Scott Smart grabbed his first ever pole start in the THINK! British

Superbike Championship, but it took a scorching lap of the short, but

demanding Mallory Park circuit to break the challenge of Tommy Hill who had

earlier set a frantic pace.

Joining them on the front row of the grid are the leading duo in the title

stakes, with John Reynolds, the twice former champion, who holds a

comfortable 38 points advantage, marginally faster than Michael Rutter who

escaped injury in a tumble midway through the session.

Smart was delighted. "Fantastic - the bike was great, though it was looking

a bit dodgy at one point. Tommy had just pipped me to top place, but I

plugged away and grabbed it back," smiled the Hawk Kawasaki rider, who is

aiming to add a third victory to his seasonal tally.

His lap of the 1.39 mile Leicestershire circuit was in a time of 51.283s,

barely a third of a second faster than 19 year old Lingfield rider who was

enjoying the best qualifying performance of his 'rookie' year.

Reynolds recorded a best lap of 51.659s aboard his Rizla Suzuki, to hold

off Rutter, who, riding his spare bike after crashing at the chicane,

closed in on the leading pack. "I lost the front end - I was pushing too

hard into the corner and it went away from me without warning. It was my

fault," admitted Rutter.

With the season entering its final third,HM Plant Honda rider Rutter, who

lives nearby to the circuit, needs strong results: "It's important for me

to finish on the podium in these races, and win them, if I'm going to catch

Reynolds, but I still feel confident about my chances."

ends