The return of Estoril to the WorldSBK calendar saw an opening day of mixed conditions.
A wet Free Practice 1 was followed by a dry afternoon but in both conditions Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the rider to beat. The Turkish star completed just 14 laps across both sessions but did enough to lay down a marker to the field by setting the fastest time by over three tenths of a second.
Nicolo Bulega, second in the championship, crashed in the wet conditions of the morning. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati title contender is racing at Estoril for the first time on a Superbike and ended the day sixth fastest. Bulega has qualified on the front row of the grid at all but two rounds this season and he’ll know the importance of Saturday morning’s Tissot Superpole session.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) ended the day second fastest while Alex Lowes was third fastest in both sessions. The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK ended the morning session with a crash at Turn 6 and completed 18 laps of the 4.182km circuit throughout the day. It was an encouraging start to the weekend for Kawasaki with Axel Bassani enjoying a strong day to finish seventh fastest.
Team HRC continued their strong form with Iker Lecuona fifth fastest and Xavi Vierge ninth fastest. Vierge’s afternoon ended early with a crash at Turn 3 but with both riders enjoying a strong run of form, nine consecutive top ten finishes, they look ready for the Portuguese Round having tested here recently.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“We have started strong. It’s been a long time since we rode in these conditions but we are strong. I only did four laps before coming back to the box because we were a little bit cautious. We’re fighting for the world title and that’s the target. The feeling was good in the wet and we’re ready. In the afternoon the bike also felt great. I’m not feeling any pressure; I’m just enjoying riding this bike. Tomorrow the weather seems a bit unpredictable. It might rain in the morning and then be dry in the afternoon but we’ll see. I’m ready for both conditions and will just do my best. It’s a very important race weekend for me but I’m focused on winning the race. If I think I’m taking too many risks I might settle for second but I like the circuit, and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
P2 | Danilo Petrucci | Barni Spark Racing Team
“This morning the conditions were really tough because there was quite a bit of rain and cold temperatures. The feeling wasn’t too bad for me and it’s just my second time riding this bike in the wet so we don’t have a perfect setup yet. We’re still developing to improve my feeling on the bike. In the end, it wasn’t bad, but not perfect either. I think that Toprak is on another level right now but we want to improve and get closer. Looking at the lap times today, I believe a top five is possible but I definitely want to get back on the podium after missing out in Aragon.”
P3 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
“This morning the conditions were really difficult. Normally, with conditions like this, I wouldn’t be too eager to do many laps, but with changeable weather expected tomorrow, I wanted to get some track time in. The track was changing a lot, and some sections were very slippery and difficult to manage. It wasn’t just me struggling with the conditions this morning. In the afternoon, it was mostly dry. This is our first time on this track in a couple of years. I enjoy the layout and it’s a fun track to ride and it’s very fast. I think, in the wet, I can fight and in the dry I can be in the group. We’re struggling a bit in the last sector, especially with the straight here in Estoril, which is a bit of a weakness for us. But I’m confident there are parts of the track where I’ll be really strong, and I think I can be in the fight.”
WorldSBK Combined Results after FP2
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
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