More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
The 2021 Champion was unbeatable at Donington, and he’s started the Czech Round in the same fashion with the fastest FP1 time
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) continued where he left Donington last weekend by topping Free Practice 1 at the Autodrom Most. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has travelled east to the Czech Republic for Round 6 of the 2024 season and the Turkish superstar’s form has continued as he lapped almost three tenths quicker than his rivals as the Czech Round got underway.
Razgatlioglu initially went for an out lap before returning to the pits for a while, eventually setting a lap time later than his rivals. However, his delayed start to his hot laps didn’t prevent him from immediately going fastest. The #54 was straight into the 1’32s before setting a 1’31.947s around halfway through the 45-minute Free Practice 1 session. Straight away, he was six tenths clear of his rivals, although the gap did close slightly as the session progressed. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed second as he continued to be the lead Yamaha rider, lapping just under three tenths slower than the 2021 Champion, while Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was third as he had a strong start to his weekend.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was another who started the weekend in a good way, often being in the top three but finishing in fourth. He set a 1’32.362s to finish 0.415s behind Razgatlioglu as he finished as the top Independent rider. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) continued his Donington form in FP1 as he claimed fifth, just 0.003s behind Petrucci, while Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) completed the top six finishing exactly a tenth behind the #45.
Seventh place belonged to Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he posted a 1’32.507s, 0.031s clear of Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in eighth. After admitting on Thursday that he was expecting a tough weekend, it’ll give Honda confidence after a decent start to the weekend with Lecuona in P8 and Xavi Vierge just outside the top ten. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was the lead Kawasaki rider in ninth with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) rounding out the top ten.
The top six from WorldSBK FP1, full results here:
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’31.947s
2. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.286s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.293s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.415s
5. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.418s
6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.518s