Sam Lowes and Billy McConnell went head to head in the second qualifying session at Cadwell Park for the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship with the pair virtually inseparable in the final minute.

Lowes held the top spot into the final five minutes, but McConnell put the CAME Yamaha fastest in the final minute. However Lowes was on a fast final lap and he held it together to put the GNS Racing Honda on pole for the first time this season by just 0.160s.

Graeme Gowland on the PTR Honda completed the front row of the grid with just 0.280s separating the top three, and there was not much more between the riders on the second row.

Ben Wilson put his Gearlink Kawasaki into fourth place ahead of Padgetts Honda rider Ian Hutchinson and his team-mate Glen Richards, while James Westmoreland, who like Sam Lowes had crashed in first free practice, was on the third row along with Jason O'Halloran and Jack Kennedy.

Luke Mossey, the leading qualifier in the Supersport Cup, headed the fourth row from Marty Nutt and Allan Jon Venter, while Daniel Cooper, Chris Martin and Joe Dickinson lined up adrift of them. Karl Harris crashed out at Coppice towards the end of a session but still qualified on the sixth row ahead of Alex Lowes who also crashed this afternoon.

Daniel Kneen was the second fastest qualifier in the Cup with his rivals Max Hunt, Mark Cringle and Jenny Tinmouth all marginally slower than Dean Hipwell while Guy Martin found himself back on the eighth row.