able to stay third ahead of Tommy Hill who elevated the Worx Crescent Suzuki in the final three minutes to move fourth with Motorpoint Yamaha's Dan Linfoot in fifth. Michael Laverty dropped to sixth in the closing stages of the session on the second of the Relentless Suzukis with Quay Garage Honda's Tommy Bridewell pushing forward in seventh to separate the Laverty brothers. John Laverty had run as high as third in the session but finished eighth for the Buildbase Kawasaki team with Andrew Pitt climbing to ninth. Sorrymate.com SMT Honda's Chris Walker was back inside the top ten this afternoon after just missing out this morning, whilst Swan Honda riders James Ellison and Stuart Easton were suffering in twelfth and fifteenth respectively. Likewise the second HM Plant Honda of Ryuichi Kiyonari was only fourteenth fastest. Steve Brogan was the fastest of the Mirror.co.uk BSB - Evo riders in sixteenth. MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, free practice two result: 1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 1m:05.731s 2. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.120s 3. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +0.295s 4. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.334s 5. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.672s Read article
