Superpole three

Eugene Laverty 2’04.730

Jonathan Rea 2’05.078

Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty clinched his first World Superbike pole after a last lap dash as the chequered flag came out with a 2’04.730. The Irishman has waited three long years to earn his maiden Tissot watch.

The pole setter is joined on the front row by veteran racer Ducati Alstare’s Carlos Checa, who in a repeat of Laverty’s lap catapulated his way from the mid pack to second quickest on his final time around the circuit to clock a 2’04.949.

Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea secured his final spot on the front row with a 2’05.078, just one tenth of a second slower than Checa. Kawasaki’s Loris Baz will front up the start of the second row, after he was unable to better the times that he set in the previous session. His team-mate Sykes was eight tenths of a second slower and finds himself sandwiched between Baz and GoldBet BMW’s Chaz Davies on the second row.

Fixi Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier could not find the previous race pace that he had been showing all weekend, even after setting some consistenly fast times and lapping in a provisional front row position. But the Kent rider ended the session fronting up the third row, after setting a 2’06.775 lap. Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli suffered a technical problem on his opening lap at Brooklands corner, and has to contend with starting the races tomorrow next to the Suzuki rider.

The session was red flagged after just over four minutes as rain started to fall on to the track, and under race direction the superpole was changed to a wet twenty minute session.

Before the stoppage the Kawasaki’s were proving that they were the dominate force out on the circuit. Sykes alongside team-mate and last year’s race winner Baz smashed the previous best lap set by John Hopkins back in 2011, with the Brit breaking the record by nearly over a second. Sykes clocked a 2’03.362, with Baz four tenths of a second slower.

Camier was not too far behind and was only sixth thousandths off lapping a 2’03. But because the session was re-started the lap times before the red flag were cancelled.

Superpole two

Loris Baz 2’04.063

Sylvain Guintoli 2’04.358

Baz this time got the better of team-mate Sykes and set a time that was one tenth of a second faster than the Huddersfield lad. Crocked rider Guintoli was not far off the pace of the Kawasaki’s and safely secured his provisional front row start.

Davies was eighth fastest and was close to being eliminated but managed to pull together a time that was quicker than fellow Brit, Pata Honda’s Leon Haslam, who after putting in some laps was never in contention of making it through to Superpole three.

Haslam was joined by MR-Racing’s Max Neukirchner and Fixi Crescent Suzuki’s Jules Cluzel. It was a spectacular fall from grace as the Frenchman did clock the fastest time in the opening session, but after a few laps found himself eliminated in the dying seconds.

Althea Racing’s Davide Giugliano crashed just as the chequered flag came out and it appeared that he sustained a leg injury after he was stretchered off. Even though he did make it into Superpole three with a 2’05.003 lap he was unable to make it back out on to the Silverstone circuit.

ELIMINATED

Jules Cluzel

Max Neukirchner

Leon Haslam

Superpole one

Jules Cluzel 2’04.498

Davide Giugliano 2’04.749

Cluzel stormed to the top of the timesheet on his final lap just as the chequered flag appeared to topple Davies from the provisional pole spot. Giugliano also used his last lap to go third fastest with his 2’04.749. Davies climbed from near the drop zone to first on his penultimate time around the circuit with his best time of 2’04.657.

Haslam was dangerously close of failing to progress into Superpole two, and with mere a mere second remaining in the opening session was lucky enough to make it through.

GoldBet BMW’s Marco Melandri suffered a technical issue and came to an abrupt stop at Maggotts Corner on only his second lap, and had to watch from his garage as his peers went quicker. He quickly slipped into the elimination places alongside Red Devils Roma rider Michel Fabrizio and Ducati Alstare's Ayrton Badovini.

ELIMINATED

Ayrton Badovini

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