Max Biaggi has set his sights on a first World Superbike pole position of the season after snatching the provisional top spot away from Jakub Smrz in final qualifying.
Assuming the advantage ahead of the all-important Superpole, Biaggi left it until the last 30 seconds of the hour long session to make his bid for pole position, the Italian eventually managing it as the only rider to dip below the 1min 59secs marker.
Indeed, up until that point, Smrz had looked as though he would hold onto the top spot, the Czech rider's stellar lap time from first qualifying seemingly enough to keep the competition at bay into the second day.
However, an aggressive effort from Biaggi on the Sterilgarda Ducati means he gets the privilege of setting his Superpole lap last of all and after starting second last season on a Suzuki, Biaggi is now eager to go one better to score his first pole position of the year.
Despite failing to improve his best time, Smrz held onto second place, with
Troy Bayliss making it three Ducatis in the top three thanks to a strong late effort in what was an otherwise quiet session for the championship leader.
Suzuki proved to be Ducati's closest competitors, with Max Neukirchner propelling himself up the timesheets to fourth fastest, marginally ahead of team-mate
Fonsi Nieto.
Troy Corser endured an eventful session, the Australian rider taking a tumble in the early stages, before having his best lap baulked by traffic towards the end. He remains well placed in sixth though.
Michel Fabrizio was another to leave it late to jump up the order, the Italian just avoiding the embarrassment of being out paced by new team-mate Niccoló Canepa by moving up to seventh. Canepa heads into his first ever Superpole in a useful eighth.
