Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi stunned everybody by storming to second place in Superpole for tomorrow’s opening World Superbike Championship round in Qatar - despite never ever having done a Superpole lap before.
He was fifth overall in regular qualifying, but a super-smooth lap of 1:58.724 saw him finish just behind Troy Corser (Yamaha). Third quickest was James Toseland (Honda) with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) fourth.
Biaggi’s team mate Yukio Kagayama made a few mistakes on his Superpole lap but claimed seventh and will start tomorrow’s pair of 18-lap races from the second row of the grid.
Max Biaggi - 2nd, 1:58.724 :
“Superpole was another new experience for me and I can tell you that I was a bit nervous before I started it. I didn’t want to make any mistakes or crash, so I tried to ride as smoothly as I could and get round in the best time. I am very happy because my Superpole lap was the fastest lap I’ve done this weekend and it means that I am well-placed on the front row of the grid. The bike is working well and I am enjoying all these new experiences, but what matters now is what happens in the races tomorrow. I think we can make a good result and for that I have to thank my Alstare team for all the work they’ve done. I am just sorry that Francis Batta is not here to see us and I hope he watches it on TV and we can give him a good result. “
Yukio Kagayama - 7th, 1:59.964 :
“I think I made small mistakes almost all round the circuit in my Superpole lap and that lost a lot of time. That was mainly because I did not have a good feeling with the qualifying tyre. Maybe I was a bit too aggressive in the first part and by the time I smoothed myself out, it was too late. But my set-up for the race is good - better than for Superpole - and I am confident that I can make good results. After all, second row at this track is not so bad because the first turn is a long way from the start. As long as I make a good start, I can be on the podiums. “
Final Qualifying:
1 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 1:58.402,
2, Max Biaggi (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:58.724,
3 Toseland (GB-Honda) 1:59.005,
4 Haga (J-Yamaha) 1:59.294,
5 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:59.537,
6 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati) 1:59.668,
7 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:59.964,
8 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki) 2:00.098,
9 Nieto (E-Kawasaki) 2:00.240,
10 Rolfo (I-Honda) 2:00.414.
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