Source: Supplied.

Yamaha Factory Racing has taken provisional pole position at the Suzuka 8 Hours round of the 2016/2017 Endurance World Championship, led by World Superbike star Alex Lowes.

Lowes posted a flying 2m06.405s lap-time to go quickest overall, with the team’s average topping the field at 2m07.116s.

Behind the defending champion Yamaha squad came the Yoshimura Suzuki, including Australia’s Josh Brookes, and MotoGP charger Jack Miller’s MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO Honda team.

In fourth was Kawasaki Team Green, while yet another Aussie was inside the top five as the F.C.C. TSR Honda effort of Josh Hook slotted into fifth – within a second of the leading average. Directly behind them was Broc Parkes’ YART Yamaha Official EWC Team in P6.

An assortment of highly-talented teams will go through to tomorrow’s prestigious Top 10 Trial superpole session, rounded out by Team Kagayama Suzuki, Moriwaki Motul Racing, Honda Suzuka Racing Team and Honda Team Asia.

The S-Pulse Dream Racing Suzuki of Alex Cudlin marginally missed out on a Superpole berth in 11th, with brother Damian Cudlin’s Team SuP Dream Honda 14th and Josh Waters’ MotoMap Supply Suzuki 16th.

Behind them, Honda DREAM RT Sakurai including Jason O’Halloran – who was impressively fast – and Jamie Stauffer was 18th, Mark Aitchison’s team JP DFR & RS-ITOH Kawasaki 23rd and Anthony West with Akeno Speed Yamaha second of the Superstocks in 25th.

Night practice continued on following qualifying, setting teams up for tomorrow’s proceedings and the all-important final round of the EWC series on Sunday afternoon.