Two Ducatis at the front with Checa ahead of surprise Berger
Friday, 29 July 2011 16:09 GMT
Two Ducatis at the front with Checa ahead of surprise Berger
Two Ducati bikes slotted in at the top of the timesheets following Friday's first qualifying at the new-look Silverstone circuit. On a track that is more suitable on paper to four-cylinder power, points leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) led the way with a time of 2 minutes 05.477 seconds, four-tenths quicker than the surprise of the day, the young Frenchman Maxime Berger (Supersonic Racing Team Ducati). Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the first Brit on the provisional grid, taking third place ahead of Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team).
After going quickest in the morning free practice session, the provisional second row was headed by American wild-card rider John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki), followed by a similar Suzuki GSX-R1000 machine, the Alstare version of Michel Fabrizio.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) is currently down in ninth, a normal position for the Italian after Friday seeing as he prefers to focus on set-up work.
