History was made in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship at the Autodrom Most as Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) secured a maiden pole position while Chinese manufacturer Kove took their first front row start as Marc Garcia (China Racing Team) claimed third place in the Tissot Superpole session. 15 riders were covered by a second in a tightly-contested session to set the grid for the Acerbis Czech Round’s two races.

MAKING HISTORY: China Racing Team secure their first front row

Perez Gonzalez was further down the order but a late 1’46.162s hauled him up the order to claim his first-ever WorldSSP300 pole position by just 0.034s. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) will line up alongside him on the front row. Vannucci had been leading the way during the 20-minute session but was usurped by his rival and, despite improving his lap time, fell just short of a second pole of the season. 2017 Champion Garcia gave the China Racing Team their best-ever Superpole result with third; Chinese manufacturer Kove lining up on the front row for the first time in their debut campaign. Three manufacturers will line up on the front row with Kawasaki leading Yamaha and Kove.

A MIXED-UP ORDER: surprises on Saturday

Brazil’s Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) took fourth as he enjoyed a strong Superpole session with his best lap time 0.442s slower than Perez Gonzalez. He was only 0.004s clear of Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) in fifth while Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) will complete the second row. Hendra Pratama missed the Italian Round but returned to WorldSSP300 in style as he lapped 0.550s off the pole time to secure a second-row start.

STRONG WILDCARD SHOWING: Khan impresses on his return

Wildcard Walid Khan (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) was the fastest KTM rider on the grid as he took seventh after setting a 1’46.721s as the Dutchman returns to the Championship for the first time since 2018. He will be joined on the third row by Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) and Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) in eighth and ninth respectively. Home hero Svoboda had been quickest on Friday practice but will start both races from the third row as he looks to get his Championship charge back on track.

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER WITH WORK TO DO: Geiger only takes 14^th

Championship leader Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) will start from 14^th place after a disappointing Superpole, given KTM’s success at the Czech circuit. He will be on the fifth row alongside Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) and 2020 Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki); with just under a second covering the top 15.

The top six following WorldSSP300 Superpole, full results here:

1. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR)

2. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) +0.034s

3. Marc Garcia (China Racing Team) +0.260s

4. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) +0.442s

5. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.446s

6. Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) +0.550s

Don’t miss Race 1 from 12:40 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!