Fastest through the first split, Walker looked set to eclipse his previous best time in Superpole, but a slipping clutch meant that the 30-year-old Fuchs Kawasaki rider struggled to use all the power of the factory Kawasaki over the second half of the lap, losing valuable time as a result.

'I can't understand why the clutch should have started slipping during Superpole, as we put new plates in straight after the hour-long practice session,' said a mystified Walker. 'Maybe there was oil on the plates or something; I don't know. It's a shame because I knew from the start that I was on for my fastest lap of the weekend, but in the end I only managed to match my previous best time.'

'I was aiming for the second row today, which obviously didn't happen, but I've started well from row three in the past and that's exactly what I'll be trying to do tomorrow. If I can make up a few places at the start then I could be in with a shout of a good result, especially if the crowd get behind me; their support is worth a couple of tenths a lap at least…' continued the ever popular British rider.

Coming back from a six round lay-off, Hitoyasu Izutsu knew it was going to take him some time to get back up to race speed on the Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-7RR. The former Japanese Superbike Champion looked to be improving in each session, but went the wrong way with suspension settings and missed out on qualifying for Superpole. Izutsu will start tomorrow's two races from the fifth row, after finishing regular qualifying 21st fastest.

'Part of the problem this weekend has been that I haven't raced the bike for so long, but I'm sure I could have made Superpole if we hadn't gone the wrong way with set-up for the final qualifying session,' said a disappointed Izutsu. 'We made some changes for the free practice period this afternoon and the bike definitely felt better, which bodes well for tomorrow. Despite the fifth row start, I'll still be trying as hard as ever for a good result.'