Mallory British Superbikes: Hill tops depleted final practice

Tommy Hill topped the timesheets in a depleted field of 15 riders for Saturday afternoon’s free practice at Mallory Park in preparation for Sunday’s ninth round of the Bennetts BSB series.

Hill, trying a new Pirelli rear wet, lapped in 1:01.47, 0.67s quicker than Michael Rutter’s MSS Kawasaki.

Privateer Cup rider Tristan Palmer was third quickest on the THR Honda 0.94s off Hill’s pace.

The majority of front-running BSB teams opted out of the session afternoon session, claiming they would not benefit from learning anything in the wet conditions.

Sunday’s grid positions for all the races will be determined by championship position, which means the front row will consist of Ryuichi Kiyonari, Johnatan Rea, Leon Haslam and Gregorio Lavilla.