SBK series starts with tragedy

The World Superbike series kicks off with round one at Phillip Island in Australia on Sunday but the Superpole session was cancelled after a young Aussie rider was killed in a Superstock race earlier.

Australian Oscar McIntyre, 17, was involved in an accident with two other riders on the second lap of the Superstock race.

With the cancellation of the Superpole session, Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes will start in pole position for Sunday’s SBK Race one and two as a result of combined qualifying practice times.

Second on the grid will be Max Biaggi who was 0.54 seconds behind Sykes.

World champion Carlos Checa secured third position while another Ducati rider, Jakub Smrz on the Liberty Racing machine, completed the front row.

Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli was fifth on his Effenbert Liberty Racing vee-twin, and Leon Camier was sixth on his Crescent Fixi Suzuki.

Niccolò Canepa was an impressive top-seven qualifier, with the last place on row two being taken by Jonathan Rea on a Honda.

Race one is off at 03:00 Sunday (CAT)   — David Blood, SportsCentral

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