Go, Spies, Go! The American rookie rode into the record books today, winning his seventh-consecutive Superpole and keeping his streak perfect since adopting the new format.
Yamaha’s Ben Spies rode into the record books today at Miller Motorsports Park, collecting his seventh consecutive Superpole victory and eclipsing the mark of six straight previously held by Doug Polen. Spies remains undefeated in the new Superpole format, winning the second and third session’s with a fast lap of 1’48.319 to outpace Ten Kate Honda’s Carlos Checa.
"It's one record I got that no one else has, and not only to do it in my rookie season, to get it done is good," Spies said. "I thought I could get a clean lap in once I got out at the end and got on the backside of the track. On my warm-up lap I thought it was going to happen, but I knew it was going to be tough. So I just put my head down and got back around and... you know it wasn't 110%, that lap, for sure, because I was a little bit nervous about the rain, Spies said.
Checa will be a serious podium threat from the second-starting slot. The Spaniard doubled up at Miller last year and had the fastest lap early in the third Superpole session until Spies’ record-setting run.
Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa has shown a liking for the US track, winning the double last year at Miller Motorsports Park and finishing second-fastest today.
"Last year was a fantastic time. This year struggling beginning of season and here again we get the speed, we get the pace. And finally we are at the front row. Of course we try to fight for the pole. Conditions were not so easy, because with the rain we don't know what is going to happen,” Checa said.
Ten Kate Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari will join them on the front row after finishing third-fastest, edging out Ducati Xerox’s Michel Fabrizio by 0.191 seconds. Fabrizio will try to defend his second-place spot in the point standings against Spies, who trails the Ducati rider by three points.
Heading up the second row is Guandalini Ducati’s Jakub Smrz. Sterilgarda Ducati’s Shane Byrne will join him, courtesy of his sixth-fastest time. The Double Ducs will be paired with the Kawasaki’s of Broc Parkes and Jamie Hacking. The Hack Attack made waves in the Superbike paddock when the American substitute rider won Superpole 1.
Championship point leader Noriyuki Haga will have to work hard tomorrow starting from the third row. The Ducati Xerox rider crashed in qualifying and showed the effects during Superpole. Haga put up the ninth-fastest time after getting knocked out in the second Superpole session. Aprilia’s Shinya Nakano rounds out the top ten, while his Aprilia Factory teammate, Max Biaggi, will start back in 16th. Biaggi went down in Superpole 2 and was eliminated, a disappointing result for the Italian rider after winning yesterday’s provisional pole.
One of the other American wildcard riders, Stiggy Racing Honda’s Jake Zemke, failed to be amongst the top 20 and will start from the sixth row.
World Superbike Miller Superpole -
1. B. Spies (Yamaha) 1’48.344
2. C. Checa (Honda) 1’48.908
3. R. Kiyonari (Honda) 1’49.243
4. M. Fabrizio (Ducati) 1’49.434
5. J. Smrz (Ducati) 1’49.658
6. S. Byrnes (Ducati) 1’49.982
7. B. Parkes (Kawaski) 1’51.328
8. J. Hacking (Kawasaki) 1’51..328
9. N. Haga (Ducati) 1’49.516
10. S. Nakano (Aprilia) 1’49.528
11. J. Rea (Honda) 1’49.541
12. L. Haslam (Honda) 1’49.765
13. Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1’50.344
14. F. Nieto (Suzuki) 1’50.488
15. L. Scassa (Kawasaki) 1’50.987
16. M. Biaggi (Aprilia)
17. G. Lavilla (Ducati)
18. D. Salom (Kawasaki)
19. L. Lanzi (Ducati)
20. K. Muggeridge (Suzuki)
