The Prosecco DOC UK Round is off and running as the FIM Supersport World Championship saw the chequered flag fall on its Friday Tissot Superpole session. After a red flag stoppage early in the session due to gravel on track, Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) ensured that he will lead the pack on Saturday at Donington Park with his eighth career WorldSSP pole. Behind him, Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) secured the fifth front row of his rookie season. The pair are joined at the top of the timesheets by home hero Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) in P3.
ONCU TAKES HIS FOURTH POLE OF 2026
Oncu closed a strong Friday in P1 with a 1’28.650s time after a P2 in Free Practice. Superpole sessions have never been a problem for the Turk, but that consistency near the front will be just what his team will want to see from the #61 after a less-than-consistent start to the 2026 campaign. Arenas set himself up well for continued success in Saturday’s Race 1 and will start from P2 thanks to a 1’28.951s time. Booth-Amos' familiarity with his home circuit is plain to see as he followed up his Free Practice P1 with a Superpole P3, after posting a 1'29.065s lap good for the first front-row start of his season.
ALCOBA TAKES KAWASAKI BACK TO THE SECOND ROW
Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) turned heads on Friday afternoon when his 1’29.128s landed him P4, his best Superpole result of the season, a big improvement on his previous 2026 best of P8 earned at Balaton Park. Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) continued his strong recent form at Donington on Friday, with his 1’29.073s time for P5 marking the best Superpole result of his sophomore WorldSSP season. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) snagged a second-row start for Race 1 on Saturday via his 1’29.283s lap. His P6 marks his best qualification since Portimao when the #5 similarly earned sixth place.
DEBISE TO LEAD ROW THREE
Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) briefly sent his ZXMOTO 820 RR up to a provisional second row with a 1’29.289s lap set with less than five minutes left in the session, before he was outpaced by Mahendra and Masia to settle for P7. Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) lands in P8 thanks to a Superpole time less than a tenth slower than the ZXMOTO ride. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) took P9 in the session, with a Superpole pace similar to what he showed at Misano, where he finished P8. Rounding off the top ten, Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) will lead the fourth row thanks to a 1’29.441s time.
CARICASULO TO MEDICAL CENTRE
Federico Caricasulo (EASTROC ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) crashed out of the session at Turn 10 and was consequently brought to the medical centre, where he was later ruled fit with a right knee contusion.
The top six from the WorldSSP Tissot Superpole session, full results here!
- Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 1’28.650s
2. Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) +0.301s
3. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +0.415s
4. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +0.478s
5. Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) +0.623s
6. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.633s
Stay tuned on Saturday to see how a critical Race 1 in the UK will shake out with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!