Either way, Bayliss is on pole, ahead of the ever present Kiyonari, while Checa ensured Ten Kate were back to their best form in third.
It was mixed old session for the Brits though as Sykes and Crutchlow both experienced tumbles that went some way to undoing a lot of their ground work. Still, they remain inside the top ten, albeit behind James Ellison, who put in a marvellous performance to claim fifth on the grid.
He may have been quiet this weekend, just off the fringes of his three wild-card counterparts, but Ellison came very good when it mattered to claim a spot on the second row of the grid and hoist the British flag aloft heading into the two races.
16.50 Saturday PM
Troy Bayliss has taken a stunning pole position here at
Donington Park!
The Aussie was staring at second on the grid as
Troy Corser embarked on a superb final effort that had him three tenths up heading into the final sector. However, the circuit would prove one corner too many for Corser when he dramatically slid off at Goddards.
One of several riders to come off through the session, Corser's misfortune sees Bayliss maintain pole position, ahead of
Ryuichi Kiyonari and
Carlos Checa.
Tom Sykes was also looking good when he suffered a big crash at Coppice, while Cal Crutchlow was also left watching from the sidelines after low-siding at the hairpin.
Full times to follow
16.35 Saturday PM
The riders are certainly pushing hard and we've already seen three crashes with 15mins still left to go.
Most significantly, Cal Crutchlow slid off at the Melbourne Hairpin, coating his HM Plant Honda in mud and leaving him to walk away in despair.
He is joined on the sidelines by Troy Corser who fell off on the increasingly greasy Craner Curves. Sliding all the way down to the Old Hairpin, Corser was simply left to rather ungracefully clamber over the barriers, although he is set to get back out onto track before the end.
Jakub Smrz has also been down, also at the Craner Curves, although he has since got going again.
Meanwhile, if the weather stays as it is and you are coming to Donington tomorrow, stake a spot at Coppice – there are some spectacular saves going on through there!
