With ominous storm clouds gathering and lightning crackling in the distance, Ben Spies reigned supreme Saturday afternoon at Miller Motorsports Park.
Spies captured the pole position for a Superbike World Championship event for a record-setting seventh straight time, making him the favorite in Sunday’s two-race final.
A rookie in the Superbike World Championship series, Spies already has won five times and placed second once in his first 12 starts this season.
His best one-lap time of 1:48.344 was nearly six-tenths of a second faster than Carlos Checa, who was a double-winner in Utah last year.
Asked about his prospects in the final, Spies said, “It’s going to be tough. Carlos is obviously fast here, and there are four or five other guys who have really good race pace. So it’s going to be tough.”
While Spies always runs well at Miller Motorsports Park, season points leader Noriyuki Haga usually struggles. Salt Lake Tribune
Spies also could be proud of winning the pole on home ground, the only Superbike World round in the United States this year. He’ll have the full support of the crowd for the two 21-lap races Sunday on the very fast 3.048-mile course.
“It feels great to have the record and to do it in my home race, but to get the record in the world championship is bigger,” Spies said. “I knew I had a good race pace (before qualifying) and knew qualifying would be pretty good. When everybody started talking up about the record, I felt the pressure. I got through the anxiety and the nervousness and the pressure. Once I rolled out for the warm-up, everything went into race mode and I got it done.”
Spies is third in the world championship, 88 points behind Dutati’s Noriyuki Haga and three behind Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio. Spies has won five of 12 races-all the series’ rounds have two-but needs to nearly sweep the remaining 16 to overtake Haga.
“The goal is (Sunday),’ Spies said. “I have good race pace. There are four or five riders with good race pace. It’s going to be a fight.”
Haga failed to advance to the final round of qualifying and starts in ninth position, the inside of the third row in Superbike’s four-wide, standing-start procedure. Fabrizio starts from the outside of the front row. SI.com
Spies set a new world record by claiming his seventh consecutive superpole position during superpole qualifying for the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Miller Motorsports Park.
The 24 year-old series rookie eclipsed the previous best mark of six straight poles set by fellow Texan Doug Polen in 1992. Deseret News
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