After being in the top three all day, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) posted a series of 1.27 laps to round out the opening day on top at an overcast Donington Park. The reigning Champion was within half a second of his own outright circuit record and he takes an advantage of almost a quarter of a second into tomorrow.

Behind Sykes, the top ten in the combined three session classification, and therefore automatically into Tissot-Superpole 2 are as follows: Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team), Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), Loris Baz, Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team), Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Pata Honda duo Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), and Chaz Davies.

The EVO standings were once again headed by Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati) who was 11th overall. Leon Camier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team) left it until FP3 to show his real potential moving into 12th overall just behind the flying Italian rider.

Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team) crashed at Redgate corner with 18 minutes to go, both riders able to walk back to the paddock uninjured.

Alessandro Andreozzi (Pedercini Kawasaki) made it into Tissot-Superpole by claiming the final spot in 20th just beating his team mate Romain Lanusse, who is making his World Superbike debut this weekend.

Bryan Staring (Iron Brain Grillini Racing Kawasaki), who replaces Michel Fabrizio for the remainder of the year, will take no further part in the round because of the injury he sustained prior to coming to Donington Park. The Australian rider was unable to fully manoeuvre on the machine, resulting in him withdrawing from the event.

Times:
1. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’27.840 average 164.877 kph;
2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1’28.082;
3. Guintoli (Aprilia) 1’28.132;
4. Baz (Kawasaki) 1’28.181;
5. Lowes (Suzuki) 1’28.187;
6. Melandri (Aprilia) 1’28.467;
7. Laverty (Suzuki) 1’28.495;
8. Rea (Honda) 1’28.665;
9. Haslam (Honda) 1’28.833;
10. Davies(Ducati) 1’28.947;
11. Canepa (Ducati) 1’29.435;
12. Camier (BMW) 1’29.684;
13. Iddon (Bimota) 1’29.999;
14. Badovini (Bimota) 1’29.999;
15. Salom(Kawasaki) 1’30.020;
16. Elias (Aprilia) 1’30.555;
17. Foret (Kawasaki) 1’30.643;
18. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 1’31.135;
19. Corti (MV Agusta) 1’31.480;
20. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 1’31.877;
21. Lanusse (Kawasaki) 1’32.032;
22. Morais (Kawasaki) 1’32.064;
23. Toth (BMW) 1’32.339;
24. Yates (EBR) 1’32.615;
NC. May (EBR) 1’34.194;
NC. Sebestyen (BMW) 1’34.519;
NC. Staring (Kawasaki) 1’35.916.

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