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Qualifying report

Baz takes Tissot-Superpole and sets new best lap at Jerez

Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) claimed Pole Position today at Jerez.

Loris Baz

Loris Baz

WorldSBK.com

Marco Melandri, Tom Sykes
Tom Sykes
Davide Giugliano
Davide Giugliano
Davide Giugliano
Davide Giugliano
Loris Baz
Jeremy Guarnoni, Marco Melandri, Loris Baz
Loris Baz

Jerez (Spain), Saturday 6 September 2014An intense Tissot-Superpole second session has been won by Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) who claimed Pole Position today at Jerez. the young Frenchman will move off ahead of everyone else in the two Sunday races for the second time this year. Baz also recorded the new best lap of the track for the Superbike class in 1’40.298, beating the previous record by 0.322s.

Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will join Baz on the front row for the two 20 lap races tomorrow. The top-3 riders were awarded with the Tissot-Superpole trophies by 2011 Superbike World Champion Carlos Checa. Row two will see the Aprilia Racing duo of Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli as well as Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) who was 6th.

Alex Lowes crashed his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki at turn two in the final 30 seconds and will start 9th behind Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team, 7th) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike, 8th), and ahead of other Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea.

The accolade of being the fastest of the EVO qualifiers went to Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) who will start tomorrow’s races from 12th on the grid despite falling at turn 6 with two minutes to go.

Superpole 1 was as equally exciting with Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) posting an incredible lap of 1.41.768s, a time that would have put him 3rdoverall on the pre-Superpole classification. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) also made it through to Superpole 2 with his fastest lap of the weekend where they joined the automatically seeded top ten riders after free practice.

Loris Baz: “We changed something on the bike set-up for Superpole and it worked out well. I could have pushed a little bit more in the first split because I did not know how the bike would have reacted. I think I did the second part of the track really fast so it was a really good lap. My second pole this year but it is the first in fully dry conditions and I am really happy about that. This morning I was struggling a little with finding a quick lap but it was the same for everyone. When the conditions are hot here it can be a little strange. Allowing for this I think we have been strong from the beginning of the weekend, especially on fresh tyres. I am happy and confident for the races now.”

Tom Sykes: “I am happy enough because for me the target was the front row, to make sure we would get a good start tomorrow. We have tried a lot of things this weekend and now we have left ourselves in a good position for raceday. We know Jerez is a circuit where we have to work a lot compared to some other circuits but the times are very close. When you look at practice times many riders put in a soft tyre near the end of a session, so you can drop down the order because of that. In reality I think there are two or three riders who will be very strong on raceday. We will see how the two long races go and I am happy to be sitting where I am on the front row.”

Times: 1. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'40.298 average 158.755 kph; 2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'40.533; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'40.561; 4. Melandri (Aprilia) 1'40.822; 5. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1'40.877; 6. Laverty (Suzuki) 1'41.092; 7. Davies (Ducati) 1'41.199; 8. Haslam (Honda) 1'41.338; 9. Lowes (Suzuki) 1'41.421; 10. Rea (Honda) 1'41.447; 11. Elias (Aprilia) 1'41.882; 12. Barrier (BMW) 1'42.928; 13. Salom (Kawasaki); 14. Canepa (Ducati); 15. Andreozzi (Kawasaki); 16. Morais (Kawasaki); 17. Guarnoni (Kawasaki); 18. Staring (Kawasaki); 19. Corti (MV Agusta); 20. Toth (BMW).

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