Image: Keith Muir.

Team Honda Racing’s Jamie Stauffer will start from pole position in Saturday’s sixth round of the YMF-Loan Australian FX-Superbike Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park following a scorching hot qualifying session this afternoon.

Stauffer was able to ride his CBR1000RR SP to a 1m31.706s lap despite temperatures hovering around 40 degrees in Western Sydney today, as riders quickly got down to business in making the most of new tyres during the session – eight of the top 10 all setting their times on lap two.

Stauffer edged out Motul-backed teammate Wayne Maxwell for position by 0.107s as the lone riders inside the 1m31 bracket, with Troy Herfoss making it a trio of factory Hondas on the front row.

Yamaha Racing Team rider Cru Halliday took another step in securing his place on the 2015 YZF-R1 when it arrives next year, featuring as top of the Yamahas in fourth after fending off Next Gen Motorsport BMW’s Glenn Allerton.

Sixth on the grid is Crazy Dogs Kawasaki privateer Mike Jones, the impressive Queenslander slotting his ZX-10R ahead of Honda’s Josh Hook, Sean Condon (Bikebiz Racing Kawasaki), Matthew Walters (Kawasaki Connection) and a rejuvenated Rick Olson (Yamaha Racing Team). The top nine were all within a second.

Notable names outside the top 10 today were Robbie Bugden on the third of the factory R1s in 12th, after experiencing a crash in morning practice, and Kevin Curtain in his return to racing, lining up 16th on the Trinder Racing Aprilia.

2014 Australian FX-Superbike Championship
Round six – Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW

Superbike qualifying results:
1. Jamie STAUFFER 1m31.706
2. Wayne MAXWELL 1m31.810
3. Troy HERFOSS 1m32.062
4. Cru HALLIDAY 1m32.072
5. Glenn ALLERTON 1m32.177
6. Mike JONES 1m32.264
7. Josh HOOK 1m32.417
8. Sean CONDON 1m32.545
9. Matthew WALTERS 1m32.645
10. Rick OLSON 1m32.914
11. Dustin GOLDSMITH 1m32.917
12. Robert BUGDEN 1m32.945
13. Glenn SCOTT 1m33.050
14. Beau BEATON 1m33.448
15. Ben BURKE 1m33.723
16. Kevin CURTAIN 1m34.023
17. Paul BYRNE 1m34.106
18. Ben HENRY 1m34.209
19. Mitch PAYNTER 1m36.705
20. Hamish McMURRAY 1m39.263

Click here for detailed results