The second qualifying session of this eighth round of the World Superbike championship took place in the rain and on a wet track at Moscow Raceway this morning. The track conditions prevented all riders from improving on yesterday’s times and so Davide Giugliano, who concluded first qualifying in second position, maintained that position heading into Superpole. Unfortunately, just a few minutes from the session’s end Davide fell through turn 1 on a slippy section of the track. He hit his elbow on the kerb during the fall, resulting in a contusion and small cut but luckily this didn’t condition his participation in the final free practice or the Superpole. In the free practice Davide completed only a few laps, just enough to test some solutions in preparation for the Superpole. In the first phase of the Superpole the Althea Racing rider used a race tyre with which he recorded an excellent time of 1’35”659, placing himself fourth and qualifying for the second phase. In the second session team and rider again opted for a race tyre. Davide improved further and with a best time of 1’35”504 he took sixth position and progressed to phase three. In the third and final session the team’s strategy proved to be a winning one and, with a qualifying tyre, Davide gave it his all with a fast lap that he completed in 1’34”67. This fantastic lap time put him in overall first place and meant that Giugliano took his first ever Superpole. A result that rewards both the abilities of Davide and his team and that confirms the competitiveness of the team and the RSV4 Aprilia. Tomorrow Giugliano will start from pole position in the two 25-lap races.

Genesio Bevilacqua: “It was a very eventful day which began with Davide’s crash this morning, which could have complicated things, and ended with the satisfaction of seeing our young rider achieve his first ever Superpole. The team worked perfectly and our decision to save both qualifying tyres for the third and final phase of the Superpole proved to be a winning one. I’m sorry for Sykes, a rival who is always correct, but I think that even if he hadn’t crashed we could have fought for the pole today – it would have been great to see a duel between him and Davide. For tomorrow’s races I’m fairly confident because our rider has demonstrated that he has a very fast pace. Contrary to what has happened at other tracks, Giugliano was immediately comfortable with the bike and the track here in Russia and so I’m sure we’ll see two great, hard-fought races tomorrow.”

Davide Giugliano: “It’s hugely satisfying for me and my team, and I must thank the guys for all the help they’re giving me. After a few races in which we have gained the necessary experience with our new bike, now we are at a very competitive level. We must not stop working, because we still have to improve the sensation with the front of the bike, but we are clearly on the right path. This Superpole is very valuable to me and my team and it’s very satisfying to fight with and beat the official riders and teams. As far as tomorrow’s races are concerned, I hope to be able to fight for the win. The two races will be difficult and despite his crash today Sykes will surely be there too. The weather is also an unknown and right now it looks like rain is forecast. Either way, I’ll give it my all to achieve another great result.”
Second qualifying session:
1) Sykes (Kawasaki)
2) Giugliano (Aprilia)
3) Melandri (BMW)
4) Checa (Ducati)
5) Laverty (Aprilia)
6) Camier (Suzuki)
7) Rea (Honda)

Superpole:
1) Giugliano (Aprilia)
2) Davies (BMW)
3) Laverty (Aprilia)
4) Rea (Honda)
5) Melandri (BMW)
6) Checa (Ducati)
7) Cluzel (Suzuki)
8) Guintoli (Aprilia)
9) Sykes (Kawasaki)