Michael Rinaldi was quickest during World Superbike Free Practice Two (FP2) Friday afternoon at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in San Marino. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, Rinaldi lapped the 2.7-mile (4.4 km) track in 1:36.973 to lead the field of 24 riders.
Like he was in FP1, American Garrett Gerloff was second in FP2 with a lap at 1:36.981 on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was third-quickest in FP2 with a time of 1:37.114 on his Pata Yamaha by Prometeon machine.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Red flags shake up WorldSBK practice at Magny-Cours
A dramatic afternoon at Magny-Cours saw red flags disrupt WorldSBK practice. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) maintained his leading position, facing stiff competition from Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), who secured second and third places, respectively. Toprak Razgatlioglu and teammate Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) delivered a solid performance in the combined standings, with fourth and fifth positions. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) settled for sixth place on the combined timesheets, highlighting Ducati’s progress at this traditionally challenging circuit.
Jonathan Rea held his ground at the top, despite the fierce competition in FP2.
P1 | Jonathan Rea | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
“It was a positive day. Right from the first lap, I felt really good with my bike. Of course, in the afternoon, the temperature came up, and we tried to do a long run with the rear option tyre. But we had a lot of red flags, which worked in our favor because we were able to go back to this morning’s setup. We changed the front of the bike during that break. I didn’t like it. We were trying to give me more confidence to stop the bike, but in the end, I couldn’t stop; braking on the side of the tire was even worse. The mechanics did a really good job changing everything back. By that stage, the tyre was quite old, but I went out and was consistent, setting my fastest lap at the end of the run.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi showcased Ducati’s strength by claiming the second spot overall.
Garrett Gerloff impressed as the fastest BMW rider, securing a strong third place.
Championship leader Alvaro Bautista faced a challenging day, finishing in sixth place on the combined timesheets.
WorldSBK Combined Results after FP2
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’36.900
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.073s
3. Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.081s
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.160s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.242s
6. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.274s
Debise dominates Friday at home
Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) continued his dominance at his home circuit, impressively topping the FP1 timesheets. His mastery of the French venue shone through, securing him the top spot in the combined classification. Despite falling behind Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in Free Practice 2, Debise’s morning run ensured he remained in the overall lead. Bulega topped the FP2 timesheets, closing the gap between him and Debise. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki), facing challenging conditions that led to crashes, managed to secure third place. Stefano Manzi and Yari Montella also delivered strong performances in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
P1 | Valentin Debise | GMT94 Yamaha
“It’s always nice to be in first position after Free Practice. I know it’s only Free Practice but this season I had a few issues during the Superpole sessions so today I tried to ride alone as much as possible so I could understand my pace, which I did. I’m really happy with the work we did with the team. We had the chance to test here with the team a few weeks ago so the base setup was great and I could be fast immediately. Now I’m looking forward to Race 1 tomorrow!”
WorldSSP Combined Results after FP2
1. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) 1’41.083s
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.031s
3. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) 0.053s
4. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.302s
5. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.382s
6. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.416s
Vannucci dominates in sweltering French heat, leading Free Practice Sessions
In the blistering heat of the Pirelli French Round at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) demonstrated his prowess by topping the charts in the combined classifications. Vannucci’s remarkable early lap in Free Practice 2 secured him the top spot, finishing more than three tenths ahead of the competition. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances), who had earlier claimed the fastest time in Free Practice 1, settled for the second position. German star Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) ended Friday in third place, though he was 0.491 seconds behind Vannucci’s blazing pace. Championship leader Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) was fifth showcasing his championship-worthy form, staying in contention for another podium to extend his lead.
P1 | Matteo Vannucci | AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha
“I worked on my feeling with the bike in Free Practice 1, and in FP2 I tried to improve compared to the morning session. I’m happy to finish fastest overall on Friday. Tomorrow, I want to do better than in the previous race and try to recover some points to the championship leader.”
WorldSSP Combined Results after FP2
1 Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) 1’52.914s
2. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) +0.363s
3. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +0.491s
4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.578s
5. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +0.599s
6. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.700s
WorldSBK action resumes on Saturday with FP3 from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00, while WorldSSP action continues on Saturday with the Tissot Superpole from 10:25, and Race 1 at 15:15. WorldSSP300 will be back in action at 9:45 with the Tissot Superpole and then Race 1 at 12:40.
