Reigning World Champion Tom Sykes has done it again. The Kawasaki man won his 22nd career Superpole, putting him at the front of the grid for tomorrow’s two World Superbike races at Portimao. It also marked his third straight pole position at the Portuguese circuit, but more importantly Sykes’ 22nd Superpole put him in the record books ahead of fellow Brit Carl Fogarty.
In second was Pata Honda’s Jonathan Rea who edged out Ducati’s Chaz Davies in the final moments. Rea went into Superpole on top after leading a very closely contested FP3 session – the top 10 riders separated by less than .3 of a second. Although pipped at the last minute, Davies front row qualifying effort marked his best so far this season on the Ducati.
The factory Aprilias of Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli finished fourth and sixth, respectively, with Loris Baz splitting the pair in fifth on the second factory Kawasaki.
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty managed seventh with his bad ankle. In efforts to aid his still injured ankle, the Irishman made the switch to a thumb brake in today’s sessions.
Davies teammate Giugliano qualified eighth followed by Rea’s teammate Leon Haslam.
Earning top EVO bike honors and rounding out the top 10 was BMW Motorrad Italia’s Sylvain Barrier. Barrier advanced to the second Superpole session in the final laps of Superpole 1, his best qualifying effort this season in just his second race back from injury.
2014 Portimao World Superbike Superpole Results
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1:42.484
2. Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:42.765
3. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1:42.924
4. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) 1:43.038
5. Loris Baz (Kawasaki) 1:43.048
6. Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 1:43.076
7. Eugene Laverty (Suzuki) 1:43.245
8. Davide Giugliano (Ducati) 1:43.317
9. Leon Haslam (Honda) 1:43.475
10. Sylvain Barrier (BMW) 1:43.754