Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea claimed a dominant WorldSBK Superpole at Most on Saturday with a new all-time lap record for the six-time champion.
The first rider to break through the 1’31 barrier, Rea’s 1’30.947 stole the qualifying show with Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu and Aruba.it Ducati’s Michael Rinaldi completing the front row for the afternoon’s opening race action of the Czech round.
After a wet FP3, Autodrom Most provided a dry track for Superpole qualifying as the Superbike class rolled out for the 15-minute session. Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista led the way in the initial times from KRT’s illness-suffering Alex Lowes, before Razgatlioglu stormed to near his previous best with a 1’31.578, less than a tenth off his new lap record set on Friday afternoon.
Rea continued to challenge his Pata Yamaha rival on the Kawasaki Ninja with a 1’31.9, the only other rider under the 1’32 bubble thus far, Aruba pairing Rinaldi and Bautista sitting third and fourth.
Six-tenths covered the top six as Lowes and Andrea Locatelli completed the fastest efforts at the halfway stage before Scott Redding arrived to third on the BMW M1000RR. Puccetti Kawasaki’s Lucas Mahias headed Honda’s Iker Lecuona and GRT Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff in the top ten with Peter Hickman and Ryan Vickers circulating 18th and 24th respectively as their wildcard rides continued.
Bautista struck for pole with three minutes to go as the Spaniard set a 1’31.567. The pace heating up behind as first Lowes rose to third then his teammate stormed the standings with a blistering 1’30.947. Rea sitting 0.330s clear of the reigning champion with his own new all-time lap record at the Czech track.
Rinaldi made his mark on the front row as he advanced to third in the closing minute, with a lap equaling Razgatlioglu’s previous record, his Ducati teammate joining him in the top four and displacing Lowes back to fifth as the chequered flag dropped.
Gerloff sat sixth ahead of Redding, Locatelli, Motocorsa’s Axel Bassani and Mahias with Bonovo BMW’s Loris Baz heading the Honda duo of Lecuona and Xavi Vierge.
