NEWS

PHILLIP ISLAND WSB: PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW FOR HASLAM, BYRNE

26/02/2010

Haslam just edged out Byrne for a third-row grid slot

By David Miller
Image by Suzuki Racing

Alstare Suzuki's Leon Haslam and Shane Byrne, on the Althea Ducati, have both claimed provisional front row spots for Sunday's World Superbike opening round at Phillip Island.

Haslam pipped the former British Superbike Champion by a quarter of a second while Byrne was just under half a second slower than fastest man and Byrne's team-mate Carlos Checa who was, in turn, a gnat's quicker than Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio. Byrne high-sided on the last corner of his last lap and landed on his back.

Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea set the pace early on with a 1'34.263 before being deposed at the top of the timesheets by Ruben Xaus on the BMW who then went on to crash three times in seven laps...

Aprilia's Max Biaggi then took up the running with a 1'33.735, was edged out by Haslam's team-mate Sylvain Guintoli but then snatchedit back before crashing at the same place as Xaus. Guintoli then went faster again before Fabrizio started a run which saw him lap at 1'32.840.

Haslam then went quickest on a 1'32.373 before he was pushed down to the third by laps from Fabrizio and then Checa put in his quickest lap of a 1'32.155 which was good enough for provisional pole.

Fabrizio's team-mate Noriyuki Haga leads off the second row with Biaggi and Rea alongside him. The young Irishman is just under three-quarters of a second off the pace while former BSB man Guintoli rounds out the top eight.

Serial qualifier Jakub Smrz is at the head of row three with Sterilgarda Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow in tenth and Aprilia's Leon Camier eleventh and PBM Kawasaki's Chris Vermeulen 12th at his home track.

Former MotoGP man James Toseland is down in 13th, 1.2 seconds in arrears. He, and team-mate Crutchlow, are working to resolve serious chatter issues on the Sterilgarda Yamaha and Toseland crashed unhurt halfway through the session.

Tom Sykes rounds out the rest of the Brits in 15th, just ahead of Troy Corser who was another crasher, Andrew Pitt and Max Neukirchner. BSN favourite Josh Brookes finished in 22nd but is working on front-end feel and chatter issues.

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