WorldSBK hits the track with two days of testing in Barcelona

Teams and riders get ready for the first European round of 2023

Current Championship leader Alvaro Bautista was back on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Thursday and topped the timesheets with a 1’40.500s.

Iker Lecuona was second on the first day of testing as the Honda rider posted a 1’40.721s. His teammate Xavi Vierge was fifth.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi concluding day one in third place with a 1’40.973s finishing 0.473s behind his teammate.

Garrett Gerloff was the fastest BMW rider on Thursday as he took fourth position with a 1’41.150s posted in the late afternoon.

Toprak Razgatlioglu concluded day one of testing in sixth place 0.933s off Bautista’s fastest time. The Yamaha rider had a crash at Turn 2 which disrupted his running in the morning.

WorldSBK Day 1 Report

The first of two days of testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field got underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and it was reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who led the way on Day 1. He was two tenths clear of 2022 polesitter Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) at the end of the day’s running although Bautista’s lap time was set in the morning while Lecuona’s best time came in the final stages of the day’s action.

Bautista’s best time of the day came on his 20th lap in the morning when he posted a 1’40.500s to top the timesheets. It was a strong day for the Bologna-based manufacturer with Bautista’s teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, in third place and around four tenths down on Bautista. Ducati had new parts on rear suspension to try with the aim of improving stability and grip, while there was also development on the front of the bike to achieve faster corner entry.

Both Team HRC riders featured inside the top five at the end of day one with Iker Lecuona in second and Xavi Vierge in fifth place. Honda were mostly comparing the new items tested recently at MotorLand Aragon to ensure they were working at more circuits, with this including chassis bracing and an exhaust. They also continued to test some electronic setting as well as smaller items, while also looking at setup and trying to understand the machine.

Independent rider Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) leading the way for BMW. The American posted a 1’41.150s late in the session to move into fourth place.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) had a disrupted day of running following a crash at Turn 2 in the morning, but he was able to take fifth spot in the classification. The 2021 Champion posted a 1’41.433s to finish in sixth.

Both Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and teammate Alex Lowes opted to not run on Day 1 of 2 at the test.

Read the full report from Day 1 on worldsbk.com

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) was the fastest rider on Day 1 as he searched for a good feeling on his bike, posting a 1’44.846s, to finish ahead of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) as he returns from injury.