Tom Sykes smashes Magny Cours lap record to clinch pole position

World Superbikes champion Jonathan Rea was denied pole position at Magny Cours after team-mate Tom Sykes smashed the lap record in Superpole 2.

Northern Irishman Rea looked on course for first place on the grid at the French circuit with a time of of one minute 35.843 seconds, before fellow Kawsaki rider Sykes bettered it by finishing in a record time of 1min 35.696secs to storm to his fifth pole of the year.

Italian Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) bounced back from a heavy crash in the fourth free practice session and will join Sykes and Rea on the front row on Saturday afternoon following his time of 1m 36.564s, while Barni Ducati’s Xavi Fores was fourth.

Rea can seal his fourth-successive world title this weekend if he outscores fellow Briton Chaz Davies by nine points and concedes fewer than 12 points to Dutchman Michael van der Mark.