On his debut in British Superbikes, Worx Crescent Suzuki's Sylvain Guintoli has snatched pole position at round one of the championship at Brands Hatch this afternoon.

New to the series and new to Brands Hatch, Sylvain nonetheless put the finishing touches to what was a very confident build up over the last three days by uncorking the only sub-46-second lap of the determining final superpole session. in what was a very tense three-stage superpole battle his 45.944-second pole-setting lap was 0.121-seconds quicker than nearest competitor Steve Plater on the HM Plant Honda.

Yesterday, Sylvain also took fastest time in the inaugural MCN Showdown test session. Run in the afternoon, just after a downpour, the Showdown was a chance for Sylvain to sample Pirelli's wet weather tyres for the first time. In a session that many riders chose to sit out, Sylvain made the most of the opportunity, putting in no less than 20 laps and setting a time that was over 1.1-seconds faster than the next rider.

Sylvain will now start on pole position for both of tomorrow's 30-lap Superbike races.


Sylvain Guintoli: "I knew the three-stage superpole knockout system was going to be really good fun and now I'm probably its biggest supporter!

"I can't remember the last time I was on pole position so this is just fantastic and a good start for me. I have a really good feeling for the Worx Crescent Suzuki and I am optimistic for tomorrow's races. I am aiming to make a good start and be up there fighting for the win."


Jack Valentine: "This has been a superb start to the series for us. With a new rider, a new bike and a new sponsor, to be on pole position is a real thrill.

"Sylvain has been brilliant. He's been working hard every session and his fastest times aren't just one-offs – he posts several such fast laps each session. We decided on a strategy yesterday to sit out an early practice session to save some additional tyres for superpole today and we're delighted that Sylvain used these to the best effect.

"We're very pleased with the 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000 as well. The bike is proving to be fast in every sense, whether the measure is lap times or simply through the speed traps. We've been working hard on set-up and are satisfied that we've found the right tyres and settings to be competitive tomorrow. We did an additional long run in pre-qualifying this morning to test a couple of different settings and made some real improvements again.

"The last three days have been very exciting and very enjoyable for all these reasons – to be making this much progress so soon is very encouraging for the season. For tomorrow, though, we're looking for Sylvain to make two good starts. From the data we have, he has the capability to build a gap and control the races. As I've said, it's going to be very exciting."