World Superbike Superpole was fifteen minutes of qualifying, with different one- and two-stop strategies available.
After the first timed lap, Jonathan Rea sat at the top, with a 1'36.573, towing Lucas Mahias to the second spot, until Toprak Razgatlioglu crossed the line with a 1'36.546, but it was Tom Sykes with a 1'36.407 reminding everyone that he's quick on Saturdays. Scott Redding waited until everyone spent then first tyre before heading out on one of his qualifying tyres.
The two-stop strategists started filing out on their first qualifying tyres, having used the X tyre for their first stint. Redding's lap was only good enough for tenth place before he nipped back in to his box.
Alex Lowes on his first qualifying tyre put in a very quick 1'36.025 on his second stint with just over five minutes left in the session. With under three minutes left, everyone was on track for one last stint, and Toprak Razgatlioglu set a 1'35.784 with just over a minute left. He was joined by Tom Sykes just over a tenth of a second behind him, but there were three riders on pace to take the top spot.
Lucas Mahias crashed out into one at a high speed, bringing out the yellow flags just as the chequered flag came out. Jonathan Rea was ahead of the yellow flag though, and he took pole position with a 1'35.683.
Jonathan Rea took pole position with a lap record ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Tom Sykes. Alex Lowes headed the second row ahead of Andrea Locatelli and Leon Haslam. Scott Redding could only manage an eighth place, behind his Ducati teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi. Rea's pole position was his eighth consecutive this year, a new record.
Tom Sykes's rear tyre was so hot and sticky that it lifted the carpets in Parc Fermé.
Results:
Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | Speed |
1 | 1 | J. REA | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'35.683 | 294,3 | |
2 | 54 | T. RAZGATLIOGLU | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'35.784 | 0.101 | 296,7 |
3 | 66 | T. SYKES | BMW M 1000 RR | 1'35.919 | 0.236 | 287,2 |
4 | 22 | A. LOWES | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'36.025 | 0.342 | 294,3 |
5 | 55 | A. LOCATELLI | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'36.201 | 0.518 | 294,3 |
6 | 91 | L. HASLAM | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | 1'36.258 | 0.575 | 297,5 |
7 | 21 | M. RINALDI | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'36.415 | 0.732 | 290,3 |
8 | 45 | S. REDDING | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'36.485 | 0.802 | 298,3 |
9 | 60 | M. VAN DER MARK | BMW M 1000 RR | 1'36.736 | 1.053 | 295,9 |
10 | 44 | L. MAHIAS | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'36.814 | 1.131 | 274,8 |
11 | 7 | C. DAVIES | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'36.871 | 1.188 | 299,2 |
12 | 31 | G. GERLOFF | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'36.926 | 1.243 | 294,3 |
13 | 47 | A. BASSANI | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'37.114 | 1.431 | 292,7 |
14 | 19 | A. BAUTISTA | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | 1'37.269 | 1.586 | 300,8 |
15 | 53 | T. RABAT | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1'37.719 | 2.036 | 297,5 |
16 | 23 | C. PONSSON | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'37.860 | 2.177 | 291,9 |
17 | 32 | I. VINALES | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'37.970 | 2.287 | 289,5 |
18 | 3 | K. NOZANE | Yamaha YZF R1 | 1'37.997 | 2.314 | 281,3 |
19 | 94 | J. FOLGER | BMW M 1000 RR | 1'38.184 | 2.501 | 291,1 |
20 | 36 | L. MERCADO | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | 1'38.357 | 2.674 | 295,9 |
21 | 84 | L. CRESSON | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1'38.862 | 3.179 | 285,7 |