The FIM Supersport World Championship delivered further drama at the Pirelli Portuguese Round as the riders hit the track for an unpredictable Superpole session. Lap times tumbled throughout as Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) stormed to claim pole position after a thrilling session at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. The Spaniard set a magnificent 1’43.352 to finish Superpole 0.240s clear of his rivals.

DRAMA EARLY ON: Oncu leads as session red-flagged

Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was quickest in the early of the session, setting a 1’44.825 before there was drama for Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), with the #54 losing the front and crashing at Turn 9. This incident brought out the red flag in the first five minutes of the session. Following the crash, Sofuoglu was transferred to the hospital and declared unfit due to concussion.

GREEN FLAG: Times drop as Huertas takes pole

Once the session resumed, Huertas took the top stop briefly and would later improve – setting a strong 1’43.858. That time was soon beating as the top spot continued to change hands, with the fight for pole position entering the final 10 minutes. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Huertas battled for pole with the #99 reigning supreme as the clock hit zero, leaving Montella to settle for second position. Behind the front two and rounding off the front row was Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), who continued to look strong at Portimao.

SECOND ROW: Navarro starts from P5

It was a tight second row of the grid as Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) took the fourth spot at the end of Friday – heading the second row of the grid. The #64 was 0.065s adrift from the front row, continuing to show a strong pace, finishing ahead of Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura), who after topping Free Practice could only manage fifth. Behind the Spaniard was Oncu, who further improved on his time late in Superpole to round off the second row in sixth position.

BEST OF THE REST: Tuuli rounds out the top 10

Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) will head the third row of the grid after a strong Superpole from the #94 in seventh. The Frenchman will start alongside compatriot Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), who took eighth ahead of Marcel Schrotter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team), who took the final spots inside the top 10.

Further back, it would be a dramatic session for Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team), with the Italian suffering a crash at Turn 13, ending Superpole down in 12^th behind Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing).

The top six from WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’43.352s

2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.240s

3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.739s

4. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.804s

5. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.831s

6. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +1.013s

Make sure you tune in for WorldSSP Race 1 on Saturday at 16:30 Local Time (UTC +1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!