Loris Baz was the highest placed Kawasaki rider after a fully wet Superpole 2 qualifying session, with sixth place putting him on the second row of the grid. In seventh place on the grid his KRT team-mate Tom Sykes will start from the third row in each 23-lap race on Sunday.

The fully wet weather that had threatened the first day of qualifying eventually arrived for the second and final day, with Superpole 1 and Superpole 2 both held in soaking conditions.

Baz and Sykes had qualified for Superpole 2 directly after the first day of action but the Kawasaki Racing Team’s SBK Evo class rider, David Salom, only made it to Superpole 1 initially and could not get into Superpole 2. He finished up 17th and will now start from the sixth row of the grid.

In dry conditions Sykes and Baz are genuine race winning contenders after going first and fourth respectively in the first day qualifying sessions. Salom was 15th after day one and all in the KRT squad are hoping for a dry raceday to maximise the full potential of their Friday performances in more predictable conditions.

In the wet in Superpole Baz found real improvements compared to some recent experiences, while Sykes knows that he can improve his wet performance in real race conditions compared to his post-Superpole ranking. He also knows that as the fastest qualifier in the three dry sessions on Friday he is particularly well-placed to have a strong weekend at his home round.

Baz, a former BSB competitor, is a big fan of racing in the UK and hopes he can have another two positive raceday experiences to let him challenge for his first race win of the 2014 season.


Loris Baz:

“It was very slippery but I think this was the best bike set-up I have had in the wet since 2012. We have been struggling a bit in the wet sometimes even though people think we should be the favourites in these conditions, but we also had some problems this year on a wet track. My crew chief Pere found some good things in the space between free practice and Superpole and that helped me a lot. I hope it is dry tomorrow but if it is wet have improved our pace and I hope we can improve our settings even more. Now I am confident whatever the conditions are - I am a lot more confident than I was this morning.”

Tom Sykes:

“We just ran out of time in Superpole 2. In wet conditions the Donington Park track surface holds a lot of water. I am on the third row but our situation is not as bad as it looks. I was at least a couple of laps behind my competitors in Superpole because I had to come in and make a change to the set-up. We made it and improved the bike but because we came into the pits the tyres got very cold. I just needed on more lap in Superpole 2 to make more progress on the times. I only did five laps but some riders made eight. Track time is all we needed and the setting on the bike was a little bit closer to where I needed to be for these conditions. I am disappointed to be on the third row but I know there is more in the package.”

David Salom:

“It was very slippery and very difficult in this track in these conditions. In Assen it was not so good for us in the wet and now here I have more of a feeling from the bike but I need more confidence in wet conditions, I do not know if it will be wet or dry tomorrow but I hope it will be dry! My hand is OK because in the wet it is less important, but it is not as good as I thought it would be in dry conditions. When I arrived here I had a lot of pain from it. Three qualifying sessions on Friday did not help me either.”


.