If there were two riders that you could actually see frustrated by the red flag during SP3, that had to be Tom Sykes and Loris Baz.
For a few minutes it looked like the two Kawasaki riders would be 1-2 ob tomorrow’s starting grid at Silverstone, instead the rain flag and then the red flag changed the outcome.
With the SP3 session having been halted, the lap times obtained before the red flag were cancelled, including Sykes record breaking lap.
The Superpole was declared ‘wet’ session, and the eight riders had to start all over again – with Sykes being very vocal and upset regarding the decision on the re-start.
With just one flying lap available on almost a dry track in the ‘wet’ session, the very ticked off Kawasaki rider had to settle for fifth.
“If those are the rules then that’s what happens but at least we got back to the second row and not the third.
There had four minutes left of the session when they stopped it and turned it into a wet Superpole.
I am far from happy because nobody even looked at a wet tyre,” remarked Sykes.
“On the positive side tomorrow is another day and row two is not too bad.
We have struggled a little bit all weekend but when it really mattered Kawasaki, the boys, and especially my crew chief Marcel have given me a package that I was able to do something good with.
“I was more comfortable on the bike in that session and the lap time was not so bad.
I was riding easier than I had been all weekend.
My qualifying time that got cut was really good.
I will just re-set myself for tomorrow now.
It is the race result that counts, second row is good and we have a strong race setting.
” The Silverstone circuit certainly agrees with Loris Baz, who won last year’s race.
The Frenchman was fast throughout the first two stints – topping the timesheets in the second – and during the shortlived third stint it looked like a Kawasaki in-house battle for the pole position, with Sykes getting the best, but the rain and the red flag destroyed the hopes of the green team’s 1-2.
In the re-start, Loris Baz immediately took the provisional pole and with just a few minutes left in the session, it looked like he would take his maiden pole position, but the track dried out and during his last attempt Baz found traffic, and had to settle for fourth, demoted by Eugene Laverty, Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea.
Despite the fact that he missed a front row start, not once but twice, the Frenchman’s result was his best ever qualifying performance.
.
“I do not know whether to be happy or gutted! This morning when I woke up I never thought that I would be able to get fourth place after Superpole.
Honestly I do not understand the rule that we have to stop in Superpole three and then have 20 minutes of ‘wet’ Superpole.
“All the same I made a very good time in Superpole – can I say – Superpole ‘four’.
Then the track dried out near the end and I was able to take the top position again, until I got stuck behind another rider in two crucial corners.
That was a big shame and maybe it just was not my day.
I am really confident for tomorrow now and I want to thank my team who did a mega job yet again.
”