No practice no problem for Mladin.

Despite being kept apart from the World Superbike Championship regulars during Friday morning practice at Laguna Seca, wild-card Yoshimura Suzuki rider Mat Mladin outran all challengers as he claimed provisional pole for round eight of the 2003 World Championship.

Currently second in the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship, Mladin found no difficulty in adapting to the slightly different WSBK spec Suzuki GSX 1000R as he lapped the 2.238-mile eleven-turn circuit in a best time of 1:25.608secs, still two tenths slower than his pole time for Saturday's supporting US Championship race.

Somewhat shell-shocked and more than four tenths of a second slower than the Australian born wildcard, morning practice leader Regis Laconi qualified second fastest with a 1:26.017secs best on the Caracchi NCR Ducati, a mere three hundredths ahead of the second Yoshimura Suzuki ridden by Aaron Yates.

Completing the overnight front row after perhaps his best day ever on a bike was Italian Giovanni Bussei, who looked like a different rider aboard the Ducati Austin 998RS rather than the elderly and rather plump looking Yamaha he normally rides for the UnionBike GiMotorsport team.

Fifth fastest, but only the second series regular was veteran Frankie Chili with a best lap of 1:26.138secs with Neil Hodgson sixth fastest, current AMA points leader Eric Bostrom a superhuman seventh on a 750cc Kawasaki that should have become obsolete at least two years ago and James Toseland eighth.

Lucio Pedercini led off the third row on his Pedercini Ducati with a struggling Gregorio Lavilla only tenth, Ruben Xaus an equally disappointing eleventh and Chris Walker a rather forlorn twelfth. Steve Martin, a gloomy Troy Corser, Mauro Sanchini and Marco Borciani completed the provisional Superpole qualifiers leaving Juan Borja, the crash-prone David Garcia, Ivan Clementi, Walter Tortoroglio, Pedercini Ducati replacement Luca Pedersoli, the returning James Haydon and Jiri Mrkyvka on the outside looking in.