TeamGreen Kawasaki top Suzuka qualifying at record pace

The TeamGreen Kawasaki squad of Haji Yudhistira, Akira Yanagawa and Kazuki Watanabe have positioned themselves on the provisional pole position spot for Sunday’s Suzuka 8 Hour, after the fastest ever superbike lap of the Japanese circuit from Watanabe during today’s second qualifying session, with a 2:06.656 lap

However, with a top ten Superpole Shootout still to come tomorrow, with two riders from each of the top ten teams taking to the track for one flying lap, the local team still have their work cut out for them if they plan on starting from the number one spot.

Their main opposition looks set to come from the Yamaha Factory team of Kats Nakasuga, Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith, but with combined times still only fractions apart, it could be still all up for grabs. Nakasuga’s best lap, the fastest of the trio, was a 2:06.877, only 0.05 ahead of the MuSASHi Honda team of Casey Stoner, Michael van der Mark and Takumi Takahashi – with their fastest time coming compliments of the double world champion.

It was a good day for the MCE British Superbike riders drafted in, with Jason O’Halloran an impressive sixth on the Sakurai Honda, Broc Parkes starting from eleventh on the Monster YART Yamaha, and Tommy Bridewell fourteenth on the Penz13.com BMW.