2020 Teruel World Superbike Superpole Result: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

World Superbike qualifying for race one this afternoon was contested by 21 riders around the longest track of the season. Again. 

Eugene Laverty was the first rider to set a lap time on a regular tyre, but after one lap Alvaro Bautista set a benchmark of 1'23.475 but the top two riders from yesterday were the last to set a lap, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi setting a 1'49.639 ahead of Jonathan Rea's 1'49.361. Rinaldi pitted in immediately after his lap, followed by Rea. Third-quickest Bautista kept going for a few laps longer as the twelve quickest riders were all within a second of Rea's benchmark. Michael van der Mark was fourth quickest, rounding out four manufacturers in the top four positions.

Jonathan Rea nipped out for an early lap on a qualifying tyre, banking on an empty track, and set a 1'48.767, an all-time lap record and a gauntlet thrown at the front row of the grid. Chaz Davies set his Q tyre lap as other riders were still preparing to leave the pits with five minutes left. Davies set a 1'49.396 to go second quickest, but there were still nineteen riders who had not set a lap with the "Tom Sykes" tyre. 

Federico Caricasulo was quick in the first three sectors, but ended a couple of tenths slower than Davies. Scott Redding was not slower than Davies, sitting exactly a quarter of a second behind Rea. Michael Ruben Rinaldi, however, was fastest Ducati, pipping Redding by just five thousandths of a second. Sylvain Barrier and Michael van der Mark, after contesting the line down the long straight into turn sixteen as they both tried to improve their lot, had a debate over who was at fault in the last sector, both riders gesticulating vividly at each other as they returned to the pits. 

Jonathan Rea claimed pole position ahead of the Ducatis of Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Scott Redding. Tom Sykes headed the second row, alongside Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam. 

Results: