Redding gets the edge with Donington Park pole

Scott Redding maintained his perfect British Superbike Championship Title Showdown record by taking a comfortable pole position for the penultimate round of the 2019 season at Donington Park.

The pole man and double winner at Assen a fortnight ago, Redding consolidated his upturn in fortunes with another formidable performance in qualifying around the Leicestershire circuit.

Returning to the scene of his superb triple triumph earlier in the season, albeit lapping on the International loop this time, Redding stopped the clocks at 1m 28.402secs to out-perform his title rival and Be Wiser Ducati team-mate Josh Brookes by a clear four tenths of a second.

Even so, Brookes lines up right alongside him in second position to keep him under pressure heading into Sunday’s two crucial races, the pair split by only 14 points with four races remaining.

Joining them on the front row will be the resurgent Bradley Ray, who continued his return to fine form on the Buildbase Suzuki in third position in a qualifying session that saw three GSX-R1000s fill the top two rows with OMG Racing’s Luke Mossey in a fine fourth and Luke Stapleford placing the other Buildbase bike in sixth,.

Between them on row two will be Christian Iddon on the Tyco BMW, ahead of two more Title Showdown contenders Tommy Bridewell and Peter Hickman, who struggled to demonstrate their form when it mattered in Q3 having been up at the sharp end in the first two knockout phases.

Making it both Tyco BMWs inside the top nine, Taylor Mackenzie marked his return to BSB competition in fine style with a run to ninth, edging out his own title-contending brother Tarran in tenth.

Elsewhere, Danny Buchan was the lowest placed Title Showdown contender in a disappointing 13th quickest, the FS-3 Kawasaki man left with work to do on Sunday.