Liberty Ducati's Jakub Smrz has turned his wet weather form from earlier today into a dry-track provisional World Superbike pole position at Miller Motorsport Park, snatching top spot from Carlos Checa with five minutes of the session remaining.
Smrz went three seconds quicker than the field in the earlier wet free practice session and backed his pace up with a lap less than a tenth quicker than reigning champion Checa on a dry track. Save for an early foray by Kawasaki's Tom Sykes, it was a Ducati-dominated session with Sylvain Guintoli quickest early doors, then coming back at half time.
It looked like Checa was not to be denied, as he hit the front with 20 minutes left but Smrz had other ideas, beating the Spaniard's 1'49.912 with his own 1'49.842. BMW's Marco Melandri was relegated to third by Smrz but is only two-tenths off the pace in third and he has auld enemy Max Biaggi right behind him in fourth.
Checa's team-mate Davide Guigliano came alive at session end to post the fifth fastest time with Guintoli in sixth. Honda's Jonathan Rea was the fastest of the Brits in seventh and they followed him in numerical order on the timesheet with Eugene Laverty next along on a 1'50.428.
Tom Sykes posted a 1'50.433 before he crashed unhurt at Release while Leon Camier's put his Fixi Suzuki in tenth. Chaz Davies slipped from his early fourth place down to 11th but remained in front of Leon Haslam who is one place further back and nine-tenths in arrears.
