Nicolo Bulega sets a scorching pace in Friday practice ahead of Razgatlioglu and Bautista
The opening day at Misano — held in hot ambient and track conditions — went the way of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) early on, until eventual fastest man Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) stepped in to set the fastest overall lap in FP2.
His 1’32.722 was 0.190 seconds faster than Razgatlioglu, but they were each operating on a different plane of racing existence from the rest.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in third place was fully 0.650 seconds from his team-mate Bulega at this generally flat and twisting circuit.
Fourth in the rankings was local Ducati rider Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati). Fifth proved to be top Yamaha rider, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), but on a generally strong day for the Ducati riders, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was sixth, putting four Panigales into the top six positions.
Yamaha’s recent resurgence continued, even in the hot conditions at Misano on Friday the 13th, with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) seventh. The top Bimota rider proved to be Alex Lowes (Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in eighth, with the top ten rounded out by Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven Ducati).
From Montella in fourth place to Sam Lowes in 13th place, there was a gap of only 0.270 seconds, offering up the prospect of a close fight for the top ten places in Race One on Saturday.
Remy Gardner (P5) – “It was definitely a rollercoaster of a day. The feeling on the bike wasn’t bad, but the front tyre option we tested in the afternoon didn’t work out. I’m sorry for the team about the two crashes, but luckily I’m fine and ready to race. The positive is that we know we have the speed — now we just need to put everything together, starting from Superpole. I’m confident we can have a strong Saturday.”
Misano WorldSBK Combined Practice
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N. Bulega | Duc | 1'32.722 |
| 2 | T. Razgat | Bmw | 1'32.912 |
| 3 | A. Bautista | Duc | 1'33.372 |
| 4 | Y. Montella | Duc | 1'33.640 |
| 5 | R. Gardner | Yam | 1'33.669 |
| 6 | D. Petrucci | Duc | 1'33.722 |
| 7 | A. Locatelli | Yam | 1'33.748 |
| 8 | A. Lowes | Bmt | 1'33.810 |
| 9 | D. Aegerter | Yam | 1'33.836 |
| 10 | A. Iannone | Duc | 1'33.847 |
| 11 | A. Bassani | Bmt | 1'33.880 |
| 12 | I. Lecuona | Hon | 1'33.890 |
| 13 | S. Lowes | Duc | 1'33.910 |
| 14 | S. Redding | Duc | 1'33.996 |
| 15 | R. Vickers | Duc | 1'34.149 |
| 16 | M. V.D. Mark | Bmw | 1'34.199 |
| 17 | G. Gerloff | Kaw | 1'34.294 |
| 18 | J. Rea | Yam | 1'34.437 |
| 19 | X. Vierge | Hon | 1'34.593 |
| 20 | M. Rinaldi | Yam | 1'34.649 |
| 21 | T. Mackenzie | Hon | 1'35.084 |
| 22 | B. Sofuoglu | Yam | 1'35.149 |
| 23 | Z. Zaidi | Hon | 1'37.631 |
