Ben Spies believes he had the potential to achieve his first front row of the year in qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Yamaha rider eventually ended the session in fourth, equalling his best qualifying result of the year. He says however that he could have gone one better and secured a front row berth had he not lost time on his flying lap.
"That was a pretty good qualifying session. I'm a little frustrated as I lost a couple of tenths on one of the splits which would have put me on the front row," Spies said.
"I think I had almost too much grip through T1 and T2 with the soft tire!"
While Spies' qualifying record in 2012 has been solid - he has never qualified lower than sixth - the races have proved his downfall, with eighth at Estoril his best result. He says he is confident he can deliver at Barcelona however.
"The bike is working really well, the team's worked hard to deliver a good set up so I'm confident we can run a competitive pace and stay with it tomorrow. It's going to be a tough race and I'm hoping the rain stays off."