Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki Haga came out on top of a titanic scrap for the top spot in World Superbike second qualifying at the Nurburgring with the quickest four riders all turning in fast laps right towards the session end.

Haga's final flying lap of 1'56.394, in the weekend's first dry session, was just good enough to fend off Sterilgarda Yamaha's Ben Spies by less than a tenth of second while Michel Fabrizio, who was a the top of the table with five minutes to go, ended up third on a 1'56.549.

Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea also put in a useful final lap to take fourth, four-tenths off the pace with Tom Sykes in fifth and Shane Byrne in sixth, two-tenths further back than the second Sterilgarda Yamaha.

Rea took up where he left off from yesterday's wet first qualifying, setting a 1'59.471 which was promptly topped by Leon Haslam's Stiggy Honda just a lap later. The pair then swapped places at the top  until Paul Bord Kawasaki Makoto Tamade went fastest on a 1'58.307.

Haga lowered the bar with ten minutes gone, circulating in 1'57.918 before he and Spies began their battle for supremacy. Spies set a 1'57.872 at the start of a run of laps which slowly saw times drop to 1'57.030, before Haga hit back with two quick ones, ending in a 1'56.967.

Team-mate Fabrizio then hit the top with his 1'56.549 but Spies hit back immediately with a 1'56.525 but it was Haga who prevailed with his final lap to lead into this afternoon's Superpole.

Rea's team-mate Carlos Checa lies in seventh with a resurgent Karl Muggeridge, who is standing in for Max Neukirchner on the Alstare Suzuki, in eighth and Haslam ending his session down in ninth but only a second off the pace.

Ruben Xaus' replacement Richard Cooper didn't fare so well in the dry conditions, finishing in 26th place, 3.2 seconds off the pace but only a second slower than team-mate Troy Corser.
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