The weather played havoc with the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field on Friday at the Circuito Estoril as rain in Free Practice 1 greeted the grid before a mixed-conditions Free Practice 2 limited running. The afternoon session for the Estoril Round started dry before rain started to fall around 20 minutes into it, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) the only rider in the 1’37s bracket as he secured P1 ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
RAZGATLIOGLU ON TOP IN BOTH SESSIONS: ‘El Turco’ leads the way
With conditions considerably drier in FP2 compared to FP1, times were instantly much faster. Razgatlioglu instantly went to top spot with a 1’37.668s to assert his authority on the weekend, before improving to a 1’37.355s as he secured P1 in both a wet FP1 and in the dry in FP2. With rain beginning to fall around halfway through the session, Razgatlioglu’s time went unchallenged. He was the sole BMW rider in the top 10, with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) securing P12 but some 1.8 seconds off Razgatlioglu. His teammate, Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW), was 19th while Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was 20th after he crashed in the early stages of FP2, completing only six timed laps in the dry conditions.
PETRUCCI IN CONTENTION: P2 for ‘Petrux’, Bautista and Bulega fourth and sixth respectively
Petrucci was the fastest Ducati rider on Friday at Estoril as he secured second place with a 1’38.065s, seven tenths away from Razgatlioglu’s time as ‘Petrux’ looks to wrap up the Independent Riders’ title for 2024 this weekend. He was around two tenths clear of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in fourth, while his teammate, Nicolo Bulega, was two places and a tenth down on his teammate. Bulega lost valuable running in FP1 when he crashed at Turn 6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) just missed out on a spot in the top ten as he secured P11, 1.240s down on the pace. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was 14th with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in 16th; the #14 crashed in FP1 at Turn 12.
ALEX LOWES THIRD: another strong day for the #22
Third place belonged to Alex Lowes as the Kawasaki rider lapped in a 1’38.074s, 0.719s down on ‘El Turco’ and just 0.009s slower than Petrucci in second. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was one of a handful of riders who improved when light rain fell as he moved into seventh place after he set a 1’38.437s. The final Kawasaki rider in the pecking order was Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) as he secured 15th place after posting a 1’39.363s. Rabat had a run-off in Free Practice 1, but it didn’t cost him much running time.
HONDA QUICK AGAIN: four manufacturers in the top four
Honda were represented with two bikes in the top ten, with Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) taking fifth place and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in ninth. Lecuona, like Bassani, improved as the rain started to fall, while it was a disrupted session for Vierge. The #97 crashed at Turn 3 which ended his session, even before the rain started to fall even more. Lecuona’s P4 ensured four different manufacturers were in the top four after Friday’s running. Home hero Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was 17th with a 1’39.428s while Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was 23rd; both riders crashed in FP1 at Turn 9. Mackenzie impressed in the wet in the morning session by claiming P5 and finishing as the lead Honda rider.
YAMAHA AIMING TO FIGHT BACK: Rea the fastest rider in P10
It was a difficult day for Yamaha with just Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) putting the Yamaha R1 inside the top ten. The #65 was P10 after posting a 1’38.572s, finishing two places and a tenth ahead of teammate Andrea Locatelli. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was close to ‘Loka’ ahead, with just a tenth separating the Italian and the Australian, while Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 18th and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) in 21st. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 22nd as he made his comeback from injury, with the #77 set to be reviewed after FP2 to decide whether he participates in the rest of the weekend. Wildcard Luca Bernardi (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 24th and last on his return to the Championship.
The top six from Friday at Estoril:
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’37.355s
2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.710s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.719s
4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.892s
5. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.894s
6. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.040s
