Dan Linfoot led the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title contenders after the opening free practice session at Assen, the Honda Racing rider pushing Christian Iddon from the top spot in the final three minutes.

Tommy Bridewell was one of the first riders to set a benchmark time in the session onboard the Bennetts Suzuki, narrowly heading Shane 'Shakey' Byrne in the early stages. The championship leader then fired the Be Wiser Ducati ahead, becoming the first rider to drop into the 1m:37s lap time barrier.

Richard Cooper had leapt up the order into second ahead of Bridewell and Leon Haslam on the leading JG Speedfit Kawasaki with Jakub Smrz holding fifth for the Smiths Racing BMW team with 20 minutes on the clock.

As the final ten minutes ticked down Iddon fired in a lap to go to the top of the times with just over five minutes to go but the Tyco BMW rider couldn’t quite hold off Linfoot as he saved his best until last to move to the top of the times.

Linfoot and Iddon held the top two positions ahead of Byrne with Cooper and Glenn Irwin splitting up the Title Fighters, with Luke Mossey next up in sixth place on the Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki. John Hopkins was back in the top ten, holding seventh position for the ePayMe Yamaha team, ahead of Haslam.

Smrz and Michael Laverty completed the top ten which featured all five manufacturers but for Title Fighters James Ellison and Jason O'Halloran they finished the session in 16th and 20th respectively.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Assen, Free Practice one:

Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 1m:37.360s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.031s
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.042s
Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) +0.250s
Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.559s
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +0.656s
John Hopkins (ePayMe Yamaha) +0.662s
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.687s
Jakub Smrz (Smiths Racing BMW) +0.703s
Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +0.732s