In excellent weather conditions at the Motul Italian Round on Saturday PJ Jacobsen took pole for the fifth race of the season with a 1’51.611 lap around the 4.936km Imola track. He will be joined on the front row on Sunday by Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and top Italian qualifier Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing).
At his team’s home Round MV Agusta Reparto Corse rider Jacobsen registered his third pole of 2017 and he will strive to record his first race win of the season in Sunday’s 17 lap race.
Championship leader Mahias was delighted to finish in second place in the Tissot Superpole 2 session and celebrated with a big ‘endo’, whilst Gamarino will be pleased to line up on the front row for his home race.
Taking their places on the second row will be another Italian Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), Turkey’s WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and South African rider Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing).
Two Brits in seventh and ninth respectively, meanwhile, Kyle Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) and Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), sandwich eighth placed
Frenchman Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) on row three.
The fourth row is set to feature Japanese rider Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), Belgian Loris Cresson (SC Racing-RPM84) and Alessandro Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).
Zaccone was taken to the medical centre for a check-up after crashing towards the end of SP2. Ryde and Cresson were the two riders to have made it through from SP1.
The WorldSSP riders will race at 11am local time on Sunday at Imola in front of the Italian fans.
Pole Position – PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
“It would be great to get the win but I’m not putting myself under too much pressure, getting on the podium is the next target tomorrow, but tyre wear and consistency will play a huge part of our race tomorrow. If we can get a good start off the line I think we can put up a good fight.”
WorldSSP Tissot-Superpole 2:
1. PJ Jacobsen (USA) MV Agusta 1.51.611
2. Lucas Mahias (FRA) Yamaha 1.51.723 (+0.112)
3. Christian Gamarino (ITA) Honda 1.51.795 (+0.184)
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of Dorna WSBK Organization Srl
