In the Superpole shootout to determine the top eight, Cal Crutchlow blitzed around in 1min37.243sec. Try as they might the others could not match this, but Crutchlow's Yamaha teammate James Toseland's 1:37.260 (set before Crutchlow's effort) was as close as dammit is to a swearword. And Carlos Checa's 1:37.296 completed the trio of those under 1:37.3. For a veteran on a privateer Ducati, this was an amazing effort.
Next best was works Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio in 1:37.368, with championship leader Leon Haslam fifth on the grid on his Suzuki in 1:37.401.
Czech rider Jakub Smrz bounced back from slower previous-session times for a creditable sixth spot on his Ducati (1:37.561), and the Aprilias of Max Biaggi and Leon Camier rounded out the top eight with times of 1:37.613 and 1:38.148 respectively.
South Africa's Sheridan Morais, a wild-card Aprilia entrant, will start 14th after a best time of 1:38.404. And Noriyuki Haga, a firm crowd favourite at Kyalami, is 16th - this is to say, last - on his Ducati.
Today's World Superbike races begins at 11.30am and 3.10pm. They will be televised on SS2 and CSN. - Staff Reporter
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