Italian Max Biaggi put the pressure on Superbike World Championship leader Carlos Checa by setting the qualifying pace in Germany.
Late surge gives Aprilia rider the edge at the Nurburgring
Italian Max Biaggi put the pressure on Superbike World Championship leader Carlos Checa by setting the fastest qualifying time in Germany.
The 40-year-old put in a late surge and clocked one minute 55.524 seconds after it looked as though Checa had claimed first place on the grid with 1min 55.673secs.
It was a timely boost for the Aprilia rider who had slipped 62 points behind overall leader Checa following a disappointing weekend last time out in Britain, when he finished 11th and fourth and was forced to watch his Ducati rival climb to the top of the podium on both occasions.
Crash
Yamaha's Marco Melandri completing the top three, crossing the line just 0.146secs slower than the Spaniard.
Michel Fabrizio was fourth, paying the price for a crash at the start of the session, with Eugene Laverty fifth, Sylvain Guintoli sixth and Jonathan Rea - back after two months out with a broken wrist - in seventh place on his Honda.
Rea was joined by two other Brits in the top 10, with Tom Sykes (1:56.353) in ninth and Leon Haslam in 10th, just 0.001secs behind him.
