Troy Corser was satisfied to secure provisional pole position for the final round of the World Superbike Championship in Portugal as he got to grips with the new Portimao circuit in less than ideal conditions.

Wet weather greeted the riders in free practice, while damp and chilly November conditions later on in qualifying ensured learning the new layout would be more than just discovering its limits.

Nonetheless, Corser did a fine job of timing his switch from treaded to intermediate rubber to produce a lap of 1min 55.791secs, almost 1.5secs up on Leon Haslam, in the final three minutes of the session.

Although the Aussie rider, competing in his final race for Yamaha this weekend before embarking on his switch to BMW in 2009, admits those with valuable track time have an advantage, he is happy with the progress they are making.

“Conditions today weren't so good and the track felt quite dirty and slippery. In these conditions, the track is unforgiving and it would've been very easy to crash.

“Although part of the track dried up this afternoon, the other parts were wet, so we never got a dry track and ended up on intermediates at the end. At this kind of track, putting in lots of time helps, so anybody who has been here before starts with an advantage.”