Prior to its Sunday cancellation, the Brands Hatch event - which has been rescheduled for May 10-11 - had been dominated by Shane Byrne. The former champion and new Airwaves Ducati rider led every session at his local track and is confident of continuing his impressive form this weekend.
"We had a pretty good outing at Brands Hatch and I am aiming to take that into this weekend at Thruxton. I just hope the weather doesn't ruin it for us again!" smiled Shakey. "Achieving pole position at Brands Hatch has given me even more confidence about the Ducati 1098R and what it is capable of. I like Thruxton and the Ducatis have done well there in the past few years so I am confident for a good result this weekend."
New HM Plant Honda rider Cal Crutchlow was closest to Byrne during qualifying at Brands.
"I've always enjoyed racing at Thruxton and had some great fights there," said Cal. "It really is a battling circuit, where the slipstream can count for a lot. From Church to the last chicane the rider leading the group is doing most of the work, so sometimes it's best just to sit back and watch what's happening and use the draft to pass into the final chicane. On the last lap, if you're five lengths back you can still win. The track itself is very abrasive on tyres, but our CBR1000RR Fireblade has got a good set-up and if our tyres last for the full distance we will be up there fighting for the win. I'm just happy to finally be going racing!"
Crutchlow's team-mate Leon Haslam has switched from Airwaves to HM Plant for 2008 with the clear aim of winning the crown.
"The positives we take from what little track time we got at Brands Hatch is that we were there or thereabouts in qualifying and we had made some improvements in set-up to the 2008 Fireblade, which have been a real step forward," said Leon, fourth in qualifying at Brands. "At Thruxton the season really begins and for me I know I need to work hard, get a good grid position for Sunday's races and translate that into some good points. I'll be looking for podiums or better this weekend to really start my championship challenge off in the right way."
Byrne's team-mate Leon Camier was gutted when his home round was cancelled, but it gave him the chance to recover from testing injuries.
"I was a little sore after practice and qualifying at Brands Hatch but I knew I what I could have achieved in the race, so I was gutted when it was cancelled," said Camier. "My shoulder is feeling a lot better now and I hope to be challenging for the top positions this weekend.”
Separating the two Leons during Brands qualifying was new Rizla Suzuki rider Tom Sykes.
"Thruxton is a circuit I really enjoy as it is fast and flowing," he said. "It is very abrasive so it has good grip but is hard on tyres. To string together a good lap you need to make sure once you are through the first turn that you make the following corners flow together. I try to be pin point accurate and very smooth. I'm really looking forward to it as it produces good racing. It is my team's home round so I will be trying my hardest like I do at every round - I'll give it 110 per cent."
The 2.34-mile Thruxton circuit is wide, bumpy and fast, featuring some of the quickest corners on the BSB calendar. Sykes' team-mate Atsushi Watanabe, who should have lined-up ninth on the grid for his first ever BSB races, will be facing it for the first time.
"Everyone tells me it is very fast corners, I think it will suit my style," said the Japanese. "My Rizla Suzuki will be geared for high speed I think I will like this track as it is very, very fast. It is Rizla Suzuki home round so I will try hard for my team and for me."
