Laverty qualifies 20th in Italy

Eugene Laverty competes for the Blusens Aprilia team

Toomebridge's Eugene Laverty finished 20th in qualifying for Sunday's Italian 250cc Grand Prix at Mugello.

After Friday's rain-affected opening session, all the riders improved their times on Saturday with Spanish rider Hector Barbera taking pole position.

Barbera's time of 1:52.675 was over four second fastest than Blusens Aprilia rider Laverty.

The Spanish rider was more than three-quarters of a second quicker than second fastest Alvaro Bautista.

Laverty crashed out of last weekend's French Grand Prix while in 13th place.

On Thursday, Laverty said that he believed that the Mugello track could suit his Aprilia machine givens its notorious fast flowing curves.

"Of the circuits which were new to me last year, Mugello was among my favourites," added Laverty.

The Blusens Aprilia rider added that he would be aiming for a "top 12 finish" in the Italian race.

"It's a real rider's circuit despite the long main straight. My Aprilia chassis is a step beneath that of the official bikes but it seems to suit flowing circuits rather than the stop and go style.

"I want to make up for the disappointment of Le Mans and bounce back with a points scoring finish.

"With four races in the next five weeks, I need to continue my run of good form as there are a lot of points up for grabs."

Laverty had qualified in 17th place at Le Mans but crashed out after only 11 laps of the event while lying in 13th.

The Northern Ireland man had scored points in the previous two rounds, having finished 13th in China and 15th in Portugal.