Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli was nearly a second under lap record pace during the final timed World Superbike practice session at his home circuit of Magny-Cours this morning.
The Frenchman left it till there was only three minutes of track time left available to lap his quickest rotiation of a 1’37.594, with Ducati’s Davide Giugliano a close second on the timesheets. The Italian completed more laps in the 1’37 than any other rider and if he manages to stay on the bike could be a potential race winner tomorrow.
Guintoli's smaller team-mate, Marco Melandri did top the sheets after the ten minute mark, only to be pipped to the post by his garage partner and his fellow compatriot. Melandri was three tenths off the best lap of Guintoli and had to settle for a 1’37.833.
The British contingent were all bunched together with Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes setting the pace. The reigning champ lapped a 1’37.833, 0.1 seconds quicker than Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea and Voltcom Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty.
Derby-based rider's, Leon Haslam and Alex Lowes were only separated on the timing screens by one-three hundredths of a second, with the Pata backed Honda having the slight edge over the Suzuki.
Ducati’s Chaz Davies just made it into Superpole two by the skin of his teeth, as he rounded up the top ten with a 1’38.404. Kawasaki’s Loris Baz did not give the French fans much to shout about as he has to battle it out in Superpole one after missing out on a top ten time by two tenths of a second.
Entrants for Superpole two:
Guintoli
Giugliano
Melandri
Sykes
Rea
Laverty
Haslam
Lowes
Fores
Davies
