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Jules Cluzel will start from pole position for the 11th round of the 2012 World Supersport Championship at the Nurburgring after emerging on the better end of a slender 0.025secs margin that covered the top three riders.
Making his debut at the Nurburgring this weekend, Cluzel ascended from a provisional second to first at the expense of Sam Lowes, who looked on course for pole position having dominated each session in the run up to Q2.
However, with Lowes unable to improve his provisional best, Cluzel sneaked ahead by 0.009secs, with another Honda rider Broc Parkes squeezing into third place, himself just 0.025secs from pole position.
In all, six riders would crack the magic 2min marker, with championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu settling for the outside front row after suffering a rare tumble in the early stages of Q2, while Fabien Foret heads up row two on the Intermoto Kawasaki, ahead of big improver Vladimir Leonov, who carried his podium-winning form from Russia to qualify sixth.
Similarly impressive, Gabor Talmacsi will start from seventh position on the grid aboard his ProRace Honda, ahead of Sheridan Morais on the second of the factory backed Kawasaki machines. Roberto Tamburini and Alex Baldolini round out the top ten on their respective Lorini Honda and Suriano Triumph machines.
Just outside the top ten, Dan Linfoot made good gains to qualify 13th on the MSD RN India Kawasaki, while series returnee Massimo Roccoli was 14th best aboard the PATA by Martini Yamaha, just ahead of the two wild-card riders Leon Bovee and David Linortner.