Alastair Seeley set the early pace as he scorched to the fastest time in the opening free practice session ahead of the fourth round of MCE Insurance British Superbikes at Snetterton but then after his bike was engulfed in a fireball this afternoon he could only watch as Michael Laverty turned up the heat to go fastest.

Aboard the Samsung Honda Laverty was repeating the pace that he had shown in pre-season testing at the Norfolk circuit as he bids to put his title bid back on course after a problematic opening sequence of races.

Laverty said:

“I’ve put in a couple of really good laps and though I have a good pace we need to continue working on a few things. We are trying all sorts, trying to find a compromise with our setting and do a bit more with the tyres so it is hard work.

“The good thing is that we have dry conditions and that gives us the consistency to be able to get on with the job and get it sorted for the races in which I need strong results and a big points score,” added Laverty after he had narrowly out-paced the reigning champion and current points leader Tommy Hill riding the Swan Yamaha and Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne.

Seeley had little chance to improve on his first session heroics as he crashed at around 100mph at Riches on his fourth lap of the afternoon, sliding across the run-off area behind his somersaulting bike which caught fire.


“The wind caught me and took me off-line and onto a dirty part of the track – the front end of the bike folded in and that was it, I was down. The bike went somersaulting across the run-off with me sliding across behind it – then I saw it on fire, flames everywhere,” said Seeley.

He escaped unscathed: “I’m OK – I am a wee bit sore but nothing more than that so I will be able to continue here.” His team however had a big overnight job rebuilding his bike ready for tomorrow’s qualifying.

Results

Free practice one:

1:Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) 1m:49.819s
2:Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +0.183s
3:Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.192s
4:Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +0.305s
5:Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +0.577s
6:Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +0.714s

Free practice two:

1:Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 1m:49.340s
2:Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.312s
3:Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.446s
4:Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +0.447s)
5:Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.594s
6:Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +0.720s

.