Tissot-Superpole 1 got underway at 10:30am local time (GMT +2) at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola with immediate drama at the pit exit, with Pata Yamaha rider Alex Lowes suffering a problem that saw him initially unable to exit the pits. Barni Racing rider Xavi Forés, after problems in FP2 on Friday in Italy, was the pacesetter at the start of the session, ahead of Dutch Honda rider Michael van der Mark as the two riders led the charge to Superpole 2 after having been left slightly out of position in a difficult Friday.

Van der Mark’s Honda teammate Nicky Hayden then began to find some impressive pace to top the session, with the American Imola rookie getting to grips with the Italian track quickly. Left with a benchmark time set by his Kentucky-born teammate, van der Mark was facing a mountain to climb after being held up on a fast lap and running off track. With one final attempt left for the Dutchman under pressure, a last push to the limit saw the number 60 Honda top Tissot-Superpole 1, graduating to Superpole 2 with teammate Hayden and leaving Forés and Lowes in P13 and P14 on the grid, to add further excitement to what will surely prove an exciting showdown in Race 1.

With Tissot-Superpole 2 then soon underway, red helmets lit up the timing screens with Rea topping the session, until a highside incident for Pata Yamaha rider Sylvain Guintoli brought out the Red Flag with 9 and a half minutes still on the clock.

The pit lane reopened at 11:11am and riders got straight back out on track for the final part of the session. Tom Sykes, the lap record holder and most successful qualifier at Imola, then saw his best lap of the circuit taken by Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Chaz Davies, as the Welshman made good on his pace from Friday to take a stunning pole position at the home race of his team. Teammate Davide Giugliano, who started from pole at Imola last year, put in the second fastest time to complete a Ducati 1-2. With the 90^th Anniversary of the mythical Italian marque celebrated this year, the fantastic form of the number 7 and 34 riders gave home fans plenty to cheer for.

Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea, who shares the record for most wins at Imola with Carlos Checa, outqualified his teammate Tom Sykes to take the last place on the front row, with his Yorkshireman teammate only 3 thousandths of a second further back in P4. Lorenzo Savadori put in a great lap to take P5 in his first WorldSBK outing at Imola on the Aprilia machine, with Jordi Torres putting his Althea BMW machine just behind him in P6.

Leon Camier was another rider with home interests on the MV Agusta, and took a solid P7 to fight for the marque’s first points at Imola when the lights go out for Race 1. Markus Reiterberger completed a good qualifying for Althea in P8, with Honda’s Nicky Hayden in P9 and VFT rider Matteo Baiocco taking an impressive P10. Michael van der Mark will start P11 after returning to the pits in the final minutes of the session, ahead of the number 50 Pata Yamaha of Sylvain Guintoli after the Frenchman’s crash.

Race 1 begins at 13:00 local time at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.