Alvaro Bautista takes pole in Superpole

Bautista – who is aiming to win 10 races in a row – clinched pole before the qualifying session was abandoned with just a minute left.

Bautista had to contend with a jam-packed session that saw two riders crash out.

After a crash at turn 15, the session was red-flagged due to safety conditions.

Bautista, in his Ducati, had managed to get nine laps under his belt, clocking a time of 1.34.740 seconds.

Despite the climatic situation, Bautista was able to hold his nerve while the chaos unfolded around him, pipping Michael van der Mark to pole with BMW’s Markus Reiterberger completing the front row.

Asked for his thoughts about securing pole, Bautista told Eurosport: “I don’t know if the conditions or the set up feel so good for me.

“At FP2, we got back to our standard setting and I started to feel much better.

“Nobody can use the qualification tyre and it’s great to start in first position.”

Meanwhile, Tom Sykes was left disappointed as he could only manage a sixth-place finish.

Fellow Brit and four-time world champion Jonathan Rea was a bit off the pace, finishing eighth.