Defending champion Barry Burrell returned to action at Brands Hatch and just managed to hold off guest rider Bjorn Estment to lead the practice timesheets.
Despite claiming he ‘definitely wouldn’t be at Brands’ when asked at Snetterton, the Halliwell Jones rider was back in action today.
After leading much of the session, he dropped to third in the closing minutes as Bobby Varey went top, closely followed by Estment, who joins the series for the next two rounds.
But Burrell found a bit extra with just under two minutes to go, clocking a 1min 34.556sec lap to go 0.203s clear of the South African.
Varey ended practice in third place, with Nikki Coates fourth and Christian Smith fifth.
ROKiT OFF BMW F 900 R Cup, free practice result:
1. Barry Burrell (Halliwell Jones) 1min 34.556s
2. Bjorn Estment (Bru Squad Moto) +0.203s
3. Bobby Varey (Bobby Varey Racing) +0.447s
4. Nikki Coates (LDC BMW by Frimley Pits Racing) +0.466s
5. Christian Smith (SCH Motoprep by Bathams) +0.490s