FIM Superbike World Championship Phillip Island, Australia February 28, 2009 Superpole Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Ben Spies (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.069 2. Max Biaggi (Apr RSV4), 1:31.402 3. Jonathan Rea (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:31.596 4. Jakub Smrz (Duc 1098R), 1:31.600 5. Michel Fabrizio (Duc 1098 F09), 1:31.837 6. Leon Haslam (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:32.112 7. Carlos Checa (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:32.537 8. Regis Laconi (Duc 1098R), 1:32.649 9. Shinya Nakano (Apr RSV4), 1:31.843 10. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:31.860 11. Yukio Kagayama (Suz GSX-R1000K9), 1:31.867 12. Tom Sykes (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.881 13. Noriyuki Haga (Duc 1098 F09), 1:31.907 14. Max Neukirchner (Suz GSX-R1000K9), 1:31.916 15. Shane Byrne (Duc 1098R), 1:32.119 16. Broc Parkes (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:32.719 17. Troy Corser (BMW S 1000RR), 1:32.873 18. Roberto Rolfo (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:32.997 19. Ruben Xaus (BMW S 1000RR), 1:33.152 20. Tommy Hill (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:33.363 The Rest of the Grid: 21. Brendan Roberts (Duc 1098R), 1:33.588 22. Makoto Tamada (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:33.709 23. Ayrton Badovini (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.174 24. David Salom (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.194 25. Karl Muggeridge (Suz GSX-R1000K9), 1:34.341 26. Luca Scassa (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:34.390 27. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:35.767 28. Matteo Baiocco (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:36.363 More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group/InFront Sports: Rookie Spies (Yamaha) spices up Superpole at Phillip Island Texan WSBK rookie Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) powered to the first Superpole win of the season in an exciting opening round session at Phillip Island in Australia. The 24 year-old took the top slot on his YZF R1 machine with a time of 1 minute 31.069 seconds. In the new ‘knock-out’ formula, Italian Max Biaggi scored a second place grid slot, his best ever performance in Superpole, on the brand new Aprilia, the Italian manufacturer returning to Superbike after a seven-year break. The front row of the grid is completed by Britain’s Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Jakub Smrz of the Czech Republic, top Ducati rider on a private Guandalini machine. Spies, who had never even seen the Australian circuit before last week, set the first pole of his career in his first-ever WSBK race: “There was a lot of pressure on me today but first congratulations to these guys, I know how fast the lap time was and we all did a great job. The Superpole was really good, there was a lot of anticipation, a lot of nerves inside the pit box to get the first pole of the year. It’s going to be hard tomorrow, with 7 or 8 guys up front and the real race will start 8 laps from the end. Luckily we have a good starting spot, that’s all that matters and hopefully we can be there at the end. Just like Biaggi said, I was very surprised at how many people started doing 31s in the second session, we really had to grit our teeth in the last one and put together a good lap.” Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) commented : “It’s a big sensation for me to come back after so many years to Aprilia with this new project, the bike is good already. We still have to see which is the best way to go but for now qualifying was very good and exciting . I don’t know about race pace for tomorrow but this is an encouraging start. When I saw everyone going 31s, I thought ‘wow, that is fast’. I had some trouble in the free practice before qualifying, we swapped bikes and it was not my favourite one but we made a great job.” Jonathan Rea, who will be racing in only his second WSBK event tomorrow, declared : “Superbike for me is getting more and more exciting all the time, a big thanks to the team for helping me make the transition from Supersport so easy. I’ve got a lot of learning to do but every time I jump on the bike it’s getting better. The new structure of Superpole was really exciting, with everyone in the box thinking should I go or should I stay, but lucky for us we used the first qualifier in the second session and got into the top 8. I saw Ben’s lap time in the session before and it left me with a 31.3 with one qualifier left. We made a little mistake in the last run but I don’t think we can go much faster than that.” Jakub Smrz was also delighted with his Superpole performance: “For us it is a very good start to the season because we didn’t test here like the other guys. Now I am very pleased with the bike especially because this morning we had some small problems, then in Superpole