Tyco Suzuki British Superbike title hopeful Alastair Seeley made the most of the unseasonally hot weather during a final pre-season shakedown at Kirkistown as he builds towards the opening race at Brands Hatch next weekend.

Seeley and team-mate Josh Brookes were frequently under the lap record for the Irish championship track in County Down, posting regular 54.3s and 54.4s laps on their Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes in the warm spring sunshine on Wednesday.

Both riders grasped the opportunity to iron out any remaining niggles from the recent tests at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

And Seeley, who wrapped up his test in the middle of the afternoon but not before he had set the fastest lap of the day in a time of 54.3s, is ready to take the fight to his BSB rivals at Brands on Easter Monday.

“I was happy with the race simulation we did, posting consistent lap times with the fastest lap coming at a time when the tyre would certainly not have been at its best – so that’s confidence-inspiring,” Seeley said.

“We’re certainly going in the right direction. Yes we still have a bit to do, but you couldn’t post consistent 54-second times if the bike wasn’t working well. We’ve matched last year’s time that we did on the Superbike with all the electronic aids, so that’s a positive.

“We also had a new motor in which was smooth and not aggressive and is to my liking, although it still has plenty of power,” added Seeley, who heads into May’s Relentless International North West 200 as a hot favourite.

“Everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet, so we’ve gelled well. Hopefully we can hit the ground running at Brands.”


Tyco Suzuki team boss Philip Neill is more than satisfied with the duo’s progress and is quietly optimistic of the Ulster team’s chances of challenging for the BBS title.

“It was a great end to pre-season testing. Hopefully it puts us in a good, strong position with some high hopes going into the opening weekend at Brands,” said Neill.

“We’ve had a lot of changes during the off-season and the boys have put in a major amount of hard work in every department, so I’m really pleased to see it paying off.

“Alastair was his usual brilliant self at Kirkistown, but Josh went well inside his best ever times and matched Alastair,” he added.

“It’s not all about lap times on days like this but to match the best times we’ve ever posted around Kirkistown tells us we’re in the ballpark.”


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