Kenan Sofuoglu's bid to reclaim his FIM Supersport World Championship crown got off to a perfect start as he claimed pole position for Sunday's season opener at Phillip Island.
The 2007 champion set a new lap record of one minute 34.320 seconds to take the honours for Honda, over three tenths of a second clear of Spanish youngster Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki).
Reigning champion Andrew Pitt (Honda) took third place on the starting grid ahead of Britain's Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha).
"For us, the goal was to start from the front row of the grid, so I am very happy to have pole position," said 24-year-old Sofuoglu. "It's a great bonus not only for me, but also my crew who have worked really hard to give me a great bike here."
Pitt, meanwhile, believes he is in a strong position to challenge for a second victory in succession at his home event.
"The front row is certainly good enough and I'm happy with everything, and the front tyre is fine," said Pitt.
"We'll have to see how we go for 21 laps here but, looking at the times, I think we're the only ones to have done longer runs, so it'll definitely be an interesting race."
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