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ROOKIES ON FRONT ROW The Red Bull Rookies Honda duo of Eugene Laverty and Steven Neate have qualified in first and fourth positions respectively at Croft. This is the first event that both riders will start from the front row in the 2004 British 125GP Championship. It is Laverty’s fourth pole position of the season, but the first time that Neate has qualified in the top four – his previous best was fifth position at both Mondello Park and Thruxton. In bright and sunny conditions, the Honda RS125s of the Red Bull Rookies Honda team took centre stage as they dominated the Croft track. As ever, in the ultra-competitive series, the times at the front of the field were extremely close with Ulster teenager Laverty just 0.121 seconds ahead of second-placed Ashley Beech. The battle for the third and fourth spots was even closer with 16-year-old Neate completing his fastest lap just 0.02 seconds slower than third-placed Rob Guiver. The starting positions stand the Red Bull Rookies Honda riders in good stead for tomorrow’s race at the 2.127-mile North Yorkshire circuit. With 21 points separating 18-year-old Laverty from championship leader Christian Elkin and Neate battling to remain in the top ten of the overall standings, high scoring points finishes are essential for the team. Eugene Laverty: “I’m happy that I got pole position because it should give me an advantage in tomorrow’s race. I’ve got everything to work for, but I don’t feel under any pressure. I know that Christian [Elkin] has got more to lose than me, so I’m just concentrating on trying to win the next four races.” Steven Neate: “I’m really pleased to have qualified on the front row for the first time this season. I like it here at Croft and I think that shows in the way that I have performed during qualifying. I feel happy with the set-up of the Red Bull Rookies Honda RS125 and I am confident that I will finish in one of the top positions tomorrow.” Qualifying times: 1. E. Laverty (Red Bull Rookies Honda) 1:28.865; 2. A. Beech (Honda) 1:28.986; 3. R. Guiver (Honda) 1:29.231; 4. S. Neate (Red Bull Rookies Honda) 1:29.251; 5. J. Webb (Honda) 1:29.387; 6. J. Dickinson (Honda) 1:29.463; 7. K. Weston (Honda) 1:29.496; 8. C. Elkin (Honda) 1:29.641; 9. J. Vincent (Honda) 1:29.707; 10. M. Wilcox (Honda) 1:29.939
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