Championship leader Rhys Irwin took late charge in this morning’s Supersport qualifying as he knocked Ben Currie off the top spot with just over a minute to go.
Aboard the Gearlink Bike Performance 15 Suzuki, Irwin stuck in a late hot lap of 1min 16.523s to knock Moto Rapido Ducati Racing’s Currie down to second.
Neither Currie or any other of his rivals were able to find anything extra to be able to challenge Irwin – and when Morgan McLaren-Wood crashed in the final moments of the session, it ruled anyone else out of sneaking in a faster lap.
Irwin will head the grid for this afternoon’s Sprint race after ending the session 0.308s clear of Currie and the pair will be joined on the front row by MMB Racing Ducati’s Eugene McManus.
Honda Racing UK’s Dean Harrison will lead Row Two, with Luke Stapleford starting fifth and defending champ Jack Kennedy sixth.
In the Cup class, once again it was Joe Farragher who took charge, qualifying 28th overall and first in class ahead of Josh Bannister and Stephen Thomas.
Quattro Group British Supersport Championship, qualifying:
1. Rhys Irwin (Gearlink Bike Performance 15) 1min 16.523s
2. Ben Currie (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +0.308s
3. Eugene McManus (MMB Racing Ducati) +0.386s
4. Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) +0.431s
5. Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Racing) +0.474s