Sykes snatches pole from Rea at Misano

Full WorldSBK qualifying results from Misano

Tom Sykes has made more World Superbike history by taking his seventh consecutive pole position at Misano after beating Kawasaki teammate Jonathan Rea with his final flying lap.

Sykes snatches pole from Rea at Misano

Full WorldSBK qualifying results from Misano

Tom Sykes has made more World Superbike history by taking his seventh consecutive pole position at Misano after beating Kawasaki teammate Jonathan Rea with his final flying lap.

The Kawasaki rider, who has the most World Superbike poles of any rider, has become the first person to claim seven pole positions at one circuit in the series. Sykes secured the top spot in typically dramatic style with his final lap with a 1m 33.640s to edge out Rea by just 0.033s.

Rea led the opening runs in Superpole 2 using the race tyre but saw his fastest lap deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 16, but the Kawasaki rider still held on to provisional top spot with a 1m 34.467s.

Rea returned with the Pirelli qualifying tyre to set the marker to beat early on but was powerless to stop Sykes storming ahead.

Fresh from his first podium of the season at Laguna Seca, Eugene Laverty completes the front row on the Milwaukee Aprilia having impressed during free practice but was over sixth-tenths of a second behind the Kawasaki duo in qualifying trim.

Xavi Fores impressed for Barni Ducati by leading the Italian manufacturer’s charge in qualifying ahead of the factory riders to take the front of the second row ahead of Lorenzo Savadori on the Milwaukee Aprilia and Loris Baz on the Althea BMW.

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Chaz Davies turned around a difficult qualifying to take seventh on the grid in front of Aruba.it Racing Ducati teammate Marco Melandri with MV Agusta’s Jordi Torres completing row three despite a technical issue threatening his progress from Superpole 1.

With Leon Camier taking 10th for Red Bull Honda, it was a disaster qualifying for Pata Yamaha.

Alex Lowes suffered a small off midway through the pole position shootout and after failing to pit immediately following his crash his resulting lap times were deleted which demoted him to 12th on the grid just one spot behind teammate Michael van der Mark.

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