Suzuki Riders Ace Honda Men in Superpole: After regular qualifying two Honda riders led two Suzuki riders but in the single lap Superpole competition, which determines the final grid positions, Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki) took the win, from his team-mate Troy Corser (Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki). It was Kagayama’s second Superpole success of the year, with Corser and Regis Laconi winning the others.

Ducati Takes Home Advantage: After some torrid times in the last few races, the factory Ducati Xerox riders, Regis Laconi and James Toseland, had much more settled pre-raceday experiences. Laconi was one of many riders to put himself in temporary pole position when given the opportunity, but he dropped to an eventual third place, still an impressive performance from a rider who originally qualified fifth. Toseland, once more fast in normal race conditions, was once again unable to replicate his form quite so well in Superpole, finishing his day eighth.

Honda Duo Drop From Lead: Winston Ten Kate Honda riders Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen secured first and second best times in regulation, but only Muggeridge was to earn a front row start, after ending Superpole fourth fastest. He had to make a recovery from an early misjudgement at turn one, running wide on entry and exit, before clawing back time on the final sectors and finishing fourth. Vermeulen’s conservative Superpole lap, at the fastest circuit on the calender, saw him fifth, heading up row two.

Yamaha Men Give Their All: Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Germany) replicated his regulation qualifying performance by finishing sixth after Superpole the top Yamaha rider in the field. His team-mate, Noriyuki Haga, suffered a crash in the last minutes of final untimed qualifying, shortly before heading out to his Superpole lap, but a circuit of aggression and willpower still put him 11th. Heavy Yamaha representation in Superpole saw Jose Luis Cardoso (DFX Extreme Yamaha) finish 13th, Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor Germany) 14th and Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) – who had fallen with Haga – 16th and last in Superpole.

Walker and Kawasaki Row Two: Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki) was once more in the hunt for ultimate pre-race honours, blasting around the 5.793km circuit with abandon to record the seventh best time, ahead of reigning champion Toseland. The Bertocchi Kawasaki team members, at their home race, delighted in their lead rider Giovanni Bussei taking a top ten finish, for a row three start. Walker’s team-mate Mauro Sanchini, secured 15th grid spot.

Chili Betters Himself, Nannelli Slips: Local riders were in abundance at a sun-kissed Monza, as Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) went one better than his 10th place qualification in regulation, while Gianluca Nannelli (SC Caracchi Ducati) slipped from an impressive eighth in regulation to 12th, starting from the last place on the third row. Nannelli was a busy man, racing in Supersport (in his regular championship class) and adopting Superbike duties after Superbike rider Lorenzo Lanzi was sidelined with a collarbone injury after Valencia.

Big Names Miss Out: With the intense level of competition in SBK this year, from six manufacturers, several Superbike stars missed out on Superpole. Ben Bostrom came close, finishing 19th on his Renegade Honda Koji machine, while Garry McCoy and Steve Martin (both Petronas FP-1) felt the need for speed, in 23rd and 24th places respectively. Fonsi Nieto (Ducati SC Caracchi) was 25th fastest, one place ahead of injured local hero Lucio Pedercini.

Supersport: Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) scored his fourth pole position in four attempts, thanks to an improved second day time of 1’51.730.

A Winston Ten Kate Honda 1-2 placed Katsuaki Fujiwara second, eating into the one second advantage Charpentier enjoyed on the opening day, thanks to a 1:52.126.

A slight shake up in the second qualifying session allowed the top four riders to improve their times, with Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati SC Caracchi) riding to a secure front row start, in third position. Another local man, Michel Fabrizio, was the final competitor in the top four, the Roman would-be emperor nonetheless almost one second from the leading machine of Charpentier. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) was the top R6 pilot, fifth fastest, but unable to improve his times from Friday. After a good day for the home machines, Alessio Corradi took his Ducati Selmat 749R to a magnificent sixth place in his first ride for the team. Former WSS regular Simone Sanna (Improve Honda CBR600RR) was seventh, with the top GSX-R that of the Suzuki Netherlands team, ridden by Dutchman Barry Veneman.