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Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes will start from pole position on home soil after setting a blistering time in World Superbikes Superpole at Donington Park.
The Englishman has been the man to beat in all the previous sessions leading up to Superpole and he didn’t disappoint his home crowd, as he smashed his own lap record on three occasions to grab pole.
Sykes will start alongside the championship leader Sylvain Guintoli, who was more than half a second slower on his works Aprilia, with Ireland’s Eugene Laverty completing the front row.
Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea was fourth ahead of fellow Brit Leon Camier on the Fixi Crescent Suzuki. Monza star Marco Melandri could only post a time good enough for sixth spot, but was only two tenths behind third placed Laverty.
Chaz Davies made it four Brits in the top eight in seventh ahead of Althea Aprilia’s Davide Giugliano and Alstare Ducati’s Niccolo Canepa. Former world champion Carlos Checa rounded out the top 10.
Australian Mark Aitchison was an absentee from Donington Park following the announcement that his Effenbert Liberty Racing Team have withdrawn from the 2013 World Superbike Championship.
Qualifying
| 1 | Tom Sykes | Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R | 1: 27.378 |
| 2 | Sylvain Guintoli | Aprilia Racing RSV4 | 1:27.716 |
| 3 | Eugene Laverty | Aprilia Racing RSV4 | 1:28.014 |
| 4 | Jonathan Rea | Pata Honda CBR1000RR | 1:28.139 |
| 5 | Leon Camier | Fixi Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 1:28.252 |
| 6 | Marco Melandri | BMW GoldBet S1000RR HP4 | 1:28.280 |
| 7 | Chaz Davies | BMW GoldBet S1000RR HP4 | 1:28.644 |
| 8 | Davide Giugliano | Althea Aprilia RSV4 | 1:28.779 |
| 9 | Niccolo Canepa | Alstare Ducati 1199 R | 1:29.318 |
| 10 | Carlos Checa | Alstare Ducati 1199 R | 1:28.454 |
| 11 | Jules Cluzel | Fixi Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 1:28.844 |
| 12 | Loris Baz | Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R | 1:28.850 |
| 13 | Leon Haslam | Pata Honda CBR1000RR | 1:29.172 |
| 14 | Ayrton Badovini | Alstare Ducati 1199 R | 1:29.211 |
| 15 | Michel Fabrizio | Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 | 1:29.214 |
| 16 | *Max Neukirchner | MR Ducati 1199 R | 1:30.817 |
| 17 | *Federico Sandi | Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R | 1:32.010 |
| 18 | *Alexander Lundh | Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R | 1:32.145 |
| 19 | *Vittorio Iannuzzo | Grillini Dentalmatic BMW S1000RR | 1:33.141 |
*Did no progress to Superpole
