Losail Circuit
Doha, Qatar
February 24
Provisional Qualifying
World Supersport

1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 2:03.841
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Honda CBR600RR, 2:04.808
3. Michel Fabrizio, Honda CBR600RR, 2:04.909
4. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600RR, 2:05.006
5. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:05.196
6. Christophe Cogan, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:06.364
7. Broc Parkes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:06.436
8. Stephane Chambon, Honda CBR600RR, 2:06.597
9. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 749R, 2:07.438
10. Tatu Lauslehto, Honda CBR600RR, 2:07.454
11. Alessandro Antonello, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:07.474
12. Javier Fores, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:07.586
13. David Garcia, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:08.034
14. Pawel Szkopek, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.169
15. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Ducati 749R, 2:08.200

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

WORLD SUPERSPORT QUALIFYING:

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javi Fores is positive that tomorrow will be a lot better than today and that he will be able to move further up the World Supersport grid from 12th position.

JAVI FORES – 12th, 2:07.586:

“I am not happy to be so low down the order, but I didn’t have a good feeling with my bike today and I think that showed in the results. My bike felt hard in the corners and sometimes it seemed as if the rear wanted to overtake the front! I lost a lot of time in the slow corners but in the fast turns the bike felt much better. Tomorrow we will change the balance of one bike and later the set-up of the other and see what progress we can make. I am hoping for a big improvement.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

PROVISIONAL ONE-TWO FOR WINSTON TEN KATE HONDA

Frenchman S�©bastien Charpentier took provisional pole position in this afternoonâ��s first qualifying session for Saturdayâ��s opening World Supersport championship round at the Losail circuit in Qatar. After showers during this morningâ��s free practice, warm and sunny conditions saw Charpentierâ��s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara go second fastest as the new blue Honda CBR600RRs dominated the 45-minute session.

Ronald ten Kate � Winston Ten Kate Honda team manager:
That was an incredible time by S�©bastien because itâ��s not often that you see a gap of almost a second between first and second in this championship. Iâ��m very happy that itâ��s Katsuaki in second place because he is still working hard to get used to the chassis characteristics of the CBR, and his crew is still getting used to the way he likes it. We still have some changes to try tomorrow but this afternoon confirms the good shape that the bikes, the crew and the riders are in.

S�©bastien Charpentier: position â�� 1st, time â�� 2:03.841
It�s OK! The wind is quite strong when you�re riding into it so we may need to do some more work on the gearing and the front goes a bit light on the last of the three right-handers here. But I�m really quite happy with the front now, which we�ve been working hard on. I�m sure my team manager would like me to go two seconds faster but, for now, it�s OK!

Katsuaki Fujiwara: position � 2nd, time � 2:04.808
It�s good to finally get the season underway after all the hard work and the bad weather we�ve had in testing. The CBR is a fantastic bike and I am still getting used to the way the chassis performs, but we still have tomorrow to try some things that we didn�t get the chance to try in the rain this morning. The team is working really well together and we�re definitely going in the right direction and I�m really happy to be where I am.

More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi Ducati:

In Supersport Gianluca Nannelli on the 749R, after a brilliant fourth fastest in the morning wet session, had a crash during the initial stage of qualifying session, ending as ninth fastest, far from the leader.

“I had any physical damage for the crash”. – reassures Gianluca Nannelli at the end of the practice. “But to rejoin the pit and to control the spare bike we lose some time. Our situation is very similar of the last test: today too I’ve been the fastest in the first intermediate, then in the central sector I lose time. The bike is still the fastest under the speed trap. Obviously the wet track during the morning, as well useful to set the bike for wet conditions in the possibility, very improbable for the truth, of wet race condition, and the crash during qualifying in the afternoon didn’t help us today.”