Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) once again proved the fastest Superpole runner, taking his 37th career pole position and his seventh of the season with a lap of 1’22.155.
In his latest pre-race triumph Sykes was 0.055 seconds ahead of his team-mate Jonathan Rea, and 0.324 seconds ahead of Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in third.
Leading off the second row for each race is Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as a good start to the first of two Laguna Seca racedays gave privateer rider Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) a top five Superpole finish.
Happily for the local fans Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) was sixth, and thus starts from an important second row grid placing at his home round.
Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) placed his S1000RR into seventh grid spot, while Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team Aprilia) and Niccolo Canepa (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) completed the top nine places.
The up and down experiences of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) continued as he was tenth in Superpole 2, and therefore tenth on the grid.
Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) made it out of Superpole 1 and into Superpole 2, to compete for their final grid positions of 12th and 11th respectively.
Anthony West (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was 14th on the grid and Josh Brookes (Milwaukee BMW) 15th.
By Gordon Ritchie