Althea Ducati's Carlos Checa set the quickest time in today's opening World Superbike free practice session at Silverstone but only got in five dry laps before the heavens opened and the field switched to wets with 15 minutes left to run.
The reigning champion lapped in 2'06.384, which was a second faster than anyone else until Tom Sykes put his Kawasaki into second on a 2'06.632 but the pair are some two seconds slower than John Hopkins' 2'04.041 pole record from last year when he rode as a wildcard.
Jakub Smrz ended the session third, one place ahead of his former Effenbert Ducati team-mate Sylvain Guintoli while Marco Melandri is the leading BMW in fifth place and 1.3s off the pace. Loris Baz, who has raced here before in Superstock, was sixth ahead of Michel Fabrizio.
Fixi Suzuki's Leon Camier was eighth ahead of Leon Haslam, and Max Biaggi rounds out the top ten. Chaz Davies finished 11th, Jonathan Rea 12th and Eugene Laverty 13th. David Johnson, who is wildcarding on the Pedercini bike, was 21st.
