Carlos Checa - Photo Credit: Althea Racing
Carlos Checa saw off the challenge of Jonathan Rea to take his sixth pole position of the 2011 season, moving him another step closer to the World Superbike title. The Spaniard can clinch the championship this weekend if results go his way on Sunday and with closest rival Marco Melandri back in the third row, Checa is closing in on his first title.
The Althea Ducati rider clocked a 1:47.196 to pip Rea by less than a tenth of a second while Noriyuki Haga and Tom Sykes will complete the front row for tomorrow's races. Both showed impressive pace at earlier stages in the weekend with Haga quickest in SP2 and Sykes topping the combined qualifying times.
Eugene Laverty, linked with a MotoGP ride in 2012, will head up the second row on the factory Yamaha. The Irishman was the fastest man in SP1 but set his slowest time of the afternoon in SP3, leaving him back in fifth.
Leon Haslam continued an excellent session for the Brits with sixth ahead of fellow BMW rider Ayrton Badovini and Effenbert-Liberty Ducati's Sylvain Guintoli.
Melandri will line-up next after missing out on SP3 by 0.007s and the Italian faces an uphill task to keep the title race alive. To clinch the title, Checa must outscore the Yamaha man by 26 points and should the grid positions be replicated in the races, that target will be reached.
Leon Camier completed the top ten on the solitary Alitalia Aprilia as Max Biaggi sits this event out following the injury sustained at the Nurburgring, effectively ending his title defence.
Superpole Result:
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Team | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Checa | SPA | Ducati | Althea Racing | 1:47.196 |
| 2 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Honda | Castrol Honda | 1:47.274 |
| 3 | Noriyuki Haga | JAP | Aprilia | PATA Racing Team Aprilia | 1:47.442 |
| 4 | Tom Sykes | GBR | Kawasaki | Kawasaki Racing Team | 1:47.468 |
| 5 | Eugene Laverty | IRL | Yamaha | Yamaha World Superbike Team | 1:47.929 |
| 6 | Leon Haslam | GBR | BMW | BMW Motorrad Motorsport | 1:48.081 |
| 7 | Ayrton Badovini | ITA | BMW | BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team | 1:48.234 |
| 8 | Sylvain Guintoli | FRA | Ducati | Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing | 1:48.416 |
| Eliminated in Superpole 2 | |||||
| 9 | Marco Melandri | ITA | Yamaha | Yamaha World Superbike Team | 1:47.781 |
| 10 | Leon Camier | GBR | Aprilia | Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team | 1:47.858 |
| 11 | Michel Fabrizio | ITA | Suzuki | Team Suzuki Alstare | 1:48.126 |
| 12 | Maxime Berger | FRA | Ducati | Supersonic Racing Team | 1:48.334 |
| Eliminated in Superpole 1 | |||||
| 13 | Jakub Smrz | CZE | Ducati | Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing | 1:48.741 |
| 14 | Federico Sandi (WC) | SPA | Ducati | Althea Racing | 1:48.812 |
| 15 | Troy Corser | AUS | BMW | BMW Motorrad Motorsport | 1:48.894 |
| 16 | Alessandro Polita (WC) | ITA | Ducati | Barni Racing Team S.N.C | 1:49.091 |
| Failed to Qualify for Superpole Session | |||||
| 17 | Mark Aitchison | AUS | Kawasaki | Team Pedercini | 1:49.159 |
| 18 | Joan Lascorz | SPA | Kawasaki | Kawasaki Racing Team | 1:49.185 |
| 19 | Matteo Baiocco (WC) | ITA | Ducati | Barni Racing Team | 1:49.378 |
| 20 | Ruben Xaus | SPA | Honda | Castrol Honda | 1:49.595 |
| 21 | Roberto Rolfo | ITA | Kawasaki | Team Pedercini | 1:49.668 |
| 22 | Javier Fores | SPA | BMW | BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team | 1:50.888 |
