The Swan Yamaha team were back on track at Thruxton today as the team began their preparations for the second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in Hampshire.

Defending champion Tommy Hill had suffered some early session issues that the team resolved and he was able to lap the circuit fifth fastest despite the limited track time compared to his title rivals. In the second afternoon session he was able to run fastest until the closing moments, finishing fifth ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session. Noriyuki Haga had his first opportunity to lap the former RAF airfield and he continues to learn the circuit and believes the extra track time tomorrow will give him the extra knowledge to have a strong qualifying performance.

Hill said:

“It has not been a bad day despite missing a lot of tim
e this morning with a few gremlins in the first session but we were still fifth despite missing a big chunk of time. In the second session we were fastest and then in the last minutes there were some improvements but we are doing the times we have on tyres we can run in the race and that is what is important. I think we are one of the strongest out there at running consistent times over a string of laps and that is what we need for Sunday’s races.”

Haga said:

“I need a little more time with this circuit; it looks easy but there are still some sections that I need to learn more to improve. It is mainly the last section of the track that I need to find more time – from Village and Church really as that is the bit where I need to be more confident on the gas! These high-speed sections are where I am losing the time but I can find more tomorrow for sure; it is all about tomorrow and the races.”

Team manager Gary Ekerold concluded:

“After a little electrical gremlin this morning for Tommy and losing a lot of time he got on the pace very quickly and he carried that through to free practice two. He had led the session until there were only a few minutes left so he showed he will be a contender for the races. Obviously Noriyuki hasn’t been here before so is still learning the fastest line that works for him and generally getting his head round the new track. But as we know, we will see what he is capable of in qualifying and the two races on Sunday.”

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