[kropotkin thinks...] - More Testing, More Rain: Wet Weather Washes Out Portimao WSBK

[Ninjette Newsbot]

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The wet weather continues to thwart any attempts at testing racing motorcycles. After the Moto2 test at Jerez was largely lost to rain, the first day of testing for a large part of the World Superbike paddock at Portimao suffered a similarly damp fate. With rain falling nearly all day, the assembled riders barely got out onto the track, posting just a few laps before heading back into the pits.

Fastest man of the day was BMW's Leon Haslam, taking advantage of one of the few moments the track was dry to post a 1'52.1, with his teammate Troy Corser a couple of seconds off his pace in the dry. Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea matched Haslam's fastest lap in wet conditions, posting a 1'56.9, with Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser just a couple of tenths behind him. But given that everyone was at least 10 seconds off lap record pace, few conclusions could be drawn from the test. At least Xaus got his first outing on the Ten Kate Honda, while James Toseland made his debut on the satellite BMW Italia S1000RR.

The riders will now have to wait and hope for better weather tomorrow. There is a chance that the second and final day of the test may be dry late in the afternoon, but as we have seen this off-season, there are no guarantees.