Guintoli on world superbike pole

Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli has produced the best ever world superbike lap of the Phillip Island circuit in qualifying for round one of the 2014 Superbike World Championship.

The Aprilia-mounted Guintoli produced his scorching 1min30.038sec lap with five minutes to go in the 15-minute Superpole session, with Italy’s Davide Guigliano (1:30.135) also eclipsing Carlos Checa’s previous best lap of 1:30.234, set in 2013.

“I am happy to be on the bike and back on the pace,” said Guintoli. “The off-season was a nightmare with my injured shoulder – I was off the bike for four months -- but I now feel good and am back in shape.

“It's s a shame to be so close to the 29-second mark around Phillip Island, but we’ll now have to leave that for next year.

“It’s no secret that this circuit is one of my favourites, but a lot of riders are on the pace. Hopefully the power of the RSV4 Factory will get me through.”

Guigliano said: “We have been able to score some good results over these days. Up until now we’ve had a good pace but we need to see what track conditions are like tomorrow and then see what we can do.

"We’re very pleased to be able to start from the front row tomorrow and second place is an important result for us. I hope to be able to make a solid start – the start is one of strengths usually.

"I’m also happy with having made a 1:30.2 with the race tyre, it was a nice surprise when I saw that time appear on my dashboard. I’m feeling confident for tomorrow, and I’ll be fighting hard to be part of the leading group.”

Guintoli -- a race winner at Phillip Island in 2013 -- and Guigliano will be joined on the front row of the grid by Marco Melandri (Aprilia, 1:30.332) in tomorrow’s two 22-lap races, while the second row will comprise Eugene Laverty (Suzuki , 1:30.385), practice pacesetter Alex Lowes (Suzuki, 1:30.421) and Honda’s Jonathan Rea (1:30.660).

Next in line will be Kawasaki pair Loris Baz (1:30.796) and world champion Tom Sykes (1:30.797), to be joined by Honda’s Leon Haslam (1:31.138).

Sykes was on a hot lap with just a few minutes to go when he crashed at Lukey Heights – certainly not the first ride to come unstuck at turn nine this weekend. He was unhurt and will be ready to begin his title defence tomorrow.

Top Evo rider Niccolo Canepa (Ducati, 1:31.274), Chaz Davies (Ducati, 1:31.281) and David Salom (Kawasaki Evo, 1:31.950) will start from row four.

After a crash in final practice, Australia’s Glenn Allerton (BMW) didn’t make it out into Superpole and will start from 19th on the grid, while Matt Walters (Kawasaki) has now withdrawn from the world superbike program after a high-speed bingle at turn 11 in free practice three.

The world superbike races will be held at midday and 2:40pm respectively.

WORLD SUPERSPORT
The seemingly peerless Kenan Sofuoglu has continued his stellar start to the 2014 world supersport season by claiming pole position for tomorrow’s 18-lap championship opener at Phillip Island.

The three-time world champion hustled his Kawasaki ZX-6R around the 4.45km circuit to uncork a best lap of 1:32.679 in the 45-minute session, well ahead of the Honda CBR600RR of Dutchman Michael van der Mark (1:33.021).

Italian Roberto Tamburini (Kawasaki, 1:33.290) provided a minor surprise by annexing the final spot on the front row, and the second line of riders will be Kev Coghlan (Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.300), American PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki, 1:33.346) and Russian Vladamir Leonov (1:33.379) on the MV Agusta F3 675.

Jacobsen was second on the timesheets with five minutes to go before crashing at turn 10.

Australia’s Bryan Staring (Honda, 1:34.273) will start from 10th on the grid, and knows that a flying start will be critical in tomorrow’s race to stay in touch with the leaders during the frenetic opening laps.

Adelaide’s Billy McConnell (Triumph Daytona 675R, 1:34.39) is only two spots behind Staring in 12th, and Victoria’s Ryan Taylor (Yamaha, 1:36.253) is 24th on the 25-rider grid.

The world supersport race will be held at 1:10pm.

