Xaus: There's pressure.

Ruben Xaus was unable to match his team-mate Neil Hodgson in Superpole this afternoon, but while that wasn;t much of a shock given the Brit's pace all weekend, Xaus also lost out to James Toseland.

However, the Spanaird was keen to point out that it's a long season and that he's focussing on the championship, rather than individual races, but he still had to admit the pressure's growing.

"My Superpole lap time was not so bad but there was a lot of wind everywhere and it pushes you to one side a bit. For me it's important to win the championship this year, not just do well in Superpole," said Xaus. "The season is long and I can't wait to get started tomorrow. Everything is new this year, a new bike, a new sponsor and a new team-mate.

"For sure there's pressure at my home circuit, especially with Neil going well," he admitted. "The front of the bike is not working as well as last weekend and that changes my style of riding a bit, but I'm looking forward to racing tomorrow because I'm happy with my set-up on my race tyres."