PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
The top World Superbike riders batted for their grid positions at Jerez under a warm sun that shone brightest on Kawasaki Racing Team’s Tom Sykes who took a sliver off of the existing track best with his new record, 1:40.292. It was his 29th career pole position, the fifth of the season.
Teammate Jonathan Rea was second, by .208 of a second, and surprise third place rider was Althea Racing Ducati’s Niccolo Canepa on a privateer bike, three places ahead of factory Chaz Davies on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati in sixth place. Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Michelle Pirro was seventh.
Having had to qualify into Superpole 2 from Superpole 1, Michael van der Mark used his old Pata Honda colleague Rea to get him up to third with half the session left. He then went out and set a 1:40.956 to take the lead on his own, eventually finishing up fourth fastest. Fifth was local rider Jordi Torres on the Red Devils Aprilia Racing Team, the fastest rider into Superpole earlier in the day. His teammate Leon Haslam was 11th.
Canepa’s teammate Matteo Baiocco placed eighth and a late push from Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes put him ninth, on the third row. The reigning champion Sylvain Guintoli on the other Pata Honda was 10th.
2015 Jerez World Superbike Superpole Results:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1:41.957
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1:41.981
3. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1:42.056
4. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati) 1:42.125
5. Jordi Torres (Aprilia) 1:42.249
6. Leon Haslam (Aprilia) 1:42.254
7. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati) 1:42.341
8. Michele Pirro (Ducati) 1:42.408
9. Sylvain Guintoli (Honda) 1:42.643
10. Michael van der Mark (Honda) 1:42.784
