Ducati’s Davide Giugliano remains on provisional pole after no other rider was able to beat his fastest time in the third timed World Superbike free practice session, and the last one that counts before qualifying at Assen.

The Italian’s best time of 1’35.396 clocked in Friday’s second free practice was fast enough for him to remain at the top of the timing screens today. Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes was the only rider who really challenged for the top spot, but his best time of 1’35.719 was four tenths too slow. His team-mate Loris Baz also had a chance to be the quickest rider but couldn’t topple Sykes or Giugliano this morning.

The session was red flagged after eight minutes as BMW Team Toth’s Sebestyens’ engine blew up, and both Pata Honda rider’s Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam fell on the oil, but were both unscathed. But their bikes did not come off so well, and their respective crews were in a race against time to get their machines ready for the rest of the session. But the team managed to do it and both riders went out with 30 minutes to spare.

Once normal service resumed Sykes was the first rider to significantly improve his time to place his bike on a provisional front row – after setting a 1’35.716 going fourth tenths quicker than yesterday’s practice sessions.

Voltcom Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty was able to improve on his time to go from eighth to fifth quickest overall – over taking his team-mate Alex Lowes on the timesheets with just under ten minutes remaining. Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli was another rider finding his race-pace in the final timed free practice and set a 1’35.902 to go fourth quickest with eight minutes to spare. When the chequered flag appeared Guintoli and Laverty ended the morning in sixth and seventh on the timesheets.

After 40 minutes Kawasaki’s Loris Baz decided to make a dent on the top - and did just that with a 1’35.759, pushing Rea off the provisional front row. With less than four minutes remaining there was found to be more oil on the track and the second red flag of the day appeared at the Cathedral of Speed.

Ducati’s Chaz Davies was teetering just inside the top ten with five minutes to go, and was just two tenths of a second from not making it into Superpole two – as he failed to improve on his best lap that he set yesterday. Pata Honda’s Leon Haslam was in the same boat but he managed to better his time by four tenths to place him ninth fastest.

But bang on the 30 second mark Althea Racing’s Niccolo Canepa on the Evo bike set a superb 1’36.074 to place him seventh, meaning Davies was pushed down to twelfth. He will now have to battle it out in Superpole one for a chance of a good start in the races tomorrow. Lowes and Haslam completed the top ten. Aprilia’s Marco Melandri was also another big name who failed to better his time, and ended the morning in eleventh.

But Davies will not be the only Brit in Superpole one, BMW Italia’s Leon Camier and Alstare’s Christian Iddon - both on Evo spec bikes, failed to make it into the top ten, as they ended the session in thirteenth and seventeenth respectively, with Camier only five tenths off the pace of Davies.

Entrants for Superpole two:

Giugliano

Sykes

Baz

Rea

Guintoli

Laverty

Canepa

Elias

Lowes

Haslam

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