Linfoot and Burns set early benchmark

DAN Linfoot and teenage wildcard Joe Burns set the standard for the North boys by qualifying fourth and sixth respectively for tomorrow's European Superstock 600 race at Donington Park.

Series regular Linny was forced to put everything into Saturday's half-hour session, after crashing early in Friday's first qualifying, failing to set a time.

Despite the rain and soaking track, Linny managed to put his Team Stonebaker Yamaha R6 on the front row in the dying moments, ahead of Sunday afternoon's race.

Meanwhile 16-year-old Burns, entering the event as a wildcard, shocked the paddock when he finished sixth overall, and will line-up for the race on the second row of the grid.

As well as beating the other Brit wildcard, Leon Hunt, Burns claimed more than his fair share of big scalps, as the series regulars struggled to find their feet at the rain-hit track.

"I'm well happy with that, it's a great result and I can't wait to start the race tomorrow afternoon," he revealed.

"The bike worked perfectly, and I'm loving the tyres here. It all looks good for tomorrow, so hopefully with the improvement I've made to my start, I can be a strong contender for the race."

Image by fotofuel. Not for reproduction without permission.