Superpole three

Tom Sykes 1’41.223

Sylvain Guintoli 1’41.542

Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes was on fire during the World Superbike Superpole sessions and saved his best lap till last. The Huddersfield rider set his fastest time of 1’41.223 and bagged his third Tissot watch of the season. Sykes only completed two laps of the circuit, but it was enough to keep Aprilia's Eugene Laverty behind him in a copy of the Assen result.

Laverty did hit to the top of the time-sheets, with his best lap of 1’41.301, but as soon as he crossed the line Sykes was on his tail and immediately went faster than the Irishman. Once again Laverty has to contend with starting another race from second and will have to wait for his first Superpole silverware.

Laverty’s team-mate, Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, also saved it till his final, and fourth, lap to make an impact, with a time of 1’41.525. This catapulted him to third, demoting Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea, who has to now start the race tomorrow from the second row.

Joining Rea on the second row is GoldBet BMW’s Marco Melandri, and Althea Racing's Davide Guigliano. Fixi Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier will start from the third row, after failing to make an impact in the top five, but joining him will be team-mate Jules Cluzel, who was just marginally faster than the tall Kent rider in Superpole three.

Camier will not be the only Brit on the third row, as GoldBet BMW’s Chaz Davies secures the final spot and will start from ninth on the grid tomorrow afternoon. It was not a great session for the Welshman, as he ran off the track during his first lap, and from then on was never able to go fast enough to move him from ninth on the time-sheets.

Superpole two

Tom Sykes 1’41.685

Sylvain Guintoli 1’41.940

Sykes went top on his third lap, but it was young Frenchman Cluzel who surprised everyone with his superfast last lap which propelled him to second, overtaking his fellow countryman Guintoli who was pushed to third.

Laverty was just behind his Aprilia team-mate with the fourth fastest time. Rea and Davies had a solid session and remained in the mid-pack throughout. It was a close call for Camier as he pitted after two laps, and decided to come out again with two minutes remaining. He was languishing in the drop zone, but on his last lap managed to push his way to ninth, narrowing avoiding elimination.

Even though he was pushing hard Kawasaki’s Loris Baz could not improve on his lap time and could not emulate the times set by team-mate Sykes. The Frenchman, alongside Red Devils Roma’s Michel Fabrizio and Ducati Alstare rider Ayrton Badovini did not progress into Superpole three. Badovini was the only Alstare racer on the track this afternoon, after team-mate Carlos Checa pulled out of the race weekend due to a shoulder injury.

ELIMINATED

Michel Fabrizio

Loris Baz

Ayrton Badovini

Superpole one

Sylvain Guintoli 1’42.019

Tom Sykes 1’42.201

Guintoli stormed to the top, with his 1’42.019 lap, and de-placed Sykes who did set the fastest lap after his first time around the circuit. Laverty was not far behind his team-mate and Sykes had to watch as the two Aprilia machines over took him to take first and second in Superpole one.

There was a bit of a panic in the GoldBet BMW’s garage as when the session began mechanics started to work on Melandri’s bike, as he encountered an electrical problem. The rider did eventually make it out with five minutes of the session remaining, and on his first lap climbed from last to seventh, and that is where he remained.

Italian riders Fabrizio and Badovini were hovering around the elimination zone, put proved to be nearly a second quicker than MR-Racing’s Max Neukirchner and Pedercini team-mates Fabrizio Lai and Federico Sandi, who found themselves eliminated. All three of the riders were never in contention of progressing into Superpole two, and even after a last lap dash from Sandi it was not enough and he remained bottom of the time-sheets.

ELIMINATED

Max Neukirchner

Fabrizio Lai

Federico Sandi

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