Ito puts FFC on Pole with 2:07 Lap...

The final starting line up for tomorrow's race has been decided by this afternoon's Top Ten Trial Special Stage.

Attack

Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow both rode in the first "Attack" group of riders. Haslam (No.10 Sakurai Honda) was a promising 0.751 seconds up on Takahashi (Harc Pro Honda), who had initially set the pace, but Crutchlow (Moriwaki Honda) beat him by 11 hundredths before being demolished by Takahashi (No.33 HRC Dream Honda) with a time of 2:08.454 that was only bettered by Checa (No.11 HRC Dream Honda) putting in a lap of 2:08.338.

Jump Up

Checa's team mate Kiyonari (No.11 Dream Honda) set what looked like an unbeatable lap in the "Jump Up" stage, with Nakasuga (No.218 factory Yamaha) and Akiyoshi (No.34 Yoshi Suzuki) unable to match his time.

Second to last man out was Sakai on the No.12 Yoshi Suzuki, but a mistake cost him the lap, leaving the final rider to go, Shinichi Ito, as the only person left to challenge Kiyo's time.

Ito (No.2 FCC TSR Honda) was 0.273 seconds up on Kiyonari in the first sector, 0.279 up in the second sector, and a staggering 0.697 up at the end of the third sector. The whole circuit held its breath as he negotiated the Casio chicane and blasted down the start/finish straight to cross the line 0.296 seconds ahead of Kiyonari's time with a lap of 2:07.014; more than half a second faster than he had gone in qualifying.