For sure it was unexpected even for Bradley Ray himself. After fluctuating performance in Free Practice sessions, the young British Superbike superstar rose in Snetterton 300 Q3. The 21-year-old Buildbase Suzuki rider performed one lap in 1’46″632 just 20 seconds before the chequered flag and this gave him his second pole position in BSB after the one scored at Brands Hatch Indy. 136 milliseconds is the advantage that kept Ray in front of Josh Brookes (McAMS Yamaha), while Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) was third with 244 milliseconds off. Ray will open multibrand first row including Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati and in Race 1 he will fight at least for the podium.
Brad #28 keeps living lucky times, as this pole position comes after positive performance in World Superbike at Donington Park (point finishes and SP2 access on a BSB-spec Suzuki) and the agreement with Yoshimura Suzuki for 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours, scheduled on 29th July. Yoshimura provided Ray a new fork, giving him more grip, but the rider got this achievement especially thanks to his skills, which led him to first place in front of Joshua Brookes. The Aussie has been very quick so far at Snetterton, also thanks to a new engine for his Yamaha R1. Ray and Brookes will be joined in Race 1 first row by Glenn Irwin, who managed to beat Jake Dixon (one to watch in tomorrow’s races) and Leon Haslam.
Behind the top 5, Dan Linfoot scored good 6th place after the injury suffered at Donington Park, while Luke Mossey, Danny Buchan (who crashed at Agostini during Q2) and Michael Laverty ranked from 7th to 9th position. Just outside Q3 we have Jason O’Halloran, back to business after WorldSBK Imola injury. Good 12th place for World Supersport regular Andrew Irwin, replacing injured Shane Byrne in PBM Be Wiser Ducati. In conclusion, Tommy Bridewell will not contest this weekend’s races, since he parted ways from Halsall Racing Suzuki right after FP3…
2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship 2018
Snetterton 300
Q3 Classification
01- Bradley Ray – Buildbase Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000 – 1’46.632
02- Josh Brookes – McAMS Yamaha – Yamaha YZF R1 – + 0.136
03- Glenn Irwin – Be Wiser Ducati – Ducati Panigale R – + 0.244
04- Jake Dixon – RAF Regular & Reserve – Kawasaki ZX-10RR – + 0.274
05- Leon Haslam – JG Speedfit Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR – + 0.471
06- Dan Linfoot – Honda Racing – Honda CBR 1000RR – + 0.706
07- Luke Mossey – JG Speedfit Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR – + 0.828
08- Danny Buchan – FS-3 Racing Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR – + 0.987
09- Michael Laverty – Tyco BMW Motorrad – BMW S1000RR – + 1.314
Race 1 Starting Grid
01- Bradley Ray – Buildbase Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000
02- Josh Brookes – McAMS Yamaha – Yamaha YZF R1
03- Glenn Irwin – Be Wiser Ducati – Ducati Panigale R
04- Jake Dixon – RAF Regular & Reserve – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
05- Leon Haslam – JG Speedfit Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
06- Dan Linfoot – Honda Racing – Honda CBR 1000RR
07- Luke Mossey – JG Speedfit Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
08- Danny Buchan – FS-3 Racing Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
09- Michael Laverty – Tyco BMW Motorrad – BMW S1000RR
10- Jason O’Halloran – Honda Racing – Honda CBR 1000RR
11- James Ellison – Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha – Yamaha YZF R1
12- Andrew Irwin – Be Wiser Ducati – Ducati Panigale R
13- Richard Cooper – Buildbase Suzuki – Suzuki GSX-R 1000
14- Christian Iddon – Tyco BMW Motorrad – BMW S1000RR
15- Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha – Yamaha YZF R1
16- Taylor Mackenzie – Moto Rapido Ducati – Ducati Panigale R
17- Peter Hickman – Smiths Racing – BMW S1000RR
18- Mason Law – Team WD-40 – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
19- Gino Rea – OMG Racing UK Ltd – Suzuki GSX-R 1000
20- Sylvain Barrier – Smiths Racing – BMW S1000RR
21- Kyle Ryde – CF Motorsport Yamaha – Yamaha YZF R1
22- Shaun Winfield – Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha – Yamaha YZF R1
23- Aaron Zanotti – Team 64 – Kawasaki ZX-10RR
24- Carl Phillips – Gearlink Kawasaki – Kawasaki ZX-10RR