The HM Plant Ducati rider scored a lap time of 1m47.913 - his personal best of the weekend, and the fastest qualifying time ever at Monza.

A dramatic Superpole was started in bizarre circumstances, when Broc Parkes (NCR Ducati Parmalat, 16th in regulation qualifying and thus first away), encountered someone running across the main straight as he flashed towards the start line.

In the interests of fairness Parkes was given another chance to set his best lap right at the end of the session, but in a twist of cruel luck his machine expired and he failed to set a lap time, automatically falling to 16th.

Lucio Pedercini was the first of the riders to make significant inroads into the Superpole order, eventually ending up seventh, earning himself a second row start on his eponymous privateer Ducati.

Noriyuki Haga (Playstation2 Aprilia) jumped from his lowly qualifying position of 11th to the pole for the majority of the Superpole session, until Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati NCR) took it from him.

The local man was himself only displaced in the last few minutes, and eventually finished with an all-important front row start.

Third last away Troy Bayliss took pole until he was overhauled by second-last man to start, Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda) albeit by a mere two thousandths of a second.

The front row thus consists of Hodgson, Edwards, Bayliss and Chili, with Haga, James Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) Pedercini and Eric Bostrom (Kawasaki Racing Team) filling the second rank. Bostrom was the top four-cylinder rider in the Superpole ratings, a fine performance from the stand-in for injured regular pilot Hitoyasu Izutsu.

Eric’s brother Ben (Ducati L&M) had a disappointing finish to his good Superpole start, ending in tenth behind Steve Martin’s DFX Ducati.

Gregorio Lavilla’s good work in regulation qualifying was undone in Superpole, with the Suzuki GSX-R dropping to an unlucky 13th.

Chris Walker, seventh after regulation, dropped to 15th, after hitting the kerbs on the Ascari chicane very hard and ending his chances of taking a second row start.
 

1. Hodgson
2. Edwards
3. Bayliss
4. Chili
5. Haga
6. Toseland
7. Pedercini
8. E Bostrom
9. Martin
10. B Bostrom
11. Borciani
12. Antonello
13. Lavilla
14. Borja
15. Walker
16. Parkes
17. Xaus
18. Sanchini
19. Blora
20. Foti
21. Heckles
22. Clementi
23. Caliumi
24. Goddard
25. Stey
26. Mulot
27. Valia
28. Mrkyvka
29. Sartoni
30. Gyger
31. Trcka

• May 11 - WSBK - SuperPole / Grid, Monza - Honda Report - GSE Report - Kawasaki Report - Aprilia - Bayliss -

• May 11 - WSS - Qualifying 2 / Grid, Monza