Superpole three

Max Biaggi 1'58.580

Carlos Checa 1'58.908

Alitalia Aprilia's Max Biaggi has taken World Superbike pole position in this afternoon's Superpole session at Brno and did so with a qualifying tyre to spare as Ireland's Eugene Laverty will start from the outside of the front row.

Biaggi's 1'58.580 is the fastest lap of the weekend but still half a second slower than Cal Crutchlow's quickest from last year while Yamaha's Marco Melandri could only muster a 1'58.801 to take second. Series leader Carlos Checa is in third with Laverty next to him.

Liberty Ducati's Jakub Smrz heads the second row with Michel Fabrizio, Leon Camier and Tom Sykes for company. Camier had a torrid time in the first session (see below) while Sykes is proving the PBM Kawasaki can cut it in the dry.

Superpole two

Carlos Checa 1'58.930

Eugene Laverty 1'59.158

Sykes put in his fastest lap of the weekend right at the end of the session to not only pull himself out of the drop zone but to go second behind Checa, who set the fastest lap of the weekend outright while Laverty was on the cusp of the 1'58 mark.

Camier pulled himself into the final session by the skin of his teeth, going sixth fastest with his final circulation but he was moved down to the edge of disqualification by laps from Fabrizio and then Sykes. Those laps put Ayrton Badovini and Sylvain Guintoli out while Mark Aitchinson should be over the moon with his performance on the Pedercini Kawasaki.

ELIMINATED

Ayrton Badovini

Sylvain Guintoli

Mark Aitchison

Maxine Berger

Superpole one

Marco Melandri 1'59.379

Jakub Smrz 1'59.562

Camier was the first high-profile rider to bite the dust in the opening session, losing the front of his RSV4 at turn three, the same place team-mate Max Biaggi had a huge slide two laps before and was lucky to stay on.

However, the lanky Kent youngster got back on his spare bike and hauled himself from last to seventh with one lap only. His lap bundled out Noriyuki Haga and Aitchison then went eighth fastest to put out Leon Haslam. Fabrizio used his final lap to also haul himself out of the drop zone.

ELIMINATED

Leon Haslam

Noriyuki Haga

Lorenzo Lanzi

Matteo Baiocco

Click here for times