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Nurburgring WSBK: Badovini shocked with debut pole

Ducati Alstare’s Ayrton Badovini will start the World Superbike race at the Nurburgring tomorrow from pole, his first in the premier class. The Italian has hailed his performance as ‘fantastic’ as he did not expect to do so well.

Things were not so great for his team-mate, former champ Carlos Checa. He failed to set a time that was fast enough for Superpole in the qualifying practice sessions, and starts from eighteenth on the grid.

Superpole took place in wet conditions, as it started to rain just minutes before the start of the session. Badovini immediately found himself up front and remained inside the top five for the duration of the phase. The lap times of all riders gradually dropped throughout the session but it was the Ducati Alstare flag bearer who finished first with a fastest lap recorded in the final seconds.

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By the time Superpole two got underway it had practically stopped raining. But Badovini’s fight with GoldBet BMW’s Marco Melandri for pole position came down to the wire, and it was Badovini’s very last lap that awarded him the pole position.

“I’m really happy with the result. I knew that if it was wet we’d have the chance to qualify on the front row but I didn’t expect to be on pole, it’s fantastic,” said Badovini.

“Towards the end of the second phase the track was getting more and more slippery, it was risky but I wanted to give it my all, to see if we could finish on top and we did it. In those kinds of conditions, the union between my 1199 Panigale and my ability in the wet works perfectly.

“I’m enjoying this moment; this result is for the team that has worked so hard since the start of the season. We haven’t formulated a strategy for the races yet but to start out in front will surely be an advantage.”

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