Locatelli Secures Pole Position in WorldSSP Superpole Debut

29-02-2020

Locatelli Secures Pole Position in WorldSSP Superpole Debut

Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported rider, Andrea Locatelli, rode a superb final lap in today's Superpole Shootout, shattering the outright lap record at Phillip Island to top the timesheet and secure pole position for his first ever WorldSSP race.

It was reigning champion Randy Krummenacher who headed the field as the 45-minute session drew to a close but, with less than a minute on the clock, Locatelli threw caution to the wind and managed to better the Swiss rider's time by just over a tenth of a second. The Italian's time of 1'32.176 is the fastest ever WorldSSP lap of the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit.

Locatelli will be joined on the front row by Krummenacher and Lucas Mahias, while GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported rider Jules Cluzel will head up the second row, having qualified fourth despite struggling for rear grip.
Isaac Viñales, aboard the Kallio Racing Yamaha R6, will start tomorrow's WorldSSP race from the third row of the grid in eighth, one ahead of Corentin Perolari who qualified ninth.

Yamaha bLU cRU WorldSSP rider Andy Verdoïa will start from the sixth row of the grid after qualifying in 16th position in his first WorldSSP Superpole today, while teammate Galang Hendra Pratama, who missed the two-day test at Phillip Island due to travel delays, will start tomorrow from the eighth row of the grid.

Andrea Locatelli

Position: 1st Time: 1'32.176

It was incredible because at the end I wanted to do the lap, but I wasn't sure if it was possible because I've never ridden that fast here before. But the feeling with the bike was incredible and when you push a lot, right to the limit, you understand more about the bike and that's good for the race. At the start of the session, we ran with a full fuel load to get a feel for how the bike will handle in the first part of the race, so we're pretty well prepared for tomorrow and I think we can make a good job.

Jules Cluzel

Position: 4th Time: 1'32.891

"We’ve struggled a little here this weekend, but we're working to get the best from what we've got. This morning, for the first time, we found some grip but, unfortunately, only for one lap. It looks like it's more difficult for us to make the rear tyre work than for others at the moment. Despite this, I still believe we can fight for the podium tomorrow. One thing in that could work in our favour tomorrow is the mandatory pit stop. We have tried in practice, so we're ready and, hopefully, we and can gain a few seconds at the stop."