Jerez (Spain), Saturday 6 September 2014 – An intense Tissot-Superpole second session has been won by Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) who claimed Pole Position today at Jerez. the young Frenchman will move off ahead of everyone else in the two Sunday races for the second time this year. Baz also recorded the new best lap of the track for the Superbike class in 1’40.298, beating the previous record by 0.322s.
Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will join Baz on the front row for the two 20 lap races tomorrow. The top-3 riders were awarded with the Tissot-Superpole trophies by 2011 Superbike World Champion Carlos Checa. Row two will see the Aprilia Racing duo of Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli as well as Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) who was 6th.
Alex Lowes crashed his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki at turn two in the final 30 seconds and will start 9th behind Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team, 7th) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike, 8th), and ahead of other Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea. The accolade of being the fastest of the EVO qualifiers went to Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) who will start tomorrow’s races from 12th on the grid despite falling at turn 6 with two minutes to go.
Superpole 1 was as equally exciting with Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) posting an incredible lap of 1.41.768s, a time that would have put him 3rd overall on the pre-Superpole classification. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) also made it through to Superpole 2 with his fastest lap of the weekend where they joined the automatically seeded top ten riders after free practice.
Times: 1. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'40.298 average 158.755 kph; 2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'40.533; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'40.561; 4. Melandri (Aprilia) 1'40.822; 5. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1'40.877; 6. Laverty (Suzuki) 1'41.092; 7. Davies (Ducati) 1'41.199; 8. Haslam (Honda) 1'41.338; 9. Lowes (Suzuki) 1'41.421; 10. Rea (Honda) 1'41.447; 11. Elias (Aprilia) 1'41.882; 12. Barrier (BMW) 1'42.928; 13. Salom (Kawasaki); 14. Canepa (Ducati); 15. Andreozzi (Kawasaki); 16. Morais (Kawasaki); 17. Guarnoni (Kawasaki); 18. Staring (Kawasaki); 19. Corti (MV Agusta); 20. Toth (BMW).
World Supersport
Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) has secured a front row start by claiming Pole Position at Jerez in a time of 1.44.293s with his nearest rival Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) only managing a fourth row start in 10th.
Kenan Sofuoglu (San Carlo Puccetti Racing) was second in a close session that saw 13 riders covered by 0.958s, the recently married former champ will however have to start from the pitlane according to article 1.21.20 of the regulations.
Completing the front row are the second Pata Honda of Italian Lorenzo Zanetti and Florian Marino (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki). Row two will see the American PJ Jacobsen (Intermoto Ponyexpres Kawasaki), the ever improving Ratthapark Wilairot (Core PTR Honda) and the Irishman Jack Kennedy (CIA Insurance Honda).
Times: 1. Vd Mark (Honda) 1'44.293 average 152.674 kph; 2. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'44.433; 3. Zanetti (Honda) 1'44.489; 4. Marino (Kawasaki) 1'44.699; 5. Jacobsen (Kawasaki) 1'44.745; 6. Wilairot (Honda) 1'44.745; 7. Kennedy (Honda) 1'44.788; 8. De Rosa (Honda) 1'44.838; 9. Rolfo(Kawasaki) 1'44.986; 10. Cluzel (MV Agusta) 1'44.996; 11. Coghlan (Yamaha) 1'45.146; 12. Schmitter (Yamaha) 1'45.163; 13. Nocco (Kawasaki) 1'45.251; 14. Tamburini (Kawasaki) 1'45.414; 15. Roccoli (MV Agusta) 1'45.556; etc.