Defending World Champion Alvaro Bautista captured pole position during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, in Spain. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, the Spaniard lapped the 2.75-mile (4.42 km) track in 1:38.635 to top the field of 24 riders.

Dominique Aegerter was second-best with a 1:38.845 on his GYTR GRT Yamaha YZF-R1, and Alex Lowes claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap at 1:38.905 on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.

American Garrett Gerloff qualified ninth with a time of 1:39.190 on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.

Just 0.844 second separated the top 13 qualifiers.