Ryuichi Kiyonari bettered his own lap record as he put his HM Plant Honda onto pole start for the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park.

The former two times winner of the crown lapped the Leicestershire circuit in 55.630secs, two tenths of a second inside the record, and enough to give the Japanese rider his second pole start of the campaign.

“I really wanted a good lap to get on top,” explained Kiyonari who in previous seasons has enjoyed two victories at the short, but demanding circuit. “I was quite surprised when I saw I was top as I know that we have some work to do over the full race distance.”

Kiyonari is playing catch-up in the title stakes, currently running in eighth place and the importance of strong points is not lost on him: “I want to win these races and will be trying everything.”

Michael Laverty, riding the Relentless Suzuki, who had been on the pace throughout the weekend, starts alongside Kiyonari at the front of the grid, marginally faster than the series leading Tommy Hill who bounced back from a heavy tumble in the first phase of the Swan Combi Roll for Pole grid decider.

Hill, riding the Worx Crescent Suzuki, had at that stage done just enough to make the second element, providing his team could repair his bike in time, and they worked flat out to get him back on track – he rewarded them with hard riding to secure an all important front row start.

“I lost the front end going into Edwina’s,” Hill explained, adding “I thought that was it, a fifth row start but the team did a fantastic job to get me out again. I got into the rhythm and made the final session to be third on the grid.”

Michael Rutter, a race winner at the circuit two years ago, completed the front row line up on the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati with a lap in 55.997secs which relegated title chasing Josh Brookes into fifth place – the HM Plant Honda rider goes into these races aiming to peg back the 36 points deficit he has on Hill.

Andrew Pitt, the former two times World Supersport Champion will make his BSB debut with the Motorpoint Yamaha team starting from the second row, sixth fastest, and marginally faster than Karl Harris, who is making a one-off appearance on the East Coast Yamaha. Dan Linfoot, on the second Motorpoint bike started alongside.

Chris Walker headed up the second row on his Suzuki, and although Alistair Seeley ran tenth fastest, he was relegated four grid places for a pit-lane red light infringement. That put Yukio Kagayama, Simon Andrews and Martin Jessopp up a place on the third row with Swan Honda’s Stuart Easton heading the fourth from Seeley.

James Ellison making his comeback having recovered from the leg injuries sustained in a crash during practice at Thruxton started his Swan Honda alongside Seeley with Tommy Bridewell completing that row.

Hudson Kennaugh, riding the MAR Kawasaki, outpaced his rival for the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO title Steve Brogan, riding Jentin BMW by a split second with David Johnson on the Two Brothers Kawasaki third fastest from Splitlath Aprilia rider Chris Burns.