Nicolo Bulega is well placed to extend his advantage at the head of the 2023 WorldSSP Championship standings after securing his sixth pole position of the season at Autodrom Most.

The runaway championship leader arrives in the Czech Republic armed with a 41-point advantage over Stefano Manzi, a lead he's looking to extend ahead of the summer break amid strong talk he is on the cusp sealing a deal to progress to WorldSBK in 2024.

He still faces a challenge in the two races, however, with closest challenger Manzi - a double race winner last time out at Imola - starting right there alongside him in second place on the Ten Kate Yamaha R6.

Completing the front row, Raffaele de Rosa enjoyed his strongest qualifying performance of the season aboard the Orelac Verdnatura Ducati, the experienced Italian securing third place.

Catalunya WorldSSP race winner Bahattin Sofuoglu was the quickest of the two factory MV Agusta F3 800 RR machines, the Turkish rider just +0.007s quicker than Adrian Huertas, the Spaniard flying the flag highest for Kawasaki on the MTM Racing ZX-6R.

Celebrating his first WorldSSP podiums at Donington Park and Imola, Yari Montella will attempt to make it three-in-a-row on the Barni Spark Racing Ducati from sixth on the grid, ahead of Jorge Navarro, who secured one of his best starts of the year despite a late crash on the Ten Kate Yamaha.

It was a similar story for Federico Caricasulo on the Althea Ducati, the Italian crashing in the final minutes to end his session in eighth place. Yamaha pair Valentin Debise and Glenn van Straalen picked up the final top ten spots in ninth and tenth respectively.

Of the three Brits remaining in the absence of PTR Triumph rider Harry Truelove, Tom Booth-Amos was the highest-placed in 18th on the Motozoo Kawasaki, with John McPhee on the Vince64 Kawasaki and Tarran Mackenzie on the MIE Honda in 21st and 22nd respectively.