Superbike qualifying
1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1'30.038 average 177.725 kph; 2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1'30.135; 3. Melandri (Aprilia) 1'30.332; 4. Laverty (Suzuki) 1'30.385; 5. Lowes (Suzuki) 1'30.421; 6. Rea (Honda) 1'30.660; 7. Baz (Kawasaki) 1'30.796; 8. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'30.835; 9. Haslam (Honda) 1'31.138; 10. Canepa (Ducati) 1'31.274; 11. Davies (Ducati) 1'31.281; 12. Salom (Kawasaki) 1'31.950; 13. Elias (Aprilia) 1'32.107; 14. Corti (MV Agusta) 1'32.187; 15. Foret (Kawasaki) 1'32.248; 16. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 1'32.902; 17. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1'33.146; 18. Morais (Kawasaki) 1'33.404; 19. Allerton (BMW) 1'33.605; 20. Toth (BMW) 1'34.137; 21. Walters (Kawasaki) 1'34.453; 22. May (EBR) 1'34.640; 23. Yates (EBR) 1'35.521; NC. Sebestyen (BMW) 1'37.274.

Supersport qualifying
1. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) 1'32.769 average 172.493 kph; 2. Vd Mark (Honda) 1'33.021; 3. Tamburini (Kawasaki) 1'33.290; 4. Coghlan (Yamaha) 1'33.300; 5. Jacobsen (Kawasaki) 1'33.346; 6. Leonov (MV Agusta) 1'33.379; 7. De Rosa (Honda) 1'33.542; 8. Wilairot (Honda) 1'33.755; 9. Zanetti (Honda) 1'34.100; 10. Staring (Honda) 1'34.273; 11. Marino (Kawasaki) 1'34.276; 12. McConnell (Triumph) 1'34.392; 13. Wahr (Yamaha) 1'34.517; 14. Cluzel (MV Agusta) 1'34.724; 15. Gamarino (Kawasaki) 1'34.747; 16. Menghi (Yamaha) 1'34.885; 17. Russo (Honda) 1'34.930; 18. Gowland (Triumph) 1'35.030; 19. Rolfo (Kawasaki) 1'35.191; 20. Coveña (Kawasaki) 1'35.429; 21. Bussolotti (Honda) 1'35.511; 22. Calero (Honda) 1'35.652; 23. Rogers (Honda) 1'36.088; 24. Taylor (Yamaha) 1'36.253; 25. Ivanov (Yamaha) 1'36.462.
Live timing   www.worldsbk.com

PHILLIP ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIP
A last lap blunder by Honda teammate Wayne Maxwell cleared the way for Josh Hook to claim an easy victory in the inaugural Phillip Island Championship battle at the Victorian seaside circuit.

Hook and Maxwell were locked in a tight battle on the final lap of the superbike race when Hook, the leader, went slightly wide at turn nine (Lukey Heights), allowing Maxwell to slip underneath – but his ascendancy was short-lived after he lost the front end and speared off the circuit.

Hook then only had to canter to the finish line to claim his first superbike win at Phillip Island at a national level, with the third member of the Team Honda triumvirate, Jamie Stauffer, a lonely second from Queenslander Michael Jones (Kawasaki) making his debut in the superbike ranks.

Prostock riders Dean Condon (Kawasaki) and Chris Trounson (Honda) were fourth and fifth, followed by New Zealander Sloan Frost on a BMW.

Twenty-nine of the 34 starters made to the finish of the 12-lapper, and Hook set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:33.166.

Earlier, in the opening supersport race, Aussie champion Daniel Falzon edged out Callum Spriggs and Aaron Morris, while Matt Davies got the better of Samuel Lambert in the battle for fourth. The top four were on Yamahas, while Lambert was Triumph mounted.

Supersports will be back on track at 10:10am tomorrow, and the superbike/prostock brigade at 3:50pm.

Phillip Island Motor Sports and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation have joined forces to launch the Phillip Island Championship at the world superbike meeting this weekend. The championship will conclude at the MotoGP round from October 17-19 – a total of four races for each category across the two meetings.