It was a mixed up World Superbike Superpole at Silverstone this afternoon.
Everything was proceeding as usual until almost the end of SP3, when the session was red flagged because it started to rain very lightly.
Just before the red flag, first Leon Camier, than Loris Baz broke John Hopkins 2011 exsisting record (2′04.
041) until Tom Sykes – who kept a rather low profile during the previous two stints – came blazing through the circuit to stop the clock in a stunning 2′03.
362.
With just four minutes left in the session the red flag came out, officially halting and cancelling the final session, to the frustration and dismay of both Kawasaki riders, and Hopkin’s record was back on the books.
The dry Superpole becoming a wet Superpole and it was a twenty minute session that would decide the first three rows.
The track wasn’t even wet as the riders returned to track with slick tires, as all of them had already finished qualifying tires allotment.
One lap on slick tires and it started to rain a little harder, forcing the riders back into pits and in the final minutes they all angrily returned to track with Eugene Laverty scoring his first pole position of the season in 2′04.
730.
Carlos Checa moved up to second as the chequered flag was already waving, taking his second front row start after his pole position at Phillip Island.
Completing the first row will be Jonathan Rea.
Loris Baz who was expecting to start on the front row before the rain, will now take off in fourth ahead of his very frustrated team mate Tom Sykes who would have taken without a doubt would have taken his 7th Superpole.
In these conditions, Chaz Davies and Leon Camier ended up qualifying sith and seventh, respectively.
Sylvain Guintoli will have to start in 8th, but he suffered a engine failure on his Aprilia in the opening minutes of the ‘wet’ SP3.
Davide Giugliano was pushing hard in the dying seconds of SP2 when he crashed out his Aprilia, and as the bike tumbled, hitting him on his left ankle.
The Italian limped for a few steps and then was stretchered away to the medical center.
His accident left him in the 9th spot.
After leading the top of the timesheets in SP1 with a best lap of 2′04.
488, Jules Cluzel was unable to repeat himself in SP2, and a 2′05.
011 lap left him down in 10th.
Michel Fabrizio’s Red Devils team made a huge strategic error in the first stint, sending out their rider in the final minutes with a used race tire while he was lying in 8th, instead of qualifying tire and that error left him down in 14th and having to start on the fourth row.
The Silverstone round for Marco Melandri will be an uphill battle as he will have to start in 15th.
The BMW Goldbet rider crashed in FP2 injuring his hand and elbow and just a few minutes into SP1, he had to pull over with his machine suffering a technical issue – his engine blew.
2013 WSBK Silverstone Superpole results:1.
Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′04.
7302.
Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 2′04.
9493.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 2′05.
0784.
Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′05.
1055.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′05.
9496.
Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 2′06.
3697.
Leon Camier (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′06.
7758.
Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′04.
3589.
Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′05.
00310.
Jules Cluzel (Fixi Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 2′05.
01111.
Max Neukirchner (MR-Racing) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 2′05.
49212.
Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) Honda CBR1000RR 2′05.
57313.
Ayrton Badovini (Team Ducati Alstare) Ducati 1199 Panigale R 2′05.
49214.
Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 2′05.
59315.
Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK) BMW S1000 RR 2′13.
31716.
Mark Aitchison (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′07.
74317.
Federico Sandi (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 2′08.
10618.
Vittorio Iannuzzo (Grillini Dentalmatic SBK) BMW S1000 RR 2′09.
543