everything went better. It’s very nice to be ahead of the factory Ducatis but it’s only the start of the season and what is most important is to get a good result in the race.” The exciting new Superpole formula saw the early elimination of four of the top 20 riders (Corser, Rolfo, Xaus and Hill). The two BMWs, which had performed well until then, were excluded after a conservative choice of tyre. The second run saw the elimination of Nakano, Kiyonari, Kagayama, Sykes, Haga, Neukirchner, Byrne and Parkes, with Ducati Xerox’s Noriyuki Haga the prize scalp. Rea and Smrz headed the new generation of Superbike riders, the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland the best Honda in the timesheets, while his team-mate Carlos Checa from Spain also looks promising in seventh place. Row 2 will be made up of Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), Checa and Régis Laconi (DFX Ducati), while Haga faces an uphill struggle in the two races as he has to start from the fourth row of the grid. TIMES: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’31.069; 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1’31.402; 3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’31.596; 4. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’31.600; 5. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1’31.837; 6. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’32.112; 7. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’32.537; 8. Laconi R. (FRA) Ducati 1098 RS 09 1’32.649 “¦ 9. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 1’31.843; 10. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1’31.860; 11. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’31.867; 12. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’31.881; 13. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1’31.907; 14. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1’31.916; 15. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1’32.119; 16. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’32.719 “¦ 17. Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’32.873; 18. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’32.997; 19. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.152; 20. Hill T. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’33.363. FIM Supersport World Championship Kenan Sofuoglu took the pole slot for the opening World Supersport round. It was the 24-year-old from Turkey’s seventh career pole, and it came with a new circuit record of 1 minute 34.320 seconds. Honda have won five of the last six editions of the Australian Round but this time the opposition promises to be tougher. Second slot went to Spanish youngster Joan Lascorz, new signing for Kawasaki who have changed team and riders and who are aiming for the top. Reigning champion and last year’s winner Andrew Pitt lines up third in his home race, with Britain’s Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) looking menacing on the outside of the front row. Team-mate Fabien Foret suffered a partial dislocation of his right shoulder in a fall and is at risk for tomorrow’s race. Garry McCoy (Triumph BE1), who had gone so well on the opening day, slipped from fourth to eighth behind Italian Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini). TIMES: 1. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1’34.320; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’34.689; 3. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1’34.786; 4. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1’34.875; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1’34.962; 6. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’35.063; 7. Pirro M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’35.086; 8. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1’35.187. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s opening 2009 World Superbike races from the front row of the grid after setting the third fastest time in today’s re-formatted Superpole competition at Phillip Island in Australia. Ben Spies emerged in pole position after the three Superpole sessions, which saw the top 20 riders from regulation qualifying reduced to 16 and then eight to determine the grid for tomorrow’s two 22-lap encounters at the 4.445km circuit. Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Carlos Checa, battled through the pain of an injured shoulder to take seventh on the grid; meanwhile Ryuichi Kiyonari, riding for 2009 under the Ten Kate Honda Racing colours, will line up tenth. Jonathan Rea P3, 1’31.596s Of course, I’m happy to be on the front row for the first race of the year, especially after the problems we had yesterday. The new format of Superpole was pretty exciting for everyone and it was amazing to see so many riders doing 31s laps round here. The races tomorrow will be pretty hard and the key is what happens to the tyres after about 16 laps. We’ll go away and have a good think tonight about it. Carlos Checa P7, 1’32.537s Well, I am quite satisfied with my position considering the shoulder problems I’ve had. I will have to see how it lasts for two 22-lap races tomorrow. The new Superpole was a little confusing for some people and, after the group of 16, I was stopped in pit lane by a marshal. I knew I was in P7 so I could go in the final session; so I made like the bull and charged under the matador’s red flag! Ryuichi Kiyonari P10, 1’31.860s I’m disappointed to be on the third row after doing that lap time, which was fast for me, but that’s how the new system works. It wasn’t fast enough to get into the final eight of Superpole but I am happy with the progress we have been making to improve my feeling with the bike. We’ve made a few small changes some good and some not so good but we have definitely improved. Ronald ten Kate team manager The least we can say is that the new Superpole is quite exciting. Johnny on the front row is a perfect job and the second row for Carlos is a big achievement, considering the pain from his shoulder. It was disappointing for Kiyo to miss out on Superpole 3 because he certainly showed enough speed to deserve a place on the front two rows. We’re happy to have the three riders in the top ten, though and they will all race hard for good results tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: FIFTH ROW FOR TROY AND RUBEN AFTER NEW SUPERPOLE. The new Superpole system ended in disappointment for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus and, as a result, they will now start from the fifth row of the grid for tomorrow’s opening round of this year’s Superbike World Championship. Two qualifying tyres were available for each rider in the Superpole 1, 2 and 3 and, in view of Troy’s fifth quickest time in normal qualifying, the team elected not to use a qualifier in Superpole 1. The gamble appeared to be working until the final few minutes of the session, when some other riders went faster and Troy ended 17th – and out of Superpole 2. Ruben also didn’t manage to qualify for Superpole 2, due to a small tyre misunderstanding, but hopefully the races tomorrow will end positively for him and team mate Troy. Troy – 17th, 1:32.843 I don’t really like this new Superpole system because, at the end of the day, the rider who gets pole position is not necessarily the fastest rider. We thought that because I had done the fifth quickest time in regular qualifying, we didn’t need to use one of our two qualifiers in the (three) Superpole sessions. So I went out in Superpole 1 on race rubber and lost out on going into Superpole 2, by just one place. It’s a bit of a shame, because now I will have to start the races tomorrow from the fifth row of the grid and that is not going to be easy at all. Obviously, I’m going to try my hardest, but it’s a pity that a new Superpole system has ruined what would’ve normally been a place on the second row of the grid and that would’ve been just reward for all the hard work the team has put in. But strange results have happened in the past, so who knows what will take place tomorrow. Ruben – 19th, 1:33.152 I think that there may have been a small misunderstanding about what tyres to use in Superpole 1 and so we paid the penalty for that small mistake. But just like our team, Superpole is a new system this year and we are all going to have to understand it and play it right. It is just another part of our learning process and something we have to go through, but we’ll manage it for sure. It’s not nice to be on the fifth row, but this is not a bad track for overtaking and slipstreaming, so we shall see what happens tomorrow. Rainer Baeumel (Team manager) Before we entered this hard project, we knew that we would have a lot to learn, and today was proof. It was a shame that Troy didn’t get into Superpole 2, because we were all sure that he would’ve got on to at the second row of the grid. But that’s racing and we just have to accept and try and work hard for the results tomorrow. For sure, it’s going to be a hard day for both the riders, but I hope that we can leave Phillip Island with some good results. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: The new three -session Superpole system was in action for the first time at today’s World Superbike opening round at Phillip Island in Australia and caused a few upsets in the finishing order. With just two qualifying tyres available for the three sessions, it meant that deciding which qualifying tyre to use and when to use it was a bit of a lottery. A problem with the rear end sliding spoilt Alstare Suzuki’s Max Neukirchner’s chance of advancement into the final Superpole and Yukio Kagayama was also unable to go further. