Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster used a Dunlop qualifying tire to take pole on his YZF-R1/R7 hybrid in the final moments of Formula Xtreme qualifying Friday at Sears Point.

Buckmaster’s lap jumped him from fourth to first in qualifying order, with Josh Hayes also jumping up in the closing moments of the session after fitting a qualifying tire. Sticky qualifying tires also boosted the fortunes of Buckmaster’s teammate Aaron Gobert. As the men with Dunlop qualifying tires advanced late in the session, Michelin man Grant Lopez, second for most of the session, fell back to fifth-fastest, on race tires.

Buckmaster and Gobert recently tested at Sears Point.

Not only is Buckmaster’s pole position-winning lap time a new Formula Xtreme lap record and nearly a full second faster than his next competitor, Buckmaster’s time would put him second on the Superbike grid on a track that
favors handling over horsepower.

Top Formula Xtreme qualifying times follow:

1. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 1:34.572
2. Josh Hayes, Honda CBR929RR, 1:35.530
3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 1:35.889
4. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:36.110
5. Grant Lopez, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:36.136
6. Richie Alexander, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:36.364
7. Mark Miller, Honda CBR929RR, 1:36.622
8. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR929RR, 1:36.994
9. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:37.227
10. Mark Foster, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:37.640
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR929RR, 1:37.809
12. Chris Voelker, Honda CBR900RR, 1:38.665
13. Joe Gill, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:39.234
14. Kim Nakashima, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:40.543
15. Kenyon Kluge, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:41.002