The top of the time sheets were dominated by familiar faces at today’s qualifying hit out at the Hidden Valley Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship round, with Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters coming up trumps after a fearless flying lap in Superpole.

Suzuki’s current Superbike champion had set the pace for much of the weekend, but at the end of today’s merged qualifying sessions the deficit between the top eight had closed dramatically – less than a second separated the provisional starters on the first and second rows.

Cougar Bourbon Honda’s Bryan Staring and Ducati Motologic Racing’s Jamie Stauffer both weighed into the battle between Waters and championship leader Wayne Maxwell, with Staring slotting into second and Stauffer fourth as Superpole concluded.

Waters was pleased with the 1:07.871 lap but said his focus was now on converting pace to points tomorrow.

“It was a really good lap, I’m very happy with how it went and how the team prepared me for it,” said Waters. “I thought I’d messed it up at one stage but there was no chance to back off, I put my head down and concentrated on getting it finished.

“It will be important to keep up the pace tomorrow in the two 17-lappers, that’s where the points are earned.”

Bryan Staring snared second position on his first-ever attempt at the Superpole format. He said the front row start was vital considering the pace of the riders around him.

“The team did a really good job of getting the bike ready for Superpole,” said Staring. “I was third last to start the lap and it was a very new experience to me. I told myself to relax, be calm and keep hitting the spots that I needed to.

“I managed a 1:08.81, my best lap so far, and we had a little glimpse of hope there that it could have converted to pole. I’m still very happy with it and it’s a good confidence booster heading into the races tomorrow.”

Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Wayne Maxwell described his lap as ‘tidy’, and felt there was more to come from his Honda.

“It was a pretty good lap, I needed to ensure a front row start and that’s what we did,” explained Maxwell. “We changed a few things between the last qualifying and Superpole so it took a few moments to settle in to the lap.

“I just concentrated on the basics – not running wide or overbraking – and came up with a time good enough for third. Josh is doing well this weekend but our focus in the championship is getting points on Bryan as he is better placed.”

Jamie Stauffer’s 1:08.754 secured him the final spot on the grid, and he will certainly be one to watch tomorrow as the Ducati Superbike outfit go from strength to strength.

Solid efforts by Scott Charlton and Kris McLaren see them in seventh and eighth respectively for tomorrow’s two races.

Cloudy skies threatened today but no more than a few drops of rain fell on the track which saw 2623 visitors pass through the gates.

Action resumes tomorrow morning at 9:00am with each class taking to the track for a brief warm-up session. The opening Superbike race will begin at 12:30pm.

Click here for detailed results