Superpole three

Tom Sykes 1'55.197

PBM Kawasaki's Tom Sykes has given the new ZX-10R its first World Superbike pole position, nicking top spot from series leader Carlos Checa with serial qualifier Jakub Smrz in third and Yamaha's Marco Melandri in fourth.

The Huddersfield man was complaining of zero grip for the whole session but still managed to set the fastest time after having been on the case for the whole of Superpole.

Melandri's final lap was enough to knock Leon Haslam onto the second row after the British rider crashed in the final seconds and he is joined by team-mate Troy Corser, who can barely walk, Max Biaggi and Sylvain Guintoli.

Superpole two

Carlos Checa 1'55.730

Jakub Smrz 1'56.570

Haslam clung on to eighth place by the skin of his teeth to make it into the third session but Castrol Honda's Jonathan Rea was eliminated as was Yamaha's Eugene Laverty. Checa was easily the fastest man and more than half the Superpole three field have been in the kitty litter.

Sykes was once again at the sharp end in these wet conditions, as was Smrz while Biaggi is more than a second off his title rival's pace. Not good for the Italian if it rains tomorrow.

ELIMINATED

Ayrton Badovini

Eugene Laverty

Jonathan Rea

Joan Lascorz

Superpole one

Jakub Smrz 1'57.678

Ayrton Badovini 1'58.731

Even before one lap had been completed, Ruben Xaus, Checa and Leon Camier had all crashed and the Alitalia Aprilia man wasn't satisfied with that, doing it again only two laps later and failing to make it through to the second session.

Team-mate and reigning WSB Champion Biaggi's RSV4 chucked a valve towards the end of the session and he had to run back to the pits. Trouble was, he destroyed his spare bike in an earlier crash and his crew hastily rebuilt it. Smrz set the fastest lap before he also fell while Sykes was heard to say there was no rear grip whatsoever.

ELIMINATED

Michel Fabrizio

Maxime Berger

Ruben Xaus

Leon Camier

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