Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) started his Sunday by going fastest in the 15-minute Warm Up session for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship competitors. The Ulsterman was less than a tenth clear of his rivals as action got underway on the final day of the Prosecco DOC UK Round and it was an incredibly close session. The top five were separated by less than two tenths as Warm Up concluded, setting up today’s two races perfectly for more stunning action at Donington Park.
Throughout the first 10 minutes of the session, the times were getting faster as riders looked to find the limits ahead of the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2 and most riders completed just one run during the 15-minute Warm Up. Six-time Champion Rea put in a series of last in the final few minutes of the session to top the times with a 1’26.438s, less than a tenth clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as the Italian looks to bounce back from a difficult Saturday. Rinaldi was around half-a-tenth clear of teammate and Race 1 winner, Alvaro Bautista, as he goes in search of a record-breaking win in the Superpole Race. Bautista was the only rider in the top three to complete a ten-lap stint with his lap times consistently in the 1’26s or 1’27s brackets.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) secured fourth spot as he set a 1’26.612s, 0.174s down on Rea’s time. Yamaha’s pace was on display in Warm Up with the 2021 Champion’s teammate, Andrea Locatelli, in fourth and only 0.023s slower than the Turk. Home hero Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) looks to continue his strong Donington form and he took sixth on Sunday morning, 0.214s down on his teammate.
After an impressive Saturday, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) started Sunday in seventh place after setting a 1’26.764s, finishing around half-a-tenth clear of compatriot Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) who will have to battle his way up the order in the Superpole Race. Donington master Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took ninth as the lead BMW rider with Swiss rookie Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completing the top ten.
The top six from WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:
1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’26.438s
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.078s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.123s
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.174s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.197s
6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.214s
Don’t miss more stunning WorldSBK action with the Tissot Superpole Race at 13:00 Local Time (GMT+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com