Chris Walker and his PSG-1 Kawasaki were on a roll at
Silverstone during free practice one ahead of round five of the Corona Extra Superbike World Championship heading the time sheets with a 1min 36.563secs.
The on track conditions were damp but drying out and as the track dried the times tumbled. Walker was the only man lapping in the 1min 36s and he would love a win especially on home turf, he has said he will streak if he gets on the top step of the podium!
Second fastest was Frankie Chili's protégé,
Michel Fabrizio on the D.F.X. Treme Honda. Fabrizio was Chili's team-mate until his big smash at the Misano test when he sustained a broken pelvis, Chili is currently being replaced by Gianluca Nannelli.
Noriyuki Haga was third fastest easing current championship leader
Troy Bayliss back into fourth. The second of the PSG-1 Kawasaki's in the hands of
Regis Laconi was in fifth place, and the fast French man holds the lap record from last year with a time of 1min 27.130secs.
James Toseland on the Winston Ten Kate Honda was in sixth place and has high hopes of a win after winning the penalty shoot out on Thursday. Last year his team won the football and he went on to win race two, he is hoping for another home win to boost his championship.
Max Neukirchner on the Pedercini Ducati looked to be back to his old form running in seventh place. Neukirchner had a Monza to forget with numerous engine concerns and he got tangled up in the first corner chaos causing him to crash out.
The final PSG-1 Kawasaski of
Fonsi Nieto was eighth ahead of reigning champion
Troy Corser in ninth, with
Karl Muggeridge on the second of the Ten Kate machines in tenth.
Tommy Hill made his World Superbike debut on the Virgin Yamaha and came home in a creditable thirteenth place. Australian Josh Brookes has made the move from supersport to superbike and is now riding Bertocchi Kawasaki, he was fourteenth in free practice. His first time on the Kawasaki was last weekend at a round of the Italian superbike championship, which he and his team used as a test session.
