Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) set a new track best lap of 1’32.957 – without the aid of a qualifying rear tyre – to take his tenth career Superpole win today. He had earlier become the first rider to crack the 1’32 barrier at the Thai circuit, during FP3.
With no riders using qualifying tyres today Rea’s closest challenger was his own team-mate Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) over 0.2 seconds from Rea.
Third rider to start race one later today is Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) after finishing half a second from Rea, but his team-mate Chaz Davies was only fifth and a Superpole 2 faller at a key time.
Ahead of Davies, in what is becoming a strong season for the rejuvenated Pata Yamaha official WorldSBK team, was Alex Lowes, now in fourth place for the race one grid. The good news continued for Yamaha when Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) pushed himself to sixth place and the back of row two.
Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) found some missing pace to start seventh, ahead of Spanish Ducati privateer Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati) and Laverty’s team-mate Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia). The latter rider had to qualify out of Superpole 1 to make it into Superpole 2, which he did alongside Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).
Camier would be 11th in Superpole 2, one place behind another faller in Superpole 2, Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team).
The last rider on the fourth row will be the other BMW rider in Thailand, Markus Reiterberger (Althea BMW Racing Team).
Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was 14th overall after Superpole 1 and his team-mate Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) placed 16th. Race one starts at 16.00 local time in Thailand.
By Gordon Ritchie
-
- Jonathan Rea, Thai WSBK 2017
-
- Sykes, Jonathan Rea and Melandri, superpole, Thai WSBK 2017