The second and final day of testing at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship concluded with reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) taking top spot and leading a Ducati 1-2 on a rain-affected day in Italy. A shower an hour before the scheduled one-hour break, and more rain in the afternoon, limited running across the day but teams and riders were still able to take advantage of periods of dry conditions while most did use the test to get some wet-weather running in.
BAUTISTA LEADS RINALDI: just over a tenth in it…
Top spot on Day 2 belonged to Bautista once again as he set a 1’33.627s and completed 72 laps to take top spot, lapping around six tenths slower than his best time from Day 1 as he focused on the setup of his Panigale V4 R. Bautista led a Ducati 1-2 as teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi finished in second. Rinaldi was 0.138s slower than Bautista as he looked to find a setup ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Round at the start of June.
Two Independent Ducati riders finished inside the top ten with Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) in eighth and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in ninth. Oettl’s best time, as he went in search of rear grip, was a 1’34.829s after completing 52 laps, while Bassani set a 1’34.972s for tenth place. Bassani added 31 laps to his total on the rain-disrupted day as he worked on tyre consumption during the test after struggling in Barcelona. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) was the only WorldSSP rider on track and he only took to the track in wet conditions in the morning, setting a 1’52.942s and only completing seven laps.
THREE YAMAHAS IN THE TOP FIVE: Razgatlioglu third, Baldassarri impresses again
The Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK squad had five bikes to ride between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli during the test, with 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu using the extra bike on Day 2. He finished third after setting a 1’34.181s on Day 2 and completing 43 laps across his three bikes. Teammate Locatelli was fourth and three tenths behind Razgatlioglu at the end of the test, with Locatelli completing 51 laps with his two bikes.
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Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) enjoyed a strong test on home soil at Misano and took sixth place on Day 2, half-a-second down on Razgatlioglu and just over a second off Bautista’s time. Baldassarri, on Day 1, had similar problems to those he had in Barcelona but was able to make a step forward and he continued that work on Day 2 while also looking at the geometry of his Yamaha YZF R1 machine. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished the test in 12th place with 57 laps to his name, while teammate Dominique Aegerter was 15th after completing 51 laps on Day 2.
BMW STRONG AT MISANO: Redding leads the way for the German manufacturer
After a strong performance on Day 1, eyes were on BMW to see if they could repeat that on Day 2 and they did so with three riders in the top ten. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took sixth spot with a best time of 1’34.796s and 53 laps to his name while teammate Tom Sykes, testing new components that Redding had yesterday, was inside the top ten once again and only two tenths behind Redding.
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was able to squeeze between the two factory BMW riders as he took seventh place in the standings with 30 laps to his name on Day 2, setting a best time of 1’34.832s. Teammate Loris Baz, still being affected by the injury sustained at Mandalika, was 14th on his M1000RR machine. Baz did not test new parts during the test as he focused on getting back up to speed following his injury and he completed 54 laps. Baz did have a crash with around an hour to go but he was okay after the incident.
SWINGARMS AT HONDA: Vierge tries more…
On Day 1 at Misano, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) tried one of the two new swingarms while Iker Lecuona was able to test both. Day 2 meant Vierge was able to try the second one on his CBR1000RR-R machine although conditions were not optimal for testing. He took 11th place at the end of Day 2 with a best time of 1’35.098s as he completed 34 laps. Teammate Lecuona was two places further back and exactly a tenth slower than Vierge, racking up 39 laps on Day 2.
Tarran Mackenzie was once again the sole PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team rider on track at Misano and he closed the gap to the leaders on Day 2, posting a best time of 1’37.101s to lap 3.474s slower than Bautista on a day truncated by rain showers. The Scot added 35 laps to his WorldSBK experience tally on Day 2.
KRT GET 60 LAPS ON DAY 2: one of the busiest riders
With Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK’s Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes not travelling to Misano and KRT operating a slimmed-down approach, riding duties were left to test rider Florian Marino and the team only tested on Day 2. Marino racked up 73 laps on the ZX-10RR machine with a best time of 1’35.688s. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the only other Kawasaki on track at the test, with Mahias completing 30 laps with a best time of 1’36.000s.
The top six from Day 2 at Misano, full results here:
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’33.627s, 72 laps
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 63 laps
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), 43 laps
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), 51 laps
5. Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) 1’34.681s, 44 laps
6. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), 1’34.796s, 53 laps
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Source: WorldSBK.com