WorldSBK Donington Park Qualifying | Rea splashes to pole, Razgatlioglu 13th

Jonathan Rea has given himself a strong chance to extend his advantage in the 2021 WorldSBK Championship standings after splashing to a dominant pole position at a sodden Donington Park, while Toprak Razgatlioglu could only manage 13th on the grid.

With leaden skies and persistent rain replacing the sunshine of Friday’s action, Rea had already set his stall out in the torrential conditions of FP3, form he’d continue into Superpole as he led from almost start to finish.

Getting his best time down to a 1m 40.101secs - around 13secs slower than in the dry - Rea was a clear half second up on the opposition, led by BMW pairing Michael van der Mark and Tom Sykes.

A similar result to that of the last qualifying session held in wet conditions at Magny-Cours last year when Eugene Laverty and Sykes ended up 1-2 on the grid, second on the grid is van der Mark’s best Superpole result since joining the German manufacturer at the start of the year.

Third on the grid gives Sykes a great chance to continue his fine form at Donington Park - where he is the lap record holder - after scoring his first BMW podium at the circuit in 2019.

Alex Lowes made it three British riders inside the top four with his run to fourth, ahead of practice pace setter Garrett Gerloff, the American nonetheless impressing in his first wet weather laps at Donington Park.

By contrast, it was a dismal start to the day for his Yamaha team-mate Razgatlioglu, who came into the weekend 20 points shy of leader Rea.  The Turk - who has struggled in wet conditions in the past - was again all at sea, leaving him a lowly 13th on the grid for the first two races of the weekend.

Scott Redding also faces some work to do from sixth on the grid, the Briton paying for his slip off in free practice, while Honda’s Leon Haslam might have qualified better than seventh but for a crash while he was trading fastest time with Rea midway through the session.

Ducati duo Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Chaz Davies get underway from eighth and ninth respectively, with Lucas Mahias again qualifying well to secure tenth on the grid.

Elsewhere, Luke Mossey put in a fine performance on his wildcard outing with Pedercini Kawasaki, placing the ZX-10RR 14th on the grid.

2021 WorldSBK Donington Park | Superpole Qualifying Results