Jakub Smrz shook up the World Superbike field by shooting to the top of the timesheets and snatching provisional pole during the second session of qualifying at Portimao. The Czech Pata S&G rider looked like leading a Ducati clean sweep lat on in the session, Smrz leading Xerox Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio and Althea Ducati’s Carlos Checa, with only Leon Haslam the only non-Ducati on the front row, holding off Noriyuki Haga to keep 4th. But the final minutes of practice saw the field shake out and some diversity of equipment emerge.
Smrz hung on to the provisional pole, but only on a technicality, with Aprilia’s Max Biaggi setting the same time as the Pata S&G rider. Michel Fabrizio followed a whisper behind, just seven thousandths separating his time from Smrz’ and Biaggi’s, while a relatively fast thirty four thosuandths separated 4th place man Leon Haslam from Smrz. Johnny Rea took 5th, just a few thousandths behind, and five hundredths slower than Smrz and Biaggi.
Carlos Checa ended the session in 6th, the first man to be over a tenth of a second behind Smrz, while James Toseland took 7th on the Sterilgarda Yamaha and Nori Haga finished in 8th. Tom Sykes set a very respectable 9th fastest time, just under half a second from Smrz and Biaggi.
