2022 British Superbike Brands Hatch - Qualifying Results

Jason O’Halloran will start race one at Brands Hatch from pole after topping qualifying in a McAMS 1-2 with a new record lap.

The Australian showed he had the confidence and pace for something special after topping FP3 earlier in the day. 

Clear track was an issue for all, and ‘The O Show’ hung back to find space after several runs saw him find riders ahead, leaving time to be had.

O’Halloran snatched pole from his team-mate on a clear track, as the chequered flag waved, with a 1m24.433s effort - a new record lap of the Kent track.

The number 22 is currently second in the title hunt after double victory at Knockhill - now just twenty points behind title leader Bradley Ray, who will also line up on the front row.

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Stage set for a comeback from reigning champion Mackenzie

The five week break between rounds was the perfect opportunity for Tarran Mackenzie to finalise his recovery from his pre-season injuries and bounce back to mount a late title charge. 

The McAMS rider has been in action in the break - with two top 15 finishes in the Donington WSBK round under his belt from his belated wildcard helping him get race ready.

Looking back to his best, the Scottish rider finished fourth on Friday, at a track where he saw great success in his title winning year - with a pole, a win and two podiums on his first visit and a trio of victories during the return for The Showdown.

He was sitting pretty at the top of the timesheets for most of the latter part of the session, only deposed by O’Halloran as the clock hit zero, finishing just 0.212s slower on a lap where he had needed to pass Christian Iddon, which saw him to his first front row visit of the 2022 season.

Getting his weekend of to the finest of starts, Bradley Ray had started his weekend by topping both Friday sessions, setting his own personal best lap of the Kent track in the process.

Building on that, which saw him straight trough to Q2, the Yamaha man went on to claim third as he and the Rich Energy OMG team looked for improvements for the race, completing an all Yamaha front row.

Tommy Bridewell’s late push saw him move up to fourth as the best Ducati rider for Oxford Products.

Kyle Ryde had needed a trip through Q1, which he topped. The second of the rich Energy OMG Yamaha bikes will fill fifth on the grid as he continued to lower his time in Q2 as the last rider under the 1m25s benchmark.

Josh Brookes was sixth for MCE Ducati, just ahead of Rory Skinner, who picked up places after his trip through the gravel on the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki.

Ryan Vickers will line up eighth as the best performing BMW for FHO Racing with Attis Sports.

Leon Haslam has a new suspension package as he tries to find something to move him into the showdown. The VisionTrack Kawasaki rider will sit in ninth.

Lee Jackson will be looking to extend his good run of form from tenth for Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki.

BSB Brands Hatch Lap record: Josh Brookes - Yamaha - 1m 24.873s (2017)

2021 Race Winners:

Round 3 
Race 1: Tarran Mackenzie
Race 2: Jason O’Halloran
Race 3: Christian Iddon

Round 11 (The Showdown)
Race 1: Tarran Mackenzie
Race 2: Tommy Bridewell
Race 3: Jason O’Halloran

Elsewhere, Andrew Irwin (Synteiq BMW Mottorad) was confident enough that he was going to progress from Q1 that he skipped the final few minutes of that session, sat in the pits. He moved on but was rooted to the bottom of the timesheets in 18th.

Danny Kent passed his time at the end of Q1 and went on to make the most of his Q2 time, he will start 14th for Buildbase Suzuki.

His team-mate Iddon is riding with injury and that left him down in 16th.

What else happened in Q1?

Josh Owens came closest to progression and was briefly in the top six before finishing the session seventh for Rapid CDH Kawasaki, so he will line up 19th.

Dan Linfoot (BMW iForce Lloyd & Jones) didn’t leave the pits until the final two minutes of the first qualifying session, limiting his chance of progress and leaving him 16th in the session, for 28th on the grid.