With his team-mate Tom Sykes fastest man near the end of Superpole 2, and seemingly all ready to take his new record 44th pole position, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) ultimately swept in to score his second pole of 2018 (and the 16th of his career) with a 1’45.797 lap.

Said Rea, “I tried to put myself on the on front row because track position is everything here. I feel we have the weapons to fight Chaz this year.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) himself fell in the Superpole 2 session but still managed to go third on the grid, the last man on the front row, behind Rea and Sykes.

Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) placed fourth as the big guns of WorldSBK fired loudest again. Top independent rider wasXavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) in fifth.

A strong comeback to WorldSBK action for Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) put him sixth, having had to qualify out of Superpole 1 to even get into Superpole 2.

Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) heads up the third row in seventh place after SP2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba Racing.it Ducati Junior Team) was eighth, and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) ninth.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) was a top Yamaha runner, in tenth, with wildcard rider Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 11th and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) 12th and the final man in SP2.

PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) will be 17th on the race one grid, and also fast pre-race Honda rider in a running flush of CBRs, with Jason O’Halloran (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 18th and Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 19th.