Honda's Nicky Hayden was fast on Friday at BIR, just like he was at Colorado and Elkhart. "The last couple of races I've had pole on Friday, but lost on Saturday," he said after setting a session best of 1:36.609.

The condition of his bike bodes well for Saturday, though. "I don't have any major problems with the bike. We might massage it a little bit, but it feels good." Hayden still has two of the new qualifying tires at his disposal for the Saturday afternoon session.

Hayden thinks Mladin's record lap might be unattainable with a deteriorating track, however. "That'll be tough. I don't know if we can get it," Hayden said in the post-qualifying press conference.

The main problem seems to be the bumps from the sealer laid to patch cracks. "I remember the sealer, but nothing like this. It's slippery out there and the heat makes it worse."