MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

The first World Superbike Superpole session of the year missed Jonathan Rea, being ruled out after a crash in testing last week. Nicolo Bulega, pole position and winner here last year on his first ever Superbike race, has topped all four days of testing and all three practice sessions and was favourite for pole position.

Iker Lecuona opened his qualifying with a crash at Lukey Heights after Yari Montella posted a 1'30.232 before the red flags came out. Danilo Petrucci, Alvaro Bautista and Nicolo Bulega didn't record a lap time before the flags ended the session.

While the riders took an enforced break, six other riders had their laps cancelled. The restarted session had just over ten minutes remaining. Garrett Gerloff, the lone Kawasaki, spent his out lap looking for someone to follow as everyone else just got one with it.

With no time to waste, Alvar Bautista set a 1'29.523 ahead of Andrea Iannone but Nicolo Bulega slapped down a 1'29.058 on his first timed lap, five Ducatis in the top five. Toprak Razgatlioglu finally set his first lap this session with a 1'28.824 but he was behind Bulega who moved the game forward with a 1'28.824. Alvaro Bautista lost his front row slot to Andrea Iannone who was under half a second off pole on his penultimate lap.

Nicolo Bulega took pole position to the surprise of no one, on a standard race tyre, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu, the number one setting only one lap, and Andrea Iannone. The second row was an all-Ducati affair, Alvaro Bautista, Danilo Petrucci leading Scott Redding who returned to a Ducati after a few years on a BMW.

Michael van der Mark headed the third row alongside the Yamahas of Andrea Locatelli and Remy Gardner. Bimota missed out on the front three rows in their debut, but Alex Lowes won the battle of the twins leading Sam Lowes, the pair in tenth and eleventh place ahead of Xavi Vierge.

This afternoon's race will be split in half with a mandated tyre change.

Results: