Jakub Smrz put in an eye-catching superpole qualifying performance in the FIM Superbike World Championship in San Marino.
Smrz, on the Guandalini Racing Ducati, became the first rider other than Yamaha World Superbike team rider Ben Spies to claim pole position this season and will line up at the front of the grid for tomorrow's two races at Misano.
Smrz's time of one minute 35.434 seconds was good enough to put Spies in third as Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea was second fastest with a time of 1:35.609.
Spies came next with a time of 1:35.631 which meant there was little for the Italian fans to cheer about.
The fourth quickest time was set by Italian Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox machine in front of his home fans.
Shane Byrne found form to post the fifth best time on the Sterilgarda Ducati, with Fabrizio's team-mate and championship leader Nori Haga next in sixth.
The Japanese rider goes into tomorrow's races with a lead of 53 points over Spies in the championship standings but will need to at least match his American rival tomorrow if he is to keep a previously dominant grip on the series which has slipped of late because of some below-par performances.
Although Spies will not start from his accustomed pole - he has been at the head of the grid in the previous seven rounds of the series - starting ahead of Haga will give him the psychological advantage in both races.
The top 10 on the grid was completed by the Hannspree Ten Kate Hondas of Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari, Aprilia Racing's Max Biaggi and the Stiggy Motorsport Honda of Leon Haslam.
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