Michael Rutter and John Reynolds, the pace-makers in the early season scrap

for the THINK! British Superbike crown, continued their duel for supremacy

in free practice for the Holiday Monday double race fourth round at Oulton

Park.

Rutter, the HM Plant Honda Fireblade rider, who goes into the races

determined to peg back the ten points deficit on Rizla Suzuki's Reynolds

grabbed top spot on the leaderboard, but only by a split second.

The winner of the opening round, Rutter clocked a best time of 1m 37.629s,

while Reynolds, a triple race winner as he bids to take the crown for a

third time, closed in dramatically, with a lap of 1m 37.692s.

Aussie Dean Thomas, riding Ducati, and Yukio Kagayama, the winner of the

first of the two races last Sunday at Snetterton, shared the same best

time, 1m 38.551s, while Sean Emmett, aboard the MonsterMob Ducati, equal

third in the standings with Kagayama, was fifth fastest.

Scott Smart on the increasingly competitive Hawk Kawasaki put in another

strong performance, lapping in 1m 39.220s, just ahead of the Virgin Mobile

Yamahas of Steve Plater and Gary Mason.

Leon Haslam, making his seasonal debut into the series aboard a Renegade

Ducati, was ninth best, while his team-mate Noriyuki Haga, already a winner

in the World series this year was back in 15th place.

But, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda's second rider, is ruled out of the races,

after breaking his right collarbone in a tumble at the Shell Hairping

during the morning session.

Qualifying is on Sunday afternoon, the two races at 13.15 and 15.45 on

Holiday Monday afternoon.

ends