Josh Brookes is on course for a hat-trick of victories in the triple race seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton having won the Saturday afternoon race ahead of his HM Plant Honda team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari.

That third victory of the season for Brookes takes him 13 points clear of Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Tommy Hill who finished third on what had earlier been a problematic afternoon, as his team had to work hard and against the clock to solve an electrical problem.

Hill is promising to hit back in the two Sunday afternoon races but Brookes is full of confidence and relishing the challenge of adding to his latest victory.

“Now that would be something special,” said the Aussie as he considered a hat-trick bid. “But I always ride for wins.”

The Saturday race had been held over from the weather ravaged Knockhill round, with the starting grid decided on the basis of the first race at the Scottish circuit putting Brookes on the second row. He compounded that with a poor get-away to be running ninth on the opening lap as Kiyonari set the pace ahead of Michael Laverty and his Relentless Suzuki team-mate Alastair Seeley with Hill fourth.

Brookes was on the charge, picking up places to be attacking Hill for second place on the seventh lap, taking him next time around and the closing in on Kiyonari but the former two times winner of the title was intent on taking his sixth victory at the Norfolk circuit.

Kiyonari looked set for victory but Brookes nosed inside and ahead at Riches on the last lap to take the win by 0.549secs.

“I was lining up Kiyo for several laps, but he had the better of me at the chicane, so it came down to a last lap lunge as I knew that if I could get ahead of him, I could hold him off,” said Brookes.

Earlier in the afternoon Brookes had come close to matching the lap record as he claimed his second pole start in as many races ahead of Sunday afternoon’s first race.

He had set the pace in the first two elements of Swan Combi Roll for Pole grid deciding session, but saved the best for last putting in a lap of 1m 04.803secs while Hill who had suffered electronic problems to his bike throughout thanked his team for rectifying them when it mattered most as he secured the all important front row start, albeit in the third slot.

Rutter, the Knockhill race winner, separated them aboard his RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati while Kiyonari ran fourth fastest.

James Ellison, underlining his returning to full fitness after breaking his thigh in practice for the second round at Thruxton back in April, headed the second row on the Swan Honda with a lap in 1m 05.337secs to be ahead of Relentless Suzuki riders Michael Laverty and Seeley and Gary Mason aboard the MSS Colchester Kawasaki.

Dan Linfoot, riding the Motorpoint Yamaha, and Buildbase Kawasaki’s John Laverty completed the top ten qualifiers while Steve Brogan, riding the Jentin Yamaha, was the fastest of the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class riders, starting from the fifth row of the grid.

Tristan Palmer, who had run fastest in the Friday afternoon first qualifying session in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship, took pole start aboard the Jentin BMW, as race officials had to introduce an emergency timetable after damage to the surface at Russells corner caused a lengthy stoppage.

He had put in a best lap of 1:07.088, an average speed of 104.74mph as he headed off the challenge of Moto Rapido Ducati rider Scott Smart by 0.596secs with Glen Richards, third up, and only a split second adrift of the Padgetts Honda. Jimmy Storrar riding his Suzuki completed the front row of the grid.

Series leading Jon Kirkham riding his JK/Clarks BMW headed up the second row with a time of 1:08.131 from series newcomer and Australian Supersport Champion Bryan Staring, who is deputising on the HM Plant Honda for the team’s injured Steve Plater. Staring was impressive as he learned the circuit quickly, holding off Luke Quigley on the Formwise Astro BMW and James Hillier on the Bournemouth Kawasaki.

James Westmoreland powered in his second pole start in as many rounds of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport session and he achieved this one in style by smashing the four year old lap record by over half a second.

The CAME Yamaha rider put in a scorching lap of 1:06.995 in the single grid deciding session, the earlier period being abandoned because of the problems with the track surface at Russells Corner – that resolved, the riders were given a 15 minute free practice session to acclimatise themselves to the revised apex to the corner in which Sam Lowes ran fastest from Graeme Gowland and Glen Richards.

Westmoreland was untroubled by the small change and was quickly dialled into the challenge of dealing with his title rival Sam Lowes riding the GNS Honda who was a constant threat, also running inside the record, with a best time of 1:07.238 as he in turn came under severe pressure from Gowland aboard the PTR Honda who closed within 0.007secs.

Billy McConnell was also running inside the record, with his best lap on the CAME Yamaha coming in 1:07.384, enough to secure for him an important front row start at the expense of Marty Nutt who excelled on his Yamaha, setting fifth best lap to be just ahead of the first of the Supersport Cup qualifiers Luke Mossey on the LM Triumph.

Alex Lowes, looking good with his wildcard ride into the World series at Silverstone confirmed, ran seventh fastest of the Seton Interceptor Yamaha ahead of Daniel Cooper while Glen Richards held on to his third row start, ninth fastest, despite tipping off his Padgetts Honda towards the end of the session.

Ian Hutchinson aboard the second Padgetts bike lined up alongside him ahead of Ben Wilson and Jason O’Halloran, riding the East Coast Yamaha, with on the fourth row, Allan Jon Ventner, Chris Martin, Lee Johnston and the second fastest qualifier in the Supersport Cup, Paul Jordan.

Click here for detailed results