BMW's Leon Haslam bagged a front-row start for tomorrow's World Superbike double-header at Imola even after making a tyre choice error during Superpole.

The new dad went out for his final laps on a race tyre and managed to finish just behind reigning champion Carlos Checa in the standings. Haslam is feeling confident with his race pace after finding a setup that works with the new engine specification which is rumoured to centre around a lighter crank.

“The bike has felt good all weekend. We didn't change too much. We found a good set-up on the first day and have been working well. We were struggling a bit with the qualifying tyre which gave us some chatter. I was actually quicker with the medium tyres. We got it a bit wrong with the tyre selection for the Superpole, but we still managed to get on the front row so I'm happy with that. A good start is very important here and Max Biaggi, Sylvain Guintoli, Carlos Checa and Tom Sykes are sure to be competitive in the race. Hopefully we can be battling with these guys and I will try to get BMW’s first win," said Haslam.