Superpole three

John Hopkins 2'04.041

Leon Camier 2'04.303

Wilcard rider John Hopkins has taken his first ever World Superbike pole position at Silverstone this afternoon, beating off a field of regulars including Carlos Checa while setting the fastest ever Superbike lap at the Northamptonshire circuit.

Hopkins' 2'04.041 is five one-hundredths quicker than Cal Crutchlow's record from 2010 but even that was topped by Eugene Laverty, on effectively, the same bike for second place. Leon Camier starts next to the Irishman with Checa rounding out the front row.

Liberty Ducati's Sylvain Guintoli heads row two with Marco Melandri, Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga, who crashed unhurt in the third session, completing the top eight.

Superpole two

Carlos Checa 2'04.472

Eugene Laverty 2'04.502

A nine-bike game of cat and mouse resembling the Tour de France was how the second session began with none of the front runners wanting to take the initiative and give anyone else a tow around. It was left to Hopkins to go in front and he was immediately followed by Guintoli to set the fastest first laps.

They were soon usurped by Haga and Laverty, however, until Camier and Checa came around on their flyers, everyone using the sticky qualifiers. Laverty set the third quickest time while Leon Haslam didn't quite get through, losing out by two one-hundredths. It is a shame they can't make his BMW work on the sticky tyres.

Biaggi was the talking point, however, falling at the second hurdle and he will be forced to start from 11th on the grid, with Haslam and Ayrton Badovini front of him. Arch-rival Melandri was the last man through in eighth.

ELIMINATED

Leon Haslam

Ayrton Badovini

Max Biaggi

Mark Aitchison

Superpole one

Eugene Laverty 2'04.919

Carlos Checa 2'05.007

In the most sensational incident of the weekend, Biaggi crashed on his first flying lap, losing the front and rolling into the gravel but got up to take out his second bike and put in the seventh fastest time with his very next circulation - and on a race tyre.

Haslam was fastest out of the blocks with his 2'05.016, also on race rubber, while Laverty left it until the mid session to set the quickest lap of the weekend up to that point. Fabrizio rescued himself with his last lap as did Checa who was looking like an early, high-profile casualty.

Badovini also crashed but re-mounted to finish in 12th, the last man through. PBM Kawasaki's Tom Sykes did not take part after a practice crash saw him taken to the medical centre with a sprained right ankle. Maxine Berger, who has been fast in free practice, went out in the first round.

ELIMINATED

Jakub Smrz

James Toseland

Maxine Berger

Tom Sykes

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