Robertino Pietri qualified fastest for the Venezuelan Superbike Championship finale at Turagua Saturday, setting a new qualifying lap record at 1:04.277 aboard his AMA Superstock-legal Suzuki GSX-R1000 on Pirelli tires. Two-time and defending Venezuelan Superbike Champion Fernando Amantini qualified second-fastest at 1:04.286 on his Kawasaki ZX-10R, with Columbian Supermoto Champion Cesar Tellez qualifying third-fastest on another ZX-10R at 1:04.988 before crashing out of the single qualifying session. Amantini and Tellez ran on Dunlop tires. Armando Ferrer qualified fastest for the Venezuelan 600cc Supersport Championship finale, turning a 1:06.754 on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR, on Pirelli tires. Pietri and Ferrer clinched the Latin American Superbike and Latin American Supersport Championships two weeks ago at Turagua; that four-race series ran concurrently with the six-race Venezuelan series. Pietri can also win the Venezuelan Superbike Championship by finishing third in Sunday’s race, no matter what Amantini or Tellez do. Ferrer must win Sunday’s Supersport race and beat points leader Juan Carlos Lavado to secure the Venezuelan Supersport Championship. Lavado will start second on the Supersport grid; his Honda CBR600RR sprung a radiator leak during qualifying.
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