It was a dramatic Tissot Superpole session in the FIM Supersport World Championship and it ended a long wait for Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) as he claimed pole position by obliterating the lap record by around three tenths of a second at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit. The Pirelli Indonesian Round also ended a five-year wait for MV Agusta to start on pole position as Tuuli took pole by just 0.053s ahead of his rivals to lead away the field in Race 1 and Race 2.

RECORDS BROKEN, DROUGHT OVER: Tuuli ends long wait with lap record

Tuuli’s best time came around halfway through the session as he posted a 1’35.947s to take pole position ahead of Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) for his first pole since Magny-Cours in 2017, while it was also MV Agusta’s first since PJ Jacobsen took pole position at Imola. Oncu was just 0.053s behind after posting a 1’36.000s to take second place for both races, ahead of reigning Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in third. Aegerter has the chance to clinch his second consecutive title in Race 1 and will start ahead of his title rival as he looks to wrap it up on Saturday.

ITALIAN TRIO ON THE SECOND ROW: starting from row two

Three Italian riders will lead away the second row, with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) ending a run of Superpole results off the second row with third place, lapping two tenths slower than Tuuli’s record-breaking pace. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) will line up from fifth place after setting a 1’36.231s despite a Turn 10 crash in the closing stages of the session, with Caricasulo returning his bike to the pit lane. Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) made it two Kawasakis in the top six with sixth place, only 0.316s down on Tuuli.

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP TEN: the top ten within seven tenths

It was a tightly-packed field in WorldSSP Superpole with the top ten riders separated by only 0.703s. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura WorldSSP) will start from sevenths place as he goes in search of his second victory at Mandalika, starting ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team). Baldassarri opted for a different strategy in Superpole and completed only one stint, posting a 1’36.534s on his way to eighth place. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) will start his penultimate round of racing from the third row as he claimed ninth spot, ahead of Estonia’s Hannes Soomer (Dynavolt Triumph) who completed the top ten.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP Superpole

Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing) did not set a lap time in the Superpole session after he had a crash at Turn 11 on his first flying lap, which ended the Swiss rider’s session without completing a timed lap. Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) had a crash at Turn 11 which disrupted his session, and he will line up from 12^th place, while Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) will start from 14^th after he had a Turn 1 crash in the closing stages of the race.

The top six following WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 1’35.947s

2. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.053s

3. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.177s

4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.236s

5. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) +0.284s

6. Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.316s

Will Aegerter be crowned Champion in Race 1? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!