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P1 AND A CRASH: Razgatlioglu claims Friday top spot despite FP2 spill, Bulega quickest in afternoon session

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Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the fastest rider on Friday at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” despite a fall at the final corner in Free Practice 2, with the #54’s FP1 time enough for P1. He was around a tenth clear of his rivals after the day’s action concluded for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round.

RAZGATLIOGLU LEADS THE WAY: Turn 16 tumble no problem…

The 2021 Champion had shown incredible pace in testing here recently and he ended Friday on top of the timesheets despite losing time through a technical issue in FP1 and a crash in FP2. In the morning session, the #54 had an issue with his quickshifter, while a crash at Turn 16 with around half the session gone cost him time in FP2. However, his FP1 time – a 1’33.448s – was enough to claim top spot overall on Friday. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed 12th place after not improving his best time in FP2, while the Bonovo Action BMW duo of Scott Redding and Garrett Gerloff rounded out the top 20.

BULEGA ON TOP AT DUCATI: heading the Bologna manufacturer’s charge

The fastest rider for Ducati was Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who, as so often is the case, was fast out of the blocks. He was the first rider into the 1’33s in FP2 and his fastest time was a 1’33.552s, claiming P1 in FP2 and P2 overall, just a tenth behind Razgatlioglu. When pushing hard on his next lap, the #11 ventured into the gravel at Turn 13. Teammate Alvaro Bautista claimed third place overall, setting a 1’33.913s for his best time of the day in FP2. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was fifth overall, and the third Ducati, after setting a 1’34.192s in FP2, claiming a top-four in that session. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was the next-best Ducati rider in ninth, as he set a 1’34.382s to secure ninth and a place in the top ten. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) heads into his home round hoping for a change in fortunes and that started 11th after he set a 1’34.417s, narrowly missing out on a top ten spot. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was 15th, with ‘Petrux’ only competing in the final half of FP2 after a full session in FP1, while Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 16th; the #51 had crashes at Turn 14 in FP1 and Turn 10 in FP2.

GARDNER SPEARHEADING YAMAHA: second in FP2 for the #87

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) has made a huge step for 2024 and that’s continued at Misano, claiming third in FP2 with a 1’34.063s which puts him fourth overall and around half-a-second away from the #54’s outright pace. Teammate Dominique Aegerter was also inside the top ten as he claimed P10, a 1’34.384s his best time was he finished just 0.002s away from Sam Lowes directly ahead. For the Pata Prometeon Yamaha outfit, Andrea Locatelli was a tenth ahead of Jonathan Rea in 13th and 14th respectively. Locatelli had a Turn 4 crash in FP2, while Rea had a focus on long runs in FP2 with his best time, a 1’34.462s, coming in FP1. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was 22nd after having limited running on Friday. A technical issue in the opening session meant he completed few laps, although his best time did come in FP1. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 23rd, with a best time of 1’36.666s.

LOWES QUICK, BASSANI CLOSER: a positive day for Kawasaki

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was fourth overall with the #22 not improving his lap time in the afternoon session. Overall, his best time was a 1’34.008s with his best FP2 time around three tenths slower than that. Teammate Axel Bassani was eighth with ‘El Bocia’, like Lowes, not improving his time in FP2; Bassani finished the session in 16th with a 1’34.756s. However, his best time of the day was a 1’34.245s. Elsewhere, Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 17th in FP2 after setting his best time of the day, a 1’34.794s,

PROGRESS FOR HONDA? Moving into the top ten on Friday

Honda’s charge was led by Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) on his return from injury as he finished in seventh place. The #7 posted a 1’34.222s to ensure the Japanese manufacturer were represented in the top ten. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was 21st after setting a 1’35.105s in FP2 while teammate Adam Norrodin rounded out the field.

The top six from Friday’s WorldSBK action, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’33.448s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.063s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.465s

4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.473

5. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.512s

6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.560s

Watch WorldSBK FP3 on Saturday at 09:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

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