WorldSBK Catalunya, Spain - Superpole Qualifying Results

Results from Superpole qualifying, round nine of the 2021 World Superbike Championship at Catalunya.
Tom Sykes, Catalunya WorldSBK, 17 September 2021
Tom Sykes, Catalunya WorldSBK, 17 September 2021
© Gold and Goose

Tom Sykes has taken a stunning pole position for race one of the Catalan WorldSBK round. 

WorldSBK Catalunya, Spain - Superpole Qualifying Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime
1Tom SykesGBRMotorrad BMW WorldSBK Team1:40.408s
2Toprak RazgatliogluTURPATA Yamaha+0.286s
3Jonathan ReaGBRKawasaki Racing Team+0.513s
4Scott ReddingGBRAruba.It Ducati+0.570s
5Alex LowesGBRKawasaki Racing Team+0.678s
6Andrea LocatelliITAPATA Yamaha+0.721s
7Leon HaslamGBRTeam HRC+0.845s
8Michael RinaldiITAAruba.It Ducati+0.867s
9Michael Van Der MarkNEDMotorrad BMW WorldSBK Team+0.912s
10Garrett GerloffUSAGRT Yamaha+0.997s
11Axel BassaniITAMotocorsa Ducati+1.224s
12Kohta NozaneJPNGRT Yamaha+1.336s
13Chaz DaviesGBRGoEleven Ducati+1.383s
14Samuele CavalieriSPABarni Ducati+1.393s
15Lucas MahiasFRAKawasaki Puccetti+1.400s
16Alvaro BautistaSPATeam HRC+1.647s
17Leandro MercadoARGMIE Honda Racing+1.807s
18Jonas FolgerGERBenovo BMW+1.849s
19Isaac VinalesSPAOrelac Racing Kawasaki+2.038s
20Christophe PonssonFRAGil Yamaha+2.052s
21Loris CressonBELPedercini Kawasaki+3.433s
22Lachlan EpisAUSPedercini Kawasaki+5.324s

After an impressive FP3, it was Tom Sykes who put his BMW M 1000 RR on provisional pole following the opening run. 

Jonathan Rea, who had taken all eight previous pole positions this season, looked on course to better Sykes after having three red sectors. 

However, Sykes was able to hold onto top spot thanks to a very fast final sector. 

Rea briefly went top on his second run before Toprak Razgatlioglu brilliantly bettered his title rival by two tenths. 

But just as a first pole of the season - would have been the second of his career - looked like coming to fruition, Sykes put in an even quicker lap to take pole by over two tenths. 

Free Practice Three

Tom Sykes enjoyed a brilliant start to race day (1) in Catalunya by immediately setting the pace in FP3. 

Second and third after the opening stint were Kawasaki team-mates Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea, while day one pacesetter Toprak Razgatlioglu was fifth. 

Sykes’ fastest time remained until the final five minutes when Yamaha riders Andrea Locatelli, Garrett Gerloff went quicker.

However, it was Razgatlioglu who then bettered both Locatelli and Gerloff with a 1:41.781s to finish quickest.

Michael Rinaldi split the Yamaha’s by going third fastest, before team-mate Scott Redding then went P3 himself. 

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