The organisers of the Ulster Grand Prix have announced that there will be new Superpole session for the 2016 Road Racing event.
The decision has been made in order to make the battle for pole position on the grid more exciting for the riders and for the fans.
Clerk of the Course at the Ulster Grand Prix, Noel Johnston said: “I’ve wanted to introduce a Superpole session at the Ulster for a while and now that we’ve reshuffled our practice timings we are able to accommodate it.
“It’s a format that was used in World Superbikes for many years and something BSB have also introduced for 2016, and it’s always proven extremely popular.”
The fastest 12 riders in the Superbike practice session on Thursday, August 11 will return to the grid later that day for a special timed event and jostle for their final qualifying positions on Saturday, August 13.
Riders that fail to qualify for the new Superpole session will start the race from 13th position onwards based on their qualifying practice results.
Johnson explained further: “The session will consist of one individual warm up lap immediately followed by two individual laps for each of the top 12 Superbike riders, allowing them an opportunity to secure their eventual grid position on a fair basis.
“It’s a bit of a shake up for us but I believe it will be extremely well received for the roads, and we’re looking forward to what will surely be an electric qualifier.
“The thought of watching Michael Dunlop, Ian Hutchinson, hopefully Guy Martin and some of the other big names out on track, on their own, pushing the bikes on a flying lap is a spectacle not to be missed.”
Bike Week at the Ulster Grand Prix gets underway on Monday, August 8. Keep a eye on The Checkered Flag for all the latest news ahead of the event.
