Factory Kawasaki's Tom Sykes didn't put in an error-free lap in the final World Superbike qualifying session at Phillip Island but it was fast enough to land him the first pole position of 2012.

Sykes had positioned himself for a good run through Superpole but that was cancelled after the death of Oscar McIntyre in an Australian Superstock race (click here). Sykes was declared polesitter and has Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa and Jakub Smrz for company on the front row.

“Pole position has come with mixed emotions because of some very bad news and first and foremost I want to pass on my condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre. It seems unimportant in many ways now but as far as our on-track weekend has worked out yesterday we just made sure things were right with the bike and pushed a bit more in this morning’s cooler qualifying session," said Sykes.

"My pole lap was not a clean one but we still set the fastest time, which shows a good level of progress. Phillip Island has not been a great track for me in the past but Kawasaki has put in a huge amount of work during the winter on the Ninja ZX-10R. We will see what tomorrow brings but I want to get two good races under my belt before I head back to Europe.”