2012 World Superbike Superpole Results with Video Highlights
Tom Sykes is two for two regarding pole positions in the 2012 World Superbike Championship.
The Kawasaki Racing Team not only earned the pole position at Imola in Italy Saturday, the Brit also set a new track record at the 4.396-mile Enzo & Dino Ferrari circuit – a 1:46.748.
Sykes, who finished fourth and third at the season opener in Australia last month, was the only rider to post under the 1:47 mark, Sykes once again showing the speed of the ZX-10R. Last year, competing on the revamped 2011 ZX-10R, Sykes gave Kawasaki its first World SBK win since 2006 after being victorious at Nurburgring, Germany.
Just how far ahead of the field was Sykes at Imola Superpole? How about 0.473 of a second ahead of Team Effenbert Liberty Racing Ducati’s Sylvain Guintoli, who posted a 1.47.221. Taking the final two positions on the front row were Althea Racing Ducati’s Carlos Checa, who has won at Imola three times, and BMW Motorrad’s Leon Haslam; the reigning World Superbike Champion Checa posted a 1:47.423, Haslam, a 1:47.458.
Heading up the second row is home-favorite, Max Biaggi aboard the Aprilia Racing Team RSV4. The 2010 World SBK Champ posted a 1:47.611, and was followed 0.031 of a second behind by another Italian, BMW Motorrad’s Marco Melandri.
Taking the seventh and eighth positions to finish up the second row were Honda World Superbike’s Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Joan Lascorz.
The 25-rider grid will be back on the Imola circuit Sunday morning for 15-minute warm-up ahead of both races. For a preview of Imola, click here. Video highlights are attached below.
2012 Imola World Superbike: Superpole Results:
1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’46.748
2. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’47.221
3. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’47.423
4. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1’47.458
5. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’47.611
6. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1’47.642
7. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 1’47.643
8. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’47.740
9. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 1’48.108
10. Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 1’48.137
11. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’48.299
12. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R
13. Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1’48.267
14. Niccolò Canepa (Red Devils Roma) Ducati 1098R 1’48.382
15. Leon Camier (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’48.415
16. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 1’48.631
17. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’48.857
18. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 1’48.904
19. John Hopkins (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’49.790
20. David Salom (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’49.854
21. Mark Aitchison (Grillini Progea Superbike Team) BMW S1000 RR 1’50.009
22. Brett McCormick (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 1’50.266
23. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 1’50.670
24. Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’50.999
25. Lorenzo Alfonsi (Team Pro Ride Real Game Honda) Honda CBR1000RR 1’52.993