2022 British Superbike Test, Snetterton - Session 5 Results

What was a SYNETIQ BMW 1-2 to begin the penultimate British Superbike pre-season test session around Snetterton, quickly became an FS-3 Kawasaki 1-2 as Rory Skinner led the way from Lee Jackson. 

While gaps behind Skinner were close, the Scottish-born rider had a huge margin of 1.2 seconds to his team-mate after going within a second of the new official lap record set by Jason O’Halloran. 

The first rider to get remotely close to Skinner’s time was Tom Sykes as the new Ducati rider went seven tenths slower, as did Honda rider Glenn Irwin. 

As lap times continued to get quicker and quicker, Sykes then reduced the former British Supersport champion’s lead to just 0.107s, while Jackson also got within half a second of his less experienced team-mate.

Tarran Mackenzie then split the two leaders by going 0.004s quicker than Sykes - still +0.103s away from Skinner. 

The first rider to get the better of Skinner’s early time was O’Halloran as the Australian posted a time of 1:47.433s. 

Late charges from Buchan and Bradley Ray then saw the two Brits move into second and third. However, that wasn’t the only movement to take place as Ray went on to claim top spot after setting a 1:46.968s on his very next lap.

But just as it appeared Ray had done enough, Skinner responded in the dying seconds with a time of 1:46.735s - two tenths clear of the Yamaha rider.  

Session 4 (first of the day)

With track conditions yielding considerably less grip than Saturday due to cold air temperatures, McAMS Yamaha rider O’Halloran was untroubled on combined times despite not setting a lap. 

One of the first riders out on-track was former champion Leon Haslam, who makes his return to the BSB paddock for the first time since 2018, the same year he won his one and only title thus far. 

With more than half the session complete and just nine riders circulating the Snetterton circuit, a track that’s one of the longest on the calendar, it was the Visiontrack Kawasaki rider who enjoyed considerable time at the top. 

A time of 1:49.010s was set by Haslam which is 2.5 seconds off O’Halloran’s quickest time from day-one. 

Another rider eager for track time despite the conditions was reigning champion Mackenzie, as the WorldSBK hopeful is returning to on-bike action for the first time since suffering a broken leg during an accident at Cartagena in January. 

While he didn’t take to the track in session one of the final day - fourth official session of the weekend - the big news heading into this weekend was the return of Sykes aboard Ducati machinery.

Not one to waste time getting up to speed, Sykes was one of five riders to go underneath the existing lap record on Saturday, a record previously set by Shane ‘Shakey’ Bryne in 2017, again on a Ducati Panigale V4 R. 

Joining Haslam in the low 1m 49s was new Buildbase Suzuki rider Christian Iddon, before the former Ducati man went quickest by less than a tenth, a position he held onto until the checkered flag. 

A total of ten riders took to the track with only eight completing flying laps, however, that should drastically change during S2 and 3.