That is how you make an absolute statement. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) dominated Friday qualifying at Cremona Circuit for the EICMA Italian Round, throwing down a 1’35.746s lap that gave Yamaha not just their first front row in the nascent WorldSPB category, but their very first pole position.
Driving for Team BrCorse, the Aussie completely disrupted the weekend narrative by snapping the four-round pole streak of championship leader David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI). Salvador had to settle for P2, finishing just under a quarter of a second adrift of the flying #38 machine. Yet, with the title firmly within reach here at Cremona, the championship leader remains in the ultimate spot to strike when the lights go out.
Hot on their heels, Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) kept his momentum rolling nicely with P3. Fresh off a Race 2 victory last time out, the Brit ended the session four tenths off the pace and looks entirely ready to upset the title fight over the weekend. Meanwhile, Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) secured P4 with a 1’36.199s, landing just 0.045s shy of Seabright to capture only his second front-row start of the season.
Further down the order, Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) turned his home round into a celebration by putting a second Yamaha in the top five. The #43 carded his best Superpole result of the year with P5. Right behind him, Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph) locked down P6 on the second row with a 1’36.571s, marking his own seasonal best as he fights to defend a narrow one-point championship advantage over Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team).
Fittingly, Fuertes hovered right there on the timesheets, slotting into P7 just over a hundredth behind his rival. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) took P8 with a 1’36.627s, marking his second-worst Superpole result of 2026 and leaving him just under nine tenths away from the pole time. Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) broke back into the front three rows for the first time in four rounds to grab P9 on a 1’36.731s, while Pepe Osuna (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) continued his strong second-half form by rounding out the top ten.