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) ended Superpole 1 with the fastest lap, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) second, Jonathan Rea (Honda) third and Jakob Smrz (Ducati) fourth. Yukio Kagayama – 11th, 1:31.867: “Today I had many problems with rear grip . We tried to change the balance of the bike for race tyres this morning and during the afternoon free practice, but there was no real improvement, so I am not so happy with the race tyres set-up. This Superpole is new, so we all have to try and understand how it works and what is the best thing to do at the right time. At the moment I think it is a bit of a gamble but we have to try to work it out. I think this track is very difficult for race and qualifying tyres, but I hope I can still make some good results tomorrow.” Max Neukirchner – 14th, 1:31.916: “I was very angry when I saw that I was only 14th in the second Superpole session. We have improved the bike, step-by-step from yesterday and I think that our bike will be OK for a long run. I’m happy with the race set-up and now I need a couple of good starts and hopefully some good races.” More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: SECOND AND FOURTH ROW START FOR FABRIZIO AND HAGA IN TOMORROW’S RACES AT PHILLIP ISLANDPhillip Island (Australia), Saturday 28th February: Ducati Xerox riders Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga participated in the restyled Superpole for the very first time this afternoon at Phillip Island. The knock-out format sees three twelve-minute sessions in which 20 riders are reduced to 16 and then to 8 before the final 8 play for the places on the front two rows of the grid. Noriyuki progressed to the second session in which he recorded the thirteenth fastest time, thus establishing his place on the fourth row. Team-mate Michel proceeded on to the final session, to achieve fifth place on tomorrow’s grid. During second qualifying in the morning, the fastest twenty riders, all of whom thus progressed to Superpole, were all within a second of each other, emphasising just how close a battle the 2009 Superbike championship is going to prove to be! Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki and Michel finished in fourth and sixth place in the morning, to qualify comfortable for all three Superpole sessions. Both riders have proved fast all weekend and are satisfied that they are on the pace for tomorrow’s races. The Superpole trophies were presented this afternoon by reigning World Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss, who took both the Rider’s and Constructor’s titles with the Ducati Xerox Team in 2008. Michel Fabrizio 1m31.8s “I hoped to be able to go faster in the third Superpole but unfortunately, again due to tyre-wear, it was not an achievable goal. I can however be satisfied that we have the necessary race pace even if I wont be starting from the front row as I wished. We have worked hard all weekend and I have been consistently fast up until now so I am still confident for tomorrow’s races.” Noriyuki Haga 1m31.9s “Unfortunately the new Superpole proved a little difficult for us, and perhaps we didn’t have the right tactics today. This new format means teams have to have tactics and there is more of a gamble. I would have liked to be faster of course and apologise to the fans that I won’t be further forward on the grid but anyway, at least I don’t go into tomorrow under great pressure, as I would have been if I had made pole! I am already thinking about my game plan for the races. We know we have been fast in all the sessions so far, we are comfortable with the race setting and we have pretty much decided with regard to the tyre to use for tomorrow’s races. I will give 500% and I will go out there and do my best!” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Parkes Into New Look Superpole At First Attempt WSBK, Phillip Island, Australia, 28 February 2009 Broc Parkes secured a starting slot in the new format of Superpole qualifying and will start Sunday’s two 22-lap World Superbike races from row four of the grid. After finishing regulation qualifying in 20th place on his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Parkes then successfully passed through the first phase of Superpole elimination, but was unable to use his qualifying tyres to best effect in the second session, and had to settle for 16th on the grid. This means he will start from row four for Sunday’s pair of 22-lap Superbike races. Makoto Tamada, suffering set-up problems as he went for his quickest time, was unable to improve his qualifying pace from Friday’s first session, and now starts the races from 22nd on a grid of 28 riders. Parkes enjoyed his return to real Superbike racing, particularly at his home racetrack, and although he was hungry for a higher starting place, he achieved the standard he had set himself before this race weekend began. The level of competition in 2009 has already proved to be every bit as tough as was expected, with the regulation qualifying sessions putting at least one rider from each of the seven competing manufacturers inside the top 20. Only 0.943 seconds covered all the riders from provisional pole to 20th place before Superpole began. The new Superpole qualifying format, split into three periods of track