Swan Yamaha sent out an ominous message to the rest of the British Superbike field on Saturday after setting the pace, and warning there was more to come.
Championship leader Tommy Hill led the way in Saturday's second practice session with a lap of 1:35.682s, a full nine tenths quicker than any other make of bike.
Worryingly for the rest of the field, the Lingfield rider was encouraged with how easy the lap times came to him and is hoping to go even quicker in qualifying tomorrow.
“That was another great day for the Swan Yamaha team and I am happy with the time that we did” he said. “We used the same tyre throughout the session and the times were just coming, so we are happy to finish the first day here fastest. We know that we have a few things still to try in the morning so I am feeling confident for qualifying tomorrow afternoon.”
Teammate Michael Laverty was second fastest, 0.700s behind his teammate, but the Northern Irishman is certain that he can close the gap tomorrow if he extracts the maximum out of the YZF-R1.
“I am happy with today; we made a few changes and felt more comfortable this afternoon than we did this morning. In the past it has always taken me a while to get up to speed here for some reason, but that didn't seem the case today. The Swan Yamaha suits the circuit here and I think there is still more to come from me as well as the bike. I am pleased with second at the end of the day as I didn't feel that was me pushing as hard as I could so that bodes well for tomorrow.”
Qualifying will take place on Sunday afternoon ahead of another double header on Bank Holiday Monday, where Hill will look to extend his four point lead over Shane Byrne.
