Easton denied Superbike pole 04 | 07 | 2015
AT THE END OF A day which saw thunderstorms and bright sunshine, Scot Stuart Easton was denied pole position for the opening race in tomorrow's British Superbike Championship double-header at Knockhill by just 0.052secs. The Hawick racer was pipped by his PBM Kawasaki team-mate Shane 'Shakey' Byrne (pictured).
The four-time British champ, who also started from pole last time out at Snetterton, clocked 48.153s round the 1.3-mile Fife circuit, narrowly edging out Easton.
The Scot, who had topped the timesheets in the opening qualifying session in dry, warm conditions, ultimately had to content himself with a 48.205s.
And Easton, currently fourth in the championship, 52-points behind leader Byrne, is desperate to break his winning duck at Knockhill.
"Yeh, I've never won here on a Superbike," admitted Easton, the 31-year-old who graduated to the BSB after winning the British Supersport Championship in 2013, his first full season back after recovering from the horrific injuries he sustained in 2011.
The Scot crashed at high speed contesting the North West 200 race on the roads of Northern Ireland breaking both legs, shattering his pelvis and sustaining internal injuries.
Related: Byrne and Kiyonari star at Knockhill
"But we definitely have the pace this weekend. I was fastest in Friday's free practice, and I'm only 0.052s behind Shakey today, so if I get a good start, then who knows?"
Easton, who won earlier this season at Oulton Park, starts alongside the Yamaha of third-fastest man Josh Brookes, currently second in the title race, just 17pts adrift of Byrne.
The 38-year-old Londoner, meanwhile, was delighted with his polesitting performance in the improving conditions.
"Yeh, that was tough, and Stuart pushed me all the way," Byrne admitted.
"I think that if there was ever a day of riding that was going to be really important, it was today. This afternoon, we tried some new parts on the bike, and there's definitely some margin for improvement; but there are some definite improvements too.
"There are a lot of positives to come, and we're going to keep chipping away to find them. This way, hopefully, I'll have a completely sorted package for the final three rounds. I'm really pleased with how today has gone, and for sure we can go better."
Today's qualifying went ahead despite the Fife circuit having been left battered and bruised after a torrential overnight thunderstorm had caused damage to the track.
Such was the torrent of rain and water which flooded over the tarmac that emergency repairs had to be made to the track surface on the entry to the fast right-hander at Turn 1 into Duffus Dip.
But while the repair crew achieved their primary goal of repairing the track before 11.30am, Mother Nature dealt the Fife circuit another blow when thick fog and poor visibility delayed the start of the day's proceedings by another 45-minutes.
British Superbike Championship, Knockhill — Qualifying (Top 10):
1. Shane BYRNE, PBM Kawasaki, 48.153;
2. Stuart EASTON, PBM Kawasaki, 48.205;
3. Josh BROOKES, Milwaukee Yamaha, 48.219;
4. Jason O'HALLORAN, Honda Racing, 48.344;
5. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Buildbase BMW Motorrad, 48.402;
6. James ELLISON, JG Speedfit Kawasaki, 48.501;
7. Michael LAVERTY, Tyco BMW Motorrad, 48.521;
8. Danny BUCHAN, Be Wiser Kawasaki, 48.629;
9. Dan LINFOOT, Honda Racing, 48.657;
10. Luke MOSSEY, Quattro Plant Tec-care Kawasaki, 48.837.
Related: Easton wins British Supersport title
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Jim McGill
Photo: Power Images