2011 Magny-Cours World Superbike Superpole Result: Updated

Results and summary of Superpole at Magny-Cours:

Superpole 1

Johnny Rea was the first man to set a fast time in Superpole 1, the Castrol Honda Rider leaping to the top of the timesheets right out of the gate. His place was quickly taken by the man who lives just a few miles away in Northern Ireland, Eugene Laverty, the Yamaha man just edging past Rea to take provisional pole, while Laverty's teammate Marco Melandri nabbed 3rd.

As the riders went out for their second bite at the cherry - easier now that they new where to aim for - it was Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli who shot to the top of the timesheets, the Effenbert Liberty rider having languished in the danger zone for the first 10 minutes of the session. Two more riders in danger of relegation soon joined Guintoli, Tom Sykes and Leon Camier escaping exclusion with fast laps.

All the action at the bottom soon saw championship leader Carlos Checa also in danger of missing out on Superpole 2, but a flying final lap saw the Althea Ducati rider shoot to the top of the timesheets with no time left on the clock.

Out after Superpole 1: Jakub Smrz, Michel Fabrizio, Mark Aitchison, Ayrton Badovini

Results:

Superpole 2

Everyone was fast out of the gate for Superpole 2, with Leon Haslam the first to top the timesheets, his place quickly taken by Tom Sykes. Both men were straight into the 1'37 bracket, along with Johnny Rea, Leon Camier and Marco Melandri. 

The latter half of Superpole 2 saw Sylvain Guintoli rocket into 2nd, having looked like he might even take 1st early on his fast lap. Behind Guintoli, Carlos Checa was uncomfortably close to the danger zone, and the Althea Ducati rider put on a soft qualifying tire and went out in search of a better lap time. Though he improved his time on the first lap, it still left him down in 8th, close to relegation, but with nobody behind Checa capable of beating his time, he just scraped through to the final session of Superpole.

Out after Superpole 2: Nori Haga, Joan Lascorz, Maxime Berger, Troy Corser 

Results:

Superpole 3

Eugene Laverty was the first rider to hit the front during the final session of Superpole, the Yamaha rider shooting tot he top with a a lap of 1'37. 600. His provisional pole did not last long, Castrol Honda's Johnny Rea quickly snatching top spot from Laverty with a 1'37.490. Championship leader Carlos Checa held on to 3rd early on.

Their qualifiers spent, further changes proved impossible. Rea held on to the second pole of his career, and the first of 2011, ahead of Laverty and Checa. Aprilia's Leon Camier rounded out the front row in 4th, while local hero Sylvain Guintoli sits at the head of the second row in 5th. Kawasaki's Tom Sykes and BMW's Leon Haslam are 6th and 7th, while Yamaha's Marco Melandri, the only man capable of preventing Carlos Checa from becoming the 2011 World Superbike champion, sits on the end of the second row, having qualified in 8th.

Results and final grid: