DELIGHT AT KNOCKHILL AS XAVI FORÉS CELEBRATES HIS FIRST-EVER BRITISH SUPERBIKE POLE POSITION

Xavi Forés mastered the tricky conditions at Knockhill this afternoon to claim his first-ever Bennetts British Superbike Championship pole position aboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2, and secured Honda Racing’s first pole position since 2017.

The afternoon’s Qualifying was delayed after heavy rain hit the Scottish circuit and was rescheduled to a 40-minute session. Leading the way from the start was Forés who consistently put in quick times on the rain-sodden track. At the chequered flag he held the advantage by 0.135 seconds and became the first Spanish rider to claim a BSB pole position since 2007.

Andrew Irwin also looked comfortable in the wet conditions aboard the Fireblade, who at one point was swapping places with his Honda teammate for the top spot. Crossing the line 0.210 seconds away from pole, Irwin will start tomorrow’s opening British Superbike race from the second row of the grid in fifth position.

It was also a good day for the teams’ National Superstock 1000 Championship rider Tom Neave, who finished his reduced 20-lap race in ninth place after starting from 14th. Recording consistent fast times throughout the race, Neave claimed the fourth fastest time on the final lap and lines up for tomorrow’s race on the second row of the grid in fourth position.

Xavi Forés
#6

I’m so, so happy with my first pole position in BSB and especially in those conditions, I honestly didn’t expect to do it in wet conditions on a track I have not rode in the wet before. After the first two laps I had a good feeling with the Fireblade and this was the key to be consistent with the laps and to improve lap-by-lap. I was pushing in order to find the limit with the bike and it’s just working so well in these conditions. We made some big improvements from Brands when we raced in the wet and it paid off today! Hopefully tomorrow we will enjoy our racing, even if it is dry, but we have a good set-up with the machine and starting from the front row it will be interesting! But we will defend our position in order to get good points for the championship!

Knockhill Circuit Statistics

Length: 1.3 miles (2km) Corners: 9 Lefthand : 3 Righthand: 6 Pole Postion : Right BSB Lap Record: Leon Haslam – 47.462 (2018)