Dixon ups BSB title challenge with pole position
Full BSB qualifying results from Brands Hatch
Jake Dixon has given his Bennetts British Superbike title charge the best possible start at the final round with pole position at Brands Hatch with championship leader Leon Haslam qualifying in eighth place.
Full BSB qualifying results from Brands Hatch
Jake Dixon has given his Bennetts British Superbike title charge the best possible start at the final round with pole position at Brands Hatch with championship leader Leon Haslam qualifying in eighth place.
Dixon needs to overhaul Haslam’s 61-point lead in the three-race finale at the Kent track to steal the 2018 BSB crown and will start race one from pole, his third consecutive pole in the Showdown, having seen off a late challenge from Be Wiser Ducati’s Glenn Irwin.
The RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki rider’s 1m 24.699s proved to be enough despite Irwin’s late improvement to see the 22-year-old take pole position by 0.177s, with McAMS Yamaha’s Tarran Mackenzie completing the front row.
Andrew Irwin grabbed the front of the row two on the second Be Wiser Ducati ahead of Tommy Bridewell on the Moto Rapido Ducati and Smiths Racing BMW’s Peter Hickman.
Richard Cooper’s late improvement saw him place his Buildbase Suzuki at the head of the third row and push back Haslam to eighth on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki. 2015 BSB champion rounded out the Q3 contenders in ninth place for McAMS Yamaha.
Q2 was suspended for 15 minutes following an oil spill at Druids and Graham Hill Bend from Jason O’Halloran’s Honda, having crashed midway through Q1, with Martin Jessopp, Luke Mossey and Dixon slipping off on the oil.
But thanks to a quick clean up job by the BSB track marshals, Q2 resumed which saw O’Halloran narrowly miss out on the Q3 spots by 0.006s with Brookes pushing him out with his final lap.
With the Australian rider starting 10th, he heads up row four ahead of Anvil Hire Yamaha’s James Ellison and Buildbase Suzuki’s Bradley Ray.
