Josh Brookes led bsb’s combined Free Practice times at Knockhill in wet conditions, taking the top spot by 0.188s on the opening day of the ZYN British Superbike Championship weekend. The session was tight enough to leave the top 19 riders covered by 0.921s, and the weather shape of the day pushed the ZYN BSB Pre-Qualifying session back to Saturday.
Brookes and Fraser Rogers
Brookes set the benchmark ahead of Fraser Rogers, with Jason O’Halloran completing an all Honda top three on combined times. That left the order crowded at the sharp end, with Storm Stacey fourth on the Bathams AJN Racing Ducati and Max Cook fifth on the new AJN Steelstock bimota.
Rory Skinner was sixth fastest on the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha, while Christian Iddon and Bradley Ray followed him in the pack. Lee Jackson and Ryan Vickers completed the top ten, keeping the front half of the timesheet compressed through the end of Free Practice.
Kyle Ryde at Knockhill
Kyle Ryde finished the day 17th and 0.862s behind Brookes after sitting out the second session. He still carried the championship lead into the closing stages of the opening day, but the gap showed how quickly the order changed once the full combined times were set.
Ilya Mikhalchik was 11th, just 0.017s behind Ryan Vickers for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad British Superbike Race team, which added to how little separated the middle of the field. Brookes called the conditions even for everyone, saying, “It was the same for everybody and we are all trying no matter what the conditions.” He also said, “We set out this weekend with a new frame of mind, a new set-up on the bike and from the roll out it felt good.”
Super Scottish Saturday
The move of the ZYN BSB Pre-Qualifying session to Saturday gives the Knockhill riders a shorter turnround before the next stage of the weekend. A revised bumper schedule for Super Scottish Saturday now awaits the crowd in Fife, with the opening day times leaving the field tightly packed before the next run of laps.
Brookes starts the rest of the weekend in the strongest position, but the closeness of the combined Free Practice times means the fight at Knockhill is already set up around tiny margins. For Ryde, the bigger issue is the choice to sit out that second session, because 17th on 0.862s is not the kind of opening that protects a championship lead for long.
