The first qualifying session for the World Superbike
Championship at Laguna Seca saw already a very close competition, as the top-14
riders were in only one second of each other at the chequered flag. Eugene
Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) easily got
to grips with the American track to end up in first and third place
respectively, while Niccolò Canepa (Team Ducati Alstare), who raced at Laguna
in MotoGP, scored a sensational second place finish with just a 0.013 seconds
gap from the leader.