Tommy Hill went into this weekend at Knockhill with a promise not to lose his lead in the British Superbike. Hill's lead was cut down to four points last week at Mallory Park by Josh Brookes. Hill hasn't scored any points yet, but he was the fastest around the Knockhill track during the first free practice session.
Hill set the bar early, but was eventually topped by Brookes, Alastair Seeley, Michael Laverty, and Stuart Easton. It wasn't until the final ten minutes that Hill managed to reclaim the lead.
Hill finished .19 seconds ahead of Rutter, who finished another tenth of a second ahead of Michael Laverty. Easton ended up taking fourth place, while Ryuichi Kiyonari managed to pass up Brookes for the fifth place spot.
The top five places were secured by five different teams.
British Superbike - Knockhill - Free Practice 1
1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 49.418s
2. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +0.197s
3. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS 0 +0.219s
4. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +0.244s
5. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.302s
6. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +0.311s
7. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.483s
8. Chris Walker (CW Racing Suzuki) +0.662s
9. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +0.769s
10. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +0.864s
