After trading the top times with Josh Hayes for much of the Formula Xtreme (FX) qualifying session at Virginia International Raceway, Attack Kawasaki rider Ben Attard ripped out a time unchallenged, earning the pole for Saturday’s FX final of the AMA Superbike series. Attard set a lap time of 1:26.809, making himself the only rider to break into the 1:26s during qualifying. In the crazy hot conditions of climate change at VIR, Attard’s time was more then four tenths faster than the next rider on the grid.

Attard’s teammate, Pirelli’s 2007 Daytona 200 winner Steve Rapp, was fifth fastest on his Diablo Superbike Slicks, claiming the inside spot on row two for the FX race. Other top-qualifying Pirelli riders include Cory West on his Chuck Giacchetto tuned Team Hunter Yamaha YZF-R6 earning eighth on the grid, and Team M4 EMGO Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas grabbing ninth on the grid despite this being Cardenas’ first time ever racing at VIR.

With a drought measuring out at eight inches of seasonal rain not yet having arrived, it rained at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on Friday morning, forcing practice and qualifying for the third-from-last round of the 2007 AMA Superbike series to be on hold until 12:00 noon. According to AMA Superbike Series Media Manager Larry Lawrence, the ambient temperature at Virginia International Raceway went to 97-degrees during the afternoon’s practice and qualifying.

Again running at the front of the Formula Xtreme field were Pirelli riders Ben Attard and Steve Rapp, riding Attack Kawasaki’s Daytona 200-winning ZX-6Rs. The front row times of the top four FX riders of the day only differed in total by less than nine tenths of a second, setting up a classic battle for the final grid Friday afternoon. (See above.)

Superstock practice, which hit the track first at Virginia International Raceway following the rain delay, saw Pirelli shod Geoff May ride his Team M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 to fourth fastest in the session. Other Pirelli riders in the top ten include Chris Ulrich of the Roadracingworld.com Suzuki team at eighth fastest with his teammate Robertino Pietri right on Ulrich’s tail with the ninth-best time of the session.

Leading the Pirelli riders in Supersport practice was Geoff May at fifth fastest on his M4 EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600. Regular top riders Ben Attard and Steve Rapp, both riding for Attack Kawasaki, finished the session at ninth and tenth fastest, using Pirelli’s standard Diablo Supercorsa DOT racing tires.