action, sees the 20 fastest riders then being thinned down to 16 after session one, then eight after session two – with the final eight riders chasing the Superpole win itself. The new system was voted a success by most who took part in it, with pole finally going to new WSB American star Ben Spies. Broc Parkes: “When we came here after testing we had an idea of where we would finish in qualifying, and we have reached it. I was pleased to have made Superpole first time in my return to the Superpole class and even more pleased to make it into the second section of Superpole. We didn’t make the improvements we wanted to when we used qualifiers, but for my first qualifying experience back in this class it wasn’t too bad. It’s incredibly close this year with so many riders covered by only a second.” Makoto Tamada: “I wanted to finish higher in qualifying of course, but we were having some problems with stability and corner entry. We need to improve set-up to stop running wide in corners, and to let the bike turn into corners more easily. Under braking the bike is good. We have more things to test for tomorrow in warm-up and I am sure we can improve things for the races.” More, from a press release issued by Sterilgarda Team: Shane Byrne will start the opening races of the 2009 WSBK from fifteenth place which does not dishearten the British rider at all given that he has improved yesterday’s time. The gap between him and the riders from row 1 is of one second only and has been recorded with racing tyres. This unexpected starting position, reached after the Phillip Island Superpole, is an unfortunate deja vu for team Sterilgarda who seems to be unlucky on the Australian circuit. Last year, gear lever issues prevented Biaggi from starting from row 1, this year a small problem when mounting the tyre for the qualifying session kept Byrne from improving his time and he had to settle with his result. As a consequence, the British rider will have to recover some positions from the start in order to keep up with the leading pack. SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R |15th in 1’32.119: “I’m ready for tomorrow’s two races and I’m confident I can do well. I have a great feeling with the track and hopefully will have a good start. I’ll have a lot of time to make a recovery and score a positive result. It’s a real pity and I am sure I could’ve improved my time in the Superpole with at least half a second and I would’ve fought for the first eight spots”. MARCO BORCIANI – team manager: “We have had some very unlucky Superpole reusults at Phillip Island lately… I’m really sorry for Shakey. I’m sure he would have improved, if he had two more tyres for the qualifying session. Anyway, today was just an unfortunate incident. I’m confident Byrne will reach a good result in Sunday’s race, provided he has a fast start. It won’t be easy but we’ll give it a try”. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser: TROY DISAPPOINTED WITH FIFTH ROW IN NEW SUPERPOLE. Troy finished regular qualifying with the fifth fastest lap time, but then saw all dreams of a front two rows of the grid start vanish in the first of the three Superpole sessions. With only two qualifying tyres available for the three Superpole sessions, the team opted not to use a qualifier in Superpole 1, thinking that Troy’s fifth fastest lap would be enough for him to qualify for Superpole 2. But the gamble didn’t pay off and Troy ended with the 17th quickest time and so missed out on Superpole 2 by just one place! American Ben Spies (Yamaha) took the first Superpole of the year, with a lap of 1:31.069, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) second and Jonathan Rea (Honda) third. Troy – 17th, 1:32.843 This new Superpole system is a bit strange because the fastest rider could easily not end up on the front row! I believe that the fastest rider should be in pole position and then the rest should follow with reference to their lap times. Having only two tyres for three sessions is a bit of a gamble, because you don’t know whether or not to use one in the first session or what. Today we took a gamble and it didn’t work, so we will carefully have to think about what to do the next time. This is something we all have to learn and is just another part of this huge learning process for our team. It’s a big shame, because I could’ve probably qualified on the first two rows of the grid and that would have been a fantastic achievement for the team. It’s not going to be easy starting from the fifth row of the grid. This will be my worst grid position in my World Superbike history, but sometimes strange things happen at racetracks, so we will just have to see how it all pans out tomorrow. