AARON Slight set the fastest time in Friday's opening qualifying session for the crucial 11th round of the World Superbike championship at the Assen circuit in Holland.

But Blackburn's Carl Fogarty was hot on his heels with the third fastest time as he bids to set up a thrilling final round of the championship.

Slight, just 1.5 points behind series leader Troy Corser, was in control for much of the session on his 750cc RC45 machine. The New Zealand ace was challenged in the closing stages of the one-hour session by Ducati's Pier-Francesco Chili but held onto his provisional pole position.

"My aim today was to be in that number one place," said Slight. "If I'm to win the championship I have to be focused on winning and that's what I want to do here on Sunday."

Slight won both races of last weekend's Austrian to close the deficit from 29.5 to 1.5 points with only two rounds remaining, in Holland and Japan. Behind second-placed Chili was Fogarty - 19 points behind Corser in the title chase - with a time of 2 mins 4.36 seconds, with series leader breathing down his neck in fourth place yesterday.

The Suzuki pairing of Jamie Whitham and Peter Goddard put in a late burst to move from outside the top 10 to take fifth and sixth places respectively. And Kawasaki's factory pairing of Akira Yanagawa and Burnley's Neil Hodgson complete the provisional second row of the grid.

Spain's impressive Ducati privateer Gregorio Lavilla was ninth fastest with Noriyuki Haga - winner of three races this year - completing the top 10. Haga's team-mate Scott Russell was 11th with Castrol Honda's Colin Edwards 12th.

Qualifying times: 1 Aaron Slight, New Zealand (Castrol Honda) 2m 03.708s, 2 Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Ducati) 2m 03.718s, 3 Carl Fogarty, GB (Ducati) 2m 04.360s, 4 Troy Corser, Australia (Ducati) 2m 04.812s, 5 Jamie Whitham, GB (Suzuki) 2m 04.889s, 6 Peter Goddard, Australia (Suzuki) 2m 05.532s, 7 Akira Yanagawa, Japan (Kawasaki) 2m 05.555s, 8 Neil Hodgson, GB (Kawasaki) 2m 06.018s, 9 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Ducati) 06.300s, 10 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Yamaha) 2m 06.594s.

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