Tom Sykes in record-breaking form at Donington

Tom Sykes earned a World Superbike-record 44th pole as he pipped team-mate Jonathan Rea at Donington.

Sykes surpassed Troy Corser’s mark of 43 to beat record-chasing Rea by 0.293 seconds in superpole two.

Northern Irishman Rea is targeting a victory this weekend that will see him surpass Carl Fogarty’s record of 59 World Superbike race wins.

He appeared on course for pole as he surged to the top of the timesheets in the closing stages, but Sykes overhauled him.

The Kawasaki Racing Team duo will be joined on the front row for race one on Saturday by BMW’s Loris Baz, who was 0.685s off the pace.

Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori is fourth, with Yamaha duo Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark joining him on the second row.