The 2021 FIM Supersport World Championship kicked off on Saturday morning with the all-important Tissot Superpole session from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Hyundai N Catalunya Round gave plenty of variety in World Supersport, with the front row having a fresh feel to it. Storming to pole, Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) left it until the final three minutes to jump into the pole slot, fending off a resurgent Randy Krummenacher (CM Racing) and Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti).

THE FRONT ROW: Gonzalez does it again

Pole position went to the man of the moment; Manuel Gonzalez was in formable form on Saturday and nailed his second pole position of the season. The Spaniard will look to take back-to-back victories in 2021, but he had good company on the front row with him. Randy Krummenacher was in great form during the 20-minute session, with the 2019 World Champion hitting the top of the timesheets with just three minutes to go. Having looked strong all the way through the weekend, Krummenacher eventually took second place, his first front row of 2021. Third place went to Niki Tuuli completed the front row, his first since Aragon at the start of the season.

DE ROSA IN FORM, ODENDAAL 6th: the rest…

Heading up the second row was Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), his best starting position of the season. De Rosa has looked strong during the Barcelona weekend on the Kawasaki, having been the fastest in the heat of Friday afternoon. Another Kawasaki was behind De Rosa with Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), the German having been fastest on Friday morning but settling for a top five on the grid. Completing the second row and making it six different nationalities inside the top six, Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) will look to gain ground back in the title race from the back of row two, aiming to capitalise on Dominique Aegerter’s (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) absence due to his MotoE™ World Cup duties.

The third row has a very different feel to it, with Federico Fuligni (VFT Racing), the Italian taking his first top ten since the opening round of the season. Estonia’s Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) was back to some sort of form as he continues to build back his confidence after injuries sustained back at Assen, with him in the middle of the third row. Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) suffered a crash just before the mid-point of the session, tucking the front under breaking at Turn 10 but got back out for one flying lap which lifted him from 17^th to ninth.

NOTABLE MENTIONS: any dark horses?

Magny-Cours Race 2 podium finisher Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completed the top ten, edging out an impressive Patrick Hobelsberger (Bonovo MGM Racing) who took 11^th. Kevin Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team) was 16^th and again, the top WorldSSP Challenge rider, with him just 1.110s behind the overall pole time. With Krummenacher at CM Racing, his replacement at the EAB Racing Team is Glenn Van Straalen, who finished 12th, one place higher than Andy Verdoïa (GMT94 Yamaha).

Top six after WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) 1’44.593

2. Randy Krummenacher (CM Racing) +0.156s

3. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) +0.189s

4. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.274s

5. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.455s

6. Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.515s

WorldSSP Race 1 sees the battle ignite at 13:45 local time (GMT+2), so make sure you watch it all on the WorldSBK VideoPass, now at 50% off!