Rhys Irwin snatched pole from the hands of Luke Stapleford with an impressive late qualifying lap this morning.
In a hectic 15-minute session, the battle for the top spot raged all the way to the flag with a few different riders taking their turn to lead.
Initially, it looked to be a fight between Irwin and defending champion Jack Kennedy, but then Stapleford hit the top of the timings and as the flag came out, it looked as if the Macadam Triumph Racing rider had done enough to secure pole.
But Irwin was still on a hot lap, crossing the line moments later with an unexpected time of 1min 27.914secs, shaving an incredible 0.467s off Stapleford’s best lap to grab pole.
Stapleford will start from second position in today’s Sprint race, with Kennedy rounding out the front row. Ben Currie will start from P4 with Joe Talbot lining up fifth.
Ben Tolliday was the only Cup runner who made it through to Q2 and will lead the class from p25 on the grid. Joe Farragher will start second in class with Lewis Jones third.
Quattro Group British Supersport Championship, Qualifying:
1. Rhys Irwin (Gearlink Bike Performance 15) 1min 27.914s
2. Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Racing) +0.467s
3. Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK) +0.498s
4. Ben Currie (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +0.508s
5. Joe Talbot (Binch Pro Ducati) +0.626s