BMW rider Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed a record-breaking Superpole at Portimao during the second round of the WorldSBK Championship.
The Turkish rider set a record-breaking lap time in Free Practice Three earlier in the day, before demolishing his previous best with a lap of 1:39.041s.
The reigning WorldSBK champion will start Race 1 from the front, with Aruba.it Ducati rider Nicolo Bulega and Barni Spark Racing’s Danilo Petrucci joining him on the front row.
Andrea Locatelli delivered a strong qualifying for Yamaha to finish in fourth, followed closely by Sam Lowes for Marc VDS.
Xavi Vierge claimed the sixth spot for Honda HRC but will find comfort in his final qualification position after a difficult season opener.
Michael van der Mark ensured BMW’s competitiveness to qualify seventh, with Yamahas Dominique Aegerter and two-time champion Alvaro Bautista rounding off the third row.
Remy Gardner produced an admirable tenth-place qualification after a late lap time saw the Australian eclipse Iker Lecuona.
Yari Montella mustered 12th place despite a late crash as the rookie immediately was up to speed aboard his Panigale.
Andrea Iannone qualified 13th for GoEleven Ducati but will start 16th following a three-place penalty due to dangerous driving in practice earlier in the day.
Axel Bassani finished as the lead Bimota rider after a crash from his teammate Alex Lowes, resulting in a 14th-place qualification for the Italian.
Scott Redding finished a distant 15th for Bonovo Racing, defeating Kawasaki’s Garrett Gerloff and rookie Bahattin Sofuoglu.
Ryan Vickers clinched 19th ahead of his former British Superbikes colleagues Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran, with the latter standing in for Jonathan Rea.
