Shane Byrne takes pole position at Snetterton with record time

In the first Superpole of the season – where the top nine riders from the first two qualifying sessions go head to head with a solo flying lap – the Be Wiser Ducati rider saw off competition from James Ellison, by clocking an incredible time of 1:46.024.

It came after the 40-year-old had already set an superb lap time of 1:46.863 in Q2.

Luke Mossey leads the championship by 30 points from JG Kawasaki team-mate Leon Haslam, with five-time champion Byrne in third on 90 points.

There are two races on Sunday, with Byrne - an eight-time winner at the circuit - hot favourite to win and close the gap on the Kawasakis.

1. Luke Mossey (JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI): 141

2. Leon Haslam (JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI): 111

3. Shane Byrne (BE WISER DUCATI): 90

4. Christian Iddon (TYCO BMW): 86

5. Jason O'Halloran (HONDA RACING): 83

6. Josh Brookes (ANVIL HIRE TAG YAMAHA): 78

7. Peter Hickman (SMITHS RACING BMW): 74

8. Jake DIxon (RAF REGULAR AND RESERVES KAWASAKI): 66

9. Glenn Irwin (BE WISER DUCATI): 63

10. James Ellison (MCAMS YAMAHA): 51