2020 Catalunya World Superbike Superpole Race Result: Razgatlioglu Misses The Start

The ten lap Superpole race was dry, with two riders opting not to use the SCX tyre. Toprak Razgatlioglu would not make the start due to a chest injury from a highside crash in the morning's warmup.

Jonathan Rea led into turn one with Michael van der Mark, Alex Lowes and Alvaro Bautista behind him, with Tom Sykes, Loris Baz ahead of Scott Redding, one of the two riders not to use the SCX sprint race tyre, who got a poor start. After a lap, Jonathan Rea headed a trip of riders breaking away at the front, escaping with Michael van der Mark and Alvaro Bautista. Garrett Gerloff showed great pace in the middle of the second group, fighting with Loris Baz in front of the three Ducatis of Chaz Davies, Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi. 

The leading three set the fastest lap in sequence, with Alvaro Bautista's 1'41.828 quickest. Federico Caricasulo and Leon Haslam had a crash at turn ten that sent them both to the medical centre for assessment and would be looked at after the race.

On lap three, Alvaro Bautista tucked in behind the two bikes in front of him and he passed them both down the long straight and into turn one. Bautista maintained the lead until turn four, when he let a little too much power hit his rear tyre, sliding into a highside crash, throwing Bautista over his bike. Jonathan Rea clipped Bautista's Honda but didn't come a cropper, recovering from what could have been. He resumed racing almost a second behind Michael van der Mark, but still over a second clear of third-placed Loris Baz who was fending off Chaz Davies and Garrett Gerloff for the last podium spot. 

At the start of lap five, Scott Redding, behind Alex Lowes, fended off an attack into turn one by Michael Ruben Rinaldi, but ran too deep and had to make use of the escape route and relinquished seventh place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi was the other rider not using an SCX tyre, presumably because he didn't have enough left to use one both here and in this afternoon's feature race. 

As Chaz Davies and Garrett Gerloff continued to duel over fourth place, with Gerloff closing on Davies into every turn, snapping at his heels, unable to get past, Loris Baz started building a gap from them. Jonathan Rea caught up with Michael van der Mark, but started slipping back a tenth or so a lap. In the fight for sixth place, Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Scott Redding kept up with Alex Lowes, but only Rinaldi could pass him.

Michael van der Mark won a couple of seconds clear of Jonathan Rea and Loris Baz, with Chaz Davies fending off the attentions of Garrett Gerloff, the American achieving a career-best fifth place, almost three seconds clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi.

Van der Mark, Rea and Baz will make up the front row for this afternoon's race, ahead of Davies, Gerloff and Rinaldi. Lowes, Redding and Sykes will make up the third row.

Michael van der Mark's victory puts him in fourth place in the championship, five points behind Chaz Davies and one point in front of Toprak Razgatlioglu, while Jonathan Rea extends his lead to forty eight points. 

Results: