Kawasaki Racing’s Tom Sykes broke his own lap record on the way to pole during the World Superbike Superpole session at Donington Park. Huddersfield’s finest lapped a 1’27.071 breaking his own out-right lap record by three tenths of a second.
But the Yorkshireman was not the only rider to break his out-right lap record, his team-mate Jonathan Rea set a 1’27.308 rotation and will start alongside title challenger Sykes, in P2 on the grid.
Aruba.it Ducati’s Davide Giugliano completes the front row, going 0.04 seconds slower than the ZX-10R of Rea. His team-mate, Welshman Chaz Davies did not manage to make it into the top three fastest times throughout the second Superpole session, and will start both races tomorrow from sixth.
At first it was Voltcom Suzuki’s Alex Lowes who was the first rider to break the 1’27 barrier this afternoon, with a 1’27.554 and with that went straight to the top of the timing-screens with ten minutes to the qualifying session remaining. But Red Devils Aprilia's Leon Haslam was not going to let his mate take all the spoils and put down a 1’27.535.
But his reign at the top of the sheets did not last for long as Giugliano, Rea and then Sykes. In the end both Haslam and Lowes could not better their super quick times and join Davies on the second row, in fourth and fifth places on the grid respectively.
MV Agusta’s Leon Camier set his fastest time of the weekend so far – a 1’28.011 and starts row three next to Guintoli and former MCE British Superbike rider Matteo Baiocco.
It was Pata Honda’s Sylvain Guintoli and Team Pedercini’s David Salom who made it through to Superpole two, after fighting it out in the opening Superpole session this morning in cloudy conditions. Red Devils Aprilia’s Jordi Torres missed out on S2 by the smallest of margins, 0.1 seconds to be precise, and has to start from 13th on the grid.
