The Tissot Superpole session for the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Circuito San Juan Villicum was a thrilling 20-minute affair as the 20-strong field battled it out for pole position for the Motul Argentinean Round as French rider Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) claimed the 24^th pole position of his career by smashing his own all-time lap record, set during Friday’s practice session.

ANOTHER ALL-TIME LAP RECORD FOR CLUZEL

Cluzel posted a 1’41.926s during Friday’s practice sessions to break the all-time lap record during practice before he bettered that by two tenths during the Tissot Superpole session, posting a 1’41.740s to claim pole position, the 24^th of his career and third of 2021, now only ten behind Kenan Sofuoglu in the all-time pole position list, with the five-time Champion on 34. It was also Yamaha’s 94^th pole position in WorldSSP, taken by a GMT94 Yamaha rider. It was also the first back-to-back pole positions for Cluzel since 2015, where he claimed pole at Misano and Portimao.

Cluzel will be joined on the front row by Championship contender Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) as he looks to keep his title chances alive as the season progresses while Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) will line up from third place, just 0.005s behind Odendaal. The duo were around three tenths away from Cluzel, with the French rider the only rider to lap in the 1’41s bracket. The Yamaha front row lockout means they have 300 front row grid spots in WorldSSP.

STARTING FROM THE SECOND ROW

Can Öncü’s (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) recent step forward continued with fourth place on the grid, missing out on a front row start by just half-a-tenth. He will start with Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in fifth place, with his result in Superpole enough to wrap up the 2021 Tissot Superpole Award for the Swiss rider although he does have the opportunity to take the Championship in Race 1 on Saturday. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) will start from sixth place as his return from injury continues.

TAKING A TOP TEN STARTING POSITION

Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) claimed seventh place in the Superpole session, six tenths away from Cluzel’s pole time. Hungarian Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) claimed the best Superpole result of his 2021 campaign, and the joint-best of his career, with eighth place ahead of Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) in ninth. Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing), who made a mid-season switch to WorldSSP from WorldSSP300, also claimed his best Superpole result of his WorldSSP career with tenth place.

TO NOTE

Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will start both races from 11^th place after lapping around one second slower than Cluzel, with Estonian Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) completing the fourth row of the grid with 12^th place. Swiss rider Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing) claimed 13^th place with Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) in 14^th and Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) rounding out the top 15.

Andres Gonzalez (VFT Racing) will start from 16^th on his WorldSSP debut, despite a crash at Turn 9 which he was able to re-join the session from, ahead of Sheridan Morais (Wojcik Racing Team) in 17^th place on his return to the Championship, in place of Christoffer Bergman. Leonardo Taccini (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took 18^th place on his first Superpole session on Yamaha machinery, while 2020 WorldSSP300 Champion Jeffrey Buis (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti) 19^th on his WorldSSP debut and Matias Petratti (Yamaha MS Racing) rounding out the field.

The top six following WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1 Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) 1’41.740s

2. Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.335s

3. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) +0.340s

4. Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.396s

5. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.433s

6. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.459s

Watch WorldSSP Race 1 from Argentina at 13:30 Local Time (GMT-3) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!