The Tissot Superpole session for the Gaerne Estoril Round provided shocks and surprises throughout the ten as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) his second consecutive pole position in 2021 and the 29^th of his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship career as he fended off the challenge from his rivals at the Circuito Estoril.

The top three…

Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was the first rider to move onto the Pirelli qualifying tyre and posted a 1’36.047s to take provisional pole position before Rea came in in the latter stages with a 1’35.876s; the only rider to lap in the 1’35s bracket as he started the season with two pole positions for the third time, with the 2021 season joining 2015 and 2017 in the record books. Friday pacesetter Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) will start from the front row after a strong end to the session.

Shocks in the top ten

American star Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will start from fourth place after another strong showing in the Tissot Superpole session with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claiming a second row start on his BMW, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also on the second row with sixth place.

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will start from the front of the third row and seventh place after being one of the main surprises in Tissot Superpole session; the Frenchman following Rea in the early stages and being second in the early stages. While he was unable to improve on the qualifying tyre, he claimed a top seven start for Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race. Mahias also had a lap time deleted for a yellow flag infringement but did not lose any positions.

Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) joins Mahias in the top ten for the first time with eighth place ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK); the Italian rider qualifying in ninth place with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) tenth after having his lap time deleted from Tissot Superpole after having a lap time deleted for passing through a yellow flag zone, an updated regulation from the FIM making this an automated process in 2021 in all practice and Superpole sessions.

Fighting to break the top ten party

Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) will start on the fringes of the top ten at a circuit he has shown good pace at so far, both in his 2020 wildcard appearance and in 2021, with Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in 12^th. Irish rider Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) had been in the top ten but will now start 13^th after having his lap time deleted for the same reason as Lowes.

Leon Haslam (Team HRC) and Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) will start 14^th and 15^th respectively after a challenging Superpole session, while Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) will be in 18^th; both Davies and Bautista having a lap time deleted. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) will started one place ahead of Bautista despite also having a lap time deleted.

The top six following Tissot Superpole in WorldSBK, full results here:

1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’35.876
2. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.171s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) +0.288s
4. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +.0474s
5. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.493s
6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.656s

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