Blocked sinuses, a runny nose and an irritating cough weren't enough to break Walker's concentration as the 30-year-old British rider consistently improved his lap times throughout the session, before securing a second row position on the provisional grid on his very last lap to, once again, finish as the highest placed four-cylinder rider.

'It's typical, a few days before the round I've been looking forward to all year, I come down with the flu,' said Walker. 'I felt absolutely terrible yesterday, really drained, but Ule, our team physiotherapist and fitness expert has given me a couple of injections today and I'm starting to feel a lot better.'

'I haven't ridden here since 2000 and on my first lap this morning I ended up just wobbling around. It didn't feel all that good to start with, but things began to improve this afternoon and I now feel a lot more settled. We made a number of small changes to the bike, just stiffening the suspension slightly and I've tried a couple of potential race tyres. All in all, I'm happy with where we've ended up after the first day,' continued the Fuchs Kawasaki rider.

Rejoining the Fuchs Kawasaki team following the Sugo qualifying crash that left him with a severely fractured left wrist, Hitoyasu Izutsu has eased himself back into the championship here at Brands Hatch. Despite not having ridden a full session on the factory Kawasaki since April, the former Japanese Superbike Champion finished 18th fastest this afternoon.

'I underwent a long rehabilitation programme on my wrist after Misano, and it certainly appears to have worked,' said Izutsu. 'I've been off the bike for so long that I knew it was going to take me some time to get back up to speed, but I'm keen to improve my time and move up the grid tomorrow. Qualifying for Superpole must be my immediate aim and, if the weather holds, then this is certainly achievable.'