Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) scored his first ever WorldSBK Superpole win with a stunning new track best time of 1’31.912.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) scored second place with a last gasp 1’32.341, also under the old track best, but 0.429 seconds behind Bautista.
Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured third place and a front row start for the first race later today.
Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) continued his good form from Friday into Superpole, taking fourth place and displacing the second factory Ninja of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) late in the 15-minute session.
Bautista, Thai WorldSBK 2019
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made it four different bikes in the first two rows with sixth place, despite still missing some power on the straights. He was just under a second from Bautista.
Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha) placed seventh, heading up row three, with two Ducati riders behind – Eugene Laverty (Team GoEleven Ducati) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten, 1.331 seconds behind the remarkable Bautista.
Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was 11th and Leon Camier (Moriwaki-Althea Honda Racing Team) 12th.
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- VD Mark, Thai WorldSSP 2019
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- Rea, Thai WorldSSP 2019
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- Davies, Thai WorldSBK 2019
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- Bautista, Thai WorldSBK 2019
BY GORDON RITCHIE
PHOTOS GNG