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Ben Spies, a World Superbike rookie and three-time AMA champion, has secured the first Superpole of the 2009 season in an incredible display of speed and skill on the new Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike at the Phillip Island circuit with a time of 1.31″069. Team-mate Tom Sykes put in an impressive display in the new format Superpole, a mere 0.8 of a second behind Spies with a time of 1.31″881, he will start the race tomorrow on 12th position on the grid. Equally impressive as the riders performance was that of the all new 2009 YZF-R1, the M1 GP inspired bike has proved to be incredibly quick and stable straight out of the box, the crossplane crank shaft and uneven firing order giving both Spies and Sykes the right tools to get the power down fast and hard through the corners and take the fight to the top of the table. Spies ended the first day of qualifying in 9th position, before moving up to 8th on the second session, improving his time by nearly half a second while he focused on consistent lapping. His final Superpole time was nearly a second and a half faster than his first qualifying session. Sykes also improved from the first session, taking nearly half a second off his first qualifying session. Both riders go into tomorrow’s races confident in their speed and consistency. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team “For the first two qualifying sessions, we were taking it very steady, we only used one set of tires each session, looking to be consistent and doing some more laps. We turned up the heat in Superpole and found some more time and in the final lap we pulled the pin and went for it. It was tricky as the track was pretty windy so maybe we could have got a bit faster. It’s the first pole position for the new Yamaha and for me too. Now the focus is totally on having a good race package and good race pace, I think it’s going to be great racing tomorrow. The bike is incredible, I’m feeling really confident in its abilities, I can’t wait to race tomorrow!” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team “For me things have been good out here. We’ve been making steady progress all weekend and we’ve found the direction we need to be going in. I don’t feel we’ve got where we need to be yet, perhaps where we should be but we’re getting there. Overall it’s looking pretty good, we seem to be able to do the times, unfortunately in Superpole we got caught out with a tire which wasn’t as consistent as it should have been forcing a switch and costing time. So we’ve had a bit of bad luck, on the plus side I’m confident of getting on the pace and fighting for the podium in the race tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team manager “I think we have done a good job so far and the test last weekend helped us. The bike set up is good, and the tire life is as well. If everything stays the same I think we are in a good position. Ben did a perfect lap in Superpole and has been very consistent through all the sessions, I’m very happy. Tom was also really good, good in practice and qualifying, he’s on the third row but he has good pace and with a good start he can fight with the pack and make it in the race. We’re all ready for tomorrow and really excited about the potential of our riders to go out and race.” More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: SPIES TAKES POLE IN WORLD SUPERBIKE DEBUT PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia (AP) In his series debut American Ben Spies won the pole Saturday for the opening round of the 2009 World Superbike Championship in Australia. Spies, 24, of Dallas, earned the top starting spot with a lap of one minute, 31.069 seconds on his factory Yamaha R1. He becomes the first American to win a World Superbike pole in seven years. “I was definitely a surprise to win the pole,” said Spies, the three-time American Superbike champion. “But what’s really surprising is just how fast the field of riders is in this series. So many were in the 31s” Spies admitted to starting his pole-setting lap with a bit of a mistake. “I cooked it into [turn] one just a little deep on my fast lap and ran a couple of feet wide,” he said. “It’s easy to do on this circuit. Fortunately was able to gather it up, get back on the gas and flick it hard into turn two. It was a fairly clean lap the rest of the way. I think I might have lost a tenth spinning it up coming out of Siberia [turns six and seven], but everywhere else was pretty clean. I’m not saying there’s not a little bit left out there, but overall I was happy with the lap. “It’s good to win the pole in my first World Superbike race. It just makes it easier for us for the race since some of the main competition qualified back a row or two. Tomorrow is what really counts and it’s going to be tough. We’ve got our work cut out for us.” Four different manufacturers filled out the front row. Joining Spies are Italian Max Biaggi making a strong return for Aprilia in second with a lap of 1:31.402. Britain’s Jonathan Rea starts third on a Honda, while Jakub Smrz, of the Czech Republic rounds out the front row on a Ducati. In the U.S. the race can be watched on Speed TV at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.