Reigning WorldSBK Champion and Portimao king Jonathan Rea set a new outright lap record on his way to pole position at the Portugese track this morning.
Rea set a 1’40.372 to snatch top spot, some four-tenths under Eugene Laverty’s existing benchmark, which pushed Tom Sykes into second with Sandro Cortese leaping up to third with his final effort.
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki was fourth fastest, 0.625 seconds down on Rea, hopping on to the second row with his last effort.
Alex Lowes (Yamaha) settled in just behind Haslam’s best lap time in fifth place, as early Superpole leader Alvaro Bautista placed sixth on his Aruba Ducati, 0.726 seconds down on Rea.
Jordi Torres (Pedercini Kawasaki) placed seventh on his privateer machine. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) was eighth, Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad) ninth and a late charge from Michael van der Mark (Yamaha WorldSBK Team) put him tenth.
Chaz Davies finds himself down in12th, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti) 13th and Eugene Laverty (GoEleven Ducati) 14th.
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