Suzuki pair rue qualifying errors

John Hopkins had been second in final practice, but was only sixth on the grid, while Chris Vermeulen will start 12th following a crash in the morning session.

"As far as qualifying goes I made a big mistake coming onto my last lap and that cost me a few tenths," Hopkins said.

"I lost the rear really bad and I rode like a sissy just after it happened. We could have had the front row, but now the plan is to get a good start and make sure we are in contention straightaway."

He expects to have a competitive package in the race.

"It was a good day today and exactly what we wanted," said Hopkins.

"We needed a dry day so we could get some work done with the set-up of the bike. As far as race set-up goes we are almost there, we will make a couple of changes in the warm-up, but for the most part the Bridgestone tyres and the Suzuki GSV-R are working well again."

Vermeulen does not believe his practice crash will hold him back in the race.

"We now have the bike set-up for both wet and dry conditions and made a lot of improvements this afternoon, because I lost a bit of time this morning due to a crash down Craner Curves," he said.

"I'm still a bit stiff and sore from that. The guys did a great job rebuilding my bike in the short time between sessions - even some of John's crew helped so I am thankful to them for that.

"My last qualifying lap was looking good, but I made a mistake in the Melbourne Loop and ran wide. It's not perfect starting from the fourth row, but if I can get a good start and push hard throughout the race I know I can be competitive."

Team boss Paul Denning rued his riders' errors, but is optimistic about their race chances.

"John certainly looked like he had the speed for the front row," Denning said.

"It's so competitive out there that the smallest mistake or some bad luck costs vital tenths and makes a big difference to the starting position.

"Having said that, everyone is pushing really hard, and our guys seem to have good consistency. I think we will be in good shape over the 30 laps tomorrow whether it is wet or dry."