Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the rider to beat in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he closed in on the existing lap record at Donington Park. Just missing out on the 1’25s bracket, the #54 claimed P1 for the Prosecco DOC UK Round as he laid down a gauntlet for his rivals, although they did close in towards the end of Free Practice 2, with the gap at around two tenths following the two practice sessions.

RAZGATLIOGLU ON FORM: top spot for Toprak, BMW strong

Razgatlioglu remained unbeaten on Friday at Donington as he went straight into the low 1’26s, around three tenths clear of his rivals on a day where he stayed P1 for the majority of it. It was a strong day for BMW with Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) in fifth place, lapping 0.421s down on his stablemate, while Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was inside the top ten in FP1 and 13^th overall. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed 15^th after a strong FP1 where he set a 1’27.052s, and he was the only rider not to improve their lap time in FP2, which meant the American was 15^th.

CLOSE BEHIND: Petrucci second, dramatic day for Iannone

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) led Ducati’s charge as he claimed second overall, despite not running in the first stages of the 45-minute session. His 1’26.235s was enough to overhaul Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with the #11 claiming third despite several trips through the gravel on Friday. Teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was sixth, 0.567s down in Razgatlioglu, after he crashed at Turn 1 in FP2 but he was able to-rejoin the session. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) had one of his best Fridays of the season, taking eighth spot and only 0.683s down on the pace, finishing directly ahead of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in ninth. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was the final Ducati rider and it was eventful for ‘The Maniac’. Three trips through the gravel in FP1, plus a crash at Turn 11 in FP2, left him languishing out of the top 15.

WOW

Now @Petrux9 goes second fastest!#UKWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/rn9ablx7zx

— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) July 12, 2024

FOURTH BUT A CRASH: Alex Lowes in P4, Bassani finds gains between sessions

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed second place despite an FP2 crash at Turn 12, with the #22 losing the front of his ZX-10RR under braking for the left-hand hairpin. He was able to take his bike back to the pits. In the classification, his 1’26.296s was enough to claim second place while Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) improved massively in Free Practice 2 to finish tenth overall. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 18^th overall on Friday at Donington.

ONLY ONE YAMAHA IN THE TOP TEN: Locatelli P7, Rea P12 after FP1 issues

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was the lead Yamaha rider on Friday as he claimed seventh place with a 1’26.688s, while teammate Jonathan Rea was seventh and just a couple of tenths back. The #65 missed a lot of running in FP1 due to electronic problems but was on track for the second half of that session. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed 11^th as he narrowly missed out on a top ten, with Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) just behind by around 0.040s, despite the #65’s electronic issues in FP1 limiting his running. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) claimed 17^th with Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) the final Yamaha rider in 20^th. Yamaha have a new preload adjuster for this weekend, allowing riders to adjust preload as the fuel load decreases.

A STRUGGLE FOR HONDA: bringing up the field

Donington proved to be difficult for Honda on Friday. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was the top rider after setting a 1’27.353s, but that time was only good enough for 19^th place. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was 21^st, directly ahead of teammate iker Lecuona, while Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was 23^rd and last.

The top six from WorldSBK on Friday, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’26.013s

2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.222s

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.225s

4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.283s

5. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.421s

6. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.567s

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Source: WorldSBK.com