The reigning British Superbike Champion finished the day in second place overall – pipped on the time sheets by only Ducati’s Leon Haslam who used a sticky qualifying tyre at the end of the day to set the headline fastest lap.

JR tested numerous Dunlop tyre combinations and fine-tuned the suspension settings on his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 while completing 56 laps of the sun-drenched 2.21-mile track.

Rizla Suzuki’s James Haydon clocked up 65-laps and was seventh fastest, only half a second behind his team mate. He spent time working on his rear suspension and minor geometry alterations to suit the fast-flowing but slightly bumpy nature of Silverstone.

Team Co-ordinator Simon Green said: “JR was fastest on tyres that will last a race distance and has sent a warning to his rivals for when we come back here to race in just over two-weeks time – he’s going to be tough to beat. He was impressive today and after all the injury problems he’s had, it’s great to have him back firing on all cylinders.

“James set his quickest time during the second 50-minute test session out of three. He tried some radical changes to his bike for the third session that didn’t work and that is invaluable to learn as we will not follow that direction during the race weekend. He got through a lot of work on his Rizla Suzuki and is consistently fast and improving every time he rides, which is a source of encouragement for the whole team.”

JR will be back on track next Sunday, August 7th, at the Rizla Race Day at Assen in Holland. He will be riding demonstration laps in front of the 50,000 strong crowd and then signing autographs and meeting the fans. Entrance to the circuit is by producing a packet of Rizla papers and the team’s appearance is just one of the attractions at this petrol-fuelled race weekend featuring some of the fastest vehicles in the world on two and four-wheels.

Rizla Suzuki will be at the Crescent Open Weekend on Saturday and Sunday August 13-14th, with the riders, including triple BSB Champion Niall Mackenzie, signing autographs and answering questions at the Crescent Performance Centre in Verwood – visit www.crescent-suzuki.com or call 01202-820170 for more details. The next round of the British Superbike Championship is at Silverstone on August 21st.

Silverstone Test Times: 1: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:26.684, 2: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 1:27.412, 3: Ben Bostrom (Honda) 1:27.702, 4: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 1:27.895, 5: Karl Harris (Honda) 1:27.983, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 1:28.036, 7: JAMES HAYDON (RIZLA SUZUKI) 1:28.049.