[roadracingworld.com] - WorldSBK: Bautista Best As Testing Concludes At Catalunya

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Bautista and Lecuona closing on lap record pace in Barcelona despite crashes Riders concluded testing*before moving onto the Pirelli Dutch Round in a couple of weeks Alvaro Bautista remained the […]

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Bautista and Lecuona closing on lap record pace in Barcelona despite crashes

Riders concluded testing*before moving onto the Pirelli Dutch Round in a couple of weeks

Alvaro Bautista remained the fastest rider on day two despite a crash. His best time was half a tenth from the all time lap record.



Iker Lecuona (7). Photo courtesy Dorna.Iker Lecuona concluded the two-day test in second place despite a crash at Turn 14 in the morning which ended his test day early.

Jonathan Rea (65). Photo courtesy Dorna.Six-time Champion Jonathan Rea was third after setting a 1’40.659s in the afternoon. Lowes finished 0.194s off Rea to take fifth place.



Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy Dorna.Michael Ruben Rinaldi was fourth, finishing 0.359s adrift of his teammate.



Dominique Aegerter (77). Photo courtesy Dorna.Dominique Aegerter was the fastest Rookie on Day 2 as he completed the top six.

WorldSBK Day 2 Report

It was a dramatic day of testing action in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with several crashes and exhilarating pace on display during the two-day test. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topped the times by less than a tenth of a second ahead of Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) despite the pair crashing in the morning of Day 2. Both riders closed in on the all-time lap record but the pair were just shy of it while three different manufacturers were in the top three at the end of the as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took third spot.

The factory Ducati team opted to run for just half-a-day on Friday but were still able to conclude the second day on top with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as the Spaniard edged closer to the all-time lap record. Bautista posted a 1’40.459s to top the time, faster than he went yesterday and only half-a-tenth down on the lap record set by Tom Sykes in 2021.

Lecuona was second after setting a 1’40.521s despite a crash at Turn 14 in the morning which ended his day’s running before lunchtime. He was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and did not return to track action on Day 2

The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK duo of Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea opted to only test on the second day of the two-day test in Barcelona and the pair finished third and fifth respectively on the second day.

Yamaha’s charge in the timing sheets was led by Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with the Swiss rookie taking sixth place on his first visit to the circuit on WorldSBK machinery. The factory Yamahas finished the day with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in seventh place with a 1’41.196s and teammate Andrea Locatelli in 13th*place, three tenths behind the 2021 Champion.

Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (ROKIT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) enjoyed a good Day 2 of testing as he finished in eighth place, with BMW bringing plenty of upgrades to the test. Van der Mark’s best time was a 1’41.221s, finishing seven tenths down on Bautista’s time, as he tried some rider ergonomic items including two additions to the fuel tank.

Read the full report from Day*2 on*worldsbk.com



Nicolo Bulega (11). Photo courtesy Dorna.Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it*Racing WorldSSP Team) was the fastest rider on Day 2 out of the four WorldSSP riders on track. Bulega’s best lap time was a 1’44.638s to top the timesheets ahead of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) as he stepped up his recovery from the broken collarbone he sustained in Australia.

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