Day 1
- Already the fastest rider in the Jerez test last week, Nicolo Bulega maintained his dominance by securing the top spot on Day 1 of testing at Portimao. BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu closely followed, finishing the day just 0.094s behind.
- Three Yamaha riders completed today’s top five, with Jonathan Rea claiming third place, 0.148s behind Bulega, followed by Remy Gardner and Andrea Locatelli.
- The WorldSBK grid was joined by various MotoGP™ riders on production machines at Portimao including current World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, eight-time Grand Prix World Champion Marc Marquez and also MotoGP™ Legend Valentino Rossi.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) showcased impressive form on Day 1 at Portimao, maintaining his momentum from the Jerez test last week. The Ducati rider clocked an impressive 1’39.932, securing the top spot. In pursuit, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was second, just 0.094s behind Bulega. Yamaha riders made their mark, with Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) claiming P3, narrowing the gap to Bulega to 0.148s. Teammate Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) secured P5, while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed P4.
Reigning WorldSBK Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), finished three-quarters of a second off the pace in eighth. Although an improvement from his position in Jerez (P16), he appears to be grappling with both a lingering neck injury and the challenge of adapting to the ballast imposed on his bike to comply with the new combined weight rules.
Outside the top five, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) secured sixth place