Brookes blitzes for Thruxton pole

Josh Brookes has blitzed his MCE British Superbike opposition for pole position at Thruxton, taking the top spot by 0.2 from a surprise front row of John Hopkins and Luke Mossey.

“I am really happy for the Milwaukee Yamaha team as they have given me a bike to really push for it this weekend and I am confident to ride it how I want. Its good to see a bit of a change at the front having John back and Luke up into the frame – I’m sure the fans are going to enjoy it.

“Shakey is having a so-so weekend and we have had the perfect start – the pole position was the cherry on the top. I thought maybe he was playing a card and was saving it for qualifying but that wasn’t the case. We will see what happens tomorrow but I am feeling confident.”

In fact, main title rival Shakey Byrne had a disasterous day, qualifying all the way back in seventeenth place. He wasn’t the only top runner to struggle, however, with Michael Laverty in twentieth and Ryuichi Kiyonari in twenty-third.

However, worst of all was Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran, who has been left with a broken femur following a collision with the Quattro Plant Kawasaki of Howie Mainwaring Smart; an incident that remains under investigation by race control.