Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA
Qualifying report

Giugliano breaks Losail best lap to claim Superpole

The second time this year for Davide Giugliano as pole sitter.

Davide Giugliano

Davide Giugliano

Ducati Corse

Tom Sykes
Chaz Davies
Chaz Davies
Chaz Davies
Davide Giugliano
Davide Giugliano
Loris Baz
Loris Baz
Loris Baz
Davide Giugliano able to ride off

Doha (Qatar) – The first ever floodlit Tissot-Superpole has been won by Ducati Superbike Team’s Davide Giugliano, who will line up for tomorrow’s two 17 lap encounters alongside Loris Baz and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who will join him on the front row.

This is the second time this year for Giugliano as pole sitter, the third one so far in his WSBK career. The Italian rider clocked in 1’57.033 to set the new best lap of the track.

The top 3 riders were awarded with their Tissot-Superpole trophies by two time World Superbike Champion James Toseland.

Quotes

Davide Giugliano: “I’m very happy. For me it was important to be on the front row. The fast lap and being faster than Ben Spies is good for us but it’s more important to be consistent over race distance. Yesterday it was difficult but I’m happy with all my team, they are working very hard. In my heart I want to win, but after the recent races it’s important for me and important for Ducati to have two strong races tomorrow.”

Tom Sykes: “It was not the easiest day yesterday but It means nothing being fast on the Friday. We were working towards tomorrow. I have a game plan and me the whole Kawasaki Racing Team are working for this. Of course I’m here to win races, but it’s more important to win the championship.”

Second row

The second row for the season’s final races will see Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team), Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team).

Best classified EVO rider David Salom will start from the fourth row in 12th position.

Wildcard rider Alex Cudlin (Team Pedercini Kawasaki - EVO) will make his WSBK race debut starting from 16th on the grid whilst Geoff May, who put the Team Hero EBR machine into Superpole for the very first time, will move off from the 19th position.

Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) both crashed unhurt and will start from 7th and 11th respectively.

Superpole 1

Superpole 1 saw Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) and EVO leader David Salom (Kawasaki Racing Team) progress, joining the already automatically seeded riders after the combined FP1, FP2 and FP3 sessions yesterday. The pair were separated by 0.086s at the end of an exciting 15 minute session.

Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia - EVO) suffered a huge highside in the final moments of the first Superpole session bringing out the red flag. The Frenchman was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks and his conditions will be reviewed before tomorrow’s warm up.

Times

1. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'57.033 average 165.492 kph; 2. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'57.281; 3. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'57.468; 4. Davies (Ducati) 1'57.562; 5. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1'57.833; 6. Haslam (Honda) 1'58.005; 7. Rea (Honda) 1'58.190; 8. Melandri (Aprilia) 1'58.355; 9. Laverty (Suzuki) 1'58.379; 10. Elias (Aprilia) 1'58.583; 11. Lowes (Suzuki) 1'58.919; 12. Salom (Kawasaki) 1'59.015; 13. Barrier (BMW); 14. Canepa (Ducati); 15. Andreozzi (Kawasaki); 16. Cudlin (Kawasaki); 17. Staring (Kawasaki); 18. Guarnoni (Kawasaki); 19. May (EBR); 20. Morais (Kawasaki).

WSBK

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Incident packed Doha boat trip for the WSBK stars
Next article Guintoli wins race 1 to pile the pressure on Sykes

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA