Checa and Giugliano lead the field in first qualifying
Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano from the Althea Racing Team Ducati went 1-2 in the first qualifying session at the German round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, with Checa enjoying a small but clear advantage on lap time.
Close behind Giugliano, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) slotted in third with Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) making a good jump up to fourth. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) had a much better time than his team-mate Marco Melandri, with Haslam fifth fastest and Melandri 12th.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) was sixth overall. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) and Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) provided a cosmopolitan mix of machinery, ensuring that all manufacturers were represented by at least one rider on the front two rows of the provisional grid.
