Portugal WSB: Rea secures pole position at Portimao

Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) secured a pole position start for tomorrow’s race at Portimao with a storming first lap in the final super pole session, going straight out to set the fastest lap and convincingly break the 1’42 barrier.

Championship winner Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) rode consistently to secure second on the grid, whilst Yamaha World Superbike team mates Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri complete the front row.

Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) stormed through to third in SP2, but was unable to maintain his pace and qualfied at the front of the second row in fifth, ahead of team mate Jakub Smrz in sixth.

Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and PATA Aprilia rider Noriyuki Haga complete the second row in seventh and eighth.

Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) qualified in ninth, whilst three Brits fill the third row with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) taking tenth, ahead of Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) and Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) in eleventh and twelfth respectively.

Camier’s team mate and former WSB champion Max Biaggi, still recovering from a broken bone in his foot, qualified in seventeenth.

1. Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 1’41.712
2. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’41.951
3. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 1’42.173
4. Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Yamaha YZF R1 1’42.259
5. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’42.627
6. Jakub Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’42.710
7. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’43.282
8. Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’43.307
9. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) BMW S1000 RR 1’42.645
10. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’42.740
11. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1’42.879
12. Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’43.012
13. Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 1’43.306
14. Michel Fabrizio (Team Suzuki Alstare) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’43.661
15. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’43.683
16. Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’44.078
17. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’43.907
18. Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1’44.131
19. Karl Muggeridge (Castrol Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 1’45.268
20. Javier Fores (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team) BMW S1000 RR 1’45.274
21. Joshua Waters (Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’45.311
22. Santiago Barragan (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’45.495