Rate it!

2 votes

British Superbike Championship leader Leon Camier is expecting a fight with local favourite Stuart Easton after practice for the sixth round at Knockhill.

Riding the Airwaves Yamaha, Camier has won all but two of the races so far.

He powered into the short, tight Fife circuit in confident mood after his sixth place as a wildcard rider in last Sunday's World Superbike event at Donington Park.

Camier packed in 25 laps, the best of which was 49.492s, just enough to head off the determined challenges of Easton, who closed his Hydrex Honda to within 0.078s during the morning session.

Rain in the afternoon then ended the Flying Scot's hopes of improving his time.

"We've been working away with the suspension and settings," explained Easton. "We hard planned work with our tyres in the second session.

"I like to think that I can do well here, and to win here for the first time in Superbikes would be the icing on the cake."

The former Supersport title winner is still chasing his maiden victory in the top flight, having come close twice already this season.

"There is not much in it in terms of lap times now, but it will get closer, and like the last round at Snetterton, this will be a big fight," added Easton.

He goes into the races 22 points adrift of James Ellison, who ran his Airwaves Yamaha fifth fastest overall, a third of a second down.

Glen Richards nosed his HM Plant Honda into third place on the leaderboard with a fast lap of 49.668s early on in the second session before the rains intensified.

The Australian ran a tenth up on his team-mate and compatriot Josh Brookes, who after a run of three consecutive third places is aiming for better things on his first visit to this circuit.

Simon Andrews maintained his recent run of good form by posting the sixth-best time, 49.830s, aboard the MSS Colchester Kawasaki - running marginally faster than four-times former runner-up in the series Chris Walker riding the Motorpoint Henderson Yamaha.

Ian Lowry put in a time of 50.075s on the Relentless Suzuki to be eighth best from John Laverty riding the Buildbase Kawasaki while Michael Rutter completed the top 10 on the Worx Crescent Suzuki despite a couple of tumbles.

Watch the race LIVE from Knockhill at 12.45pm on Sunday 5 July on British Eurosport 2 (Sky 411 / Virgin Media 525); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe

Crash.Net / Eurosport