GoldBet BMW’s Chaz Davies cemented his status as the fastest rider in the World Superbike first qualifying practice session with less than two minutes of the session remaining, with a 1’55.034 lap.
Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes looked like he would remain in the provisional pole spot as no other rider, including his team-mate; Loris Baz could better the Englishman’s pace. Until Davies put in a hot lap that was two hundredths of a second quicker than the best time clocked by Sykes of 1’55.051.
It must have felt like déjà vu for Red Devils Roma rider Michel Fabrizio, as in a repeat performance from the first practice session earlier today the Italian put in a last lap dash which place him on a provisional front row and third on the timing screens with a 1’55.142 lap.
Fixi Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier was vying for a place in the top three and at one point during the 45 minute session was second quickest. But in the dying seconds the Andorra resident slipped to fourth, with Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea rounding off the top five after setting a 1’55.434, only one tenths of a second slower that the Suzuki of Camier.
Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli finished sixth fastest with Loris Baz in seventh. The young Frenchman was in contention for a provisional front row but could not improve on his best lap of 1’55.648, which did initially place him second quickest.
Pata Honda’s Leon Haslam improved his race pace in the final half of qualifying practice, and went from tenth to eighth on his last lap, where he clock a 1’55.683, with Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty and GoldBet BMW’s Marco Melandri rounding off the top ten.
Ducati Alstare’s Carlos Checa did not have the best of starts. The former champ crashed on his opening lap on turn 8. Althea Racing’s Davide Giugliano also fell while he was in sixth on the timesheets, with just over 30 minutes of the session to go, but both rider’s were unhurt.
