Ulsterman Jonathan Rea shattered the Mondello Park lap record to put his Red Bull Honda onto pole start for the double race fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

The 18 year old from Ballyclare is the youngest ever rider to top qualifying in the series and the decisive lap came in the final minute of a hectic session, as he eclipsed the hard riding Australian Glen Richards, aboard the Hawk Kawasaki by a tenth of a second.

“It is a great feeling - every lap I felt a bit more confident and went a little bit faster,” smiled Rea after lapping the 2.177 mile circuit in a time of 1m 39.344s.

“Now I have to do it in the races, with maintaining my concentration most important, and that will not be too easy with so many friendly faces around all urging me to do well,” added the rider who has only been racing for 18 month.

Leon Haslam, a race winner at Oulton Park aboard the Airwaves Ducati and Ryuichi Kiyonari riding the HM Plant Honda completing the front row of the grid at the expense of his series leading team-mate Michael Rutter fifth fastest after escaping injury in a tumble midway through the afternoon session.

Gregorio Lavilla, riding the second Airwaves Ducati, who trails Rutter by 56 points in the title stakes also starts from the second row, sandwiched between the two Stobart Honda riders Michael Laverty and Gary Mason.

Karl Harris, the former triple British Supersport Champion, had to settle for ninth place on the leaderboard, ahead of Dean Thomas (Hawk Kawasaki), Sean Emmett on the Virgin Mobile Samsung Yamaha and Scott Smart who faces an uphill struggle if he is to repeat his victory of the corresponding round last year.

Local favourite Jeremy McWilliams, returning to action after missing the previous round through a shoulder injury, struggle to match the pace, and finds himself starting from the fifth row.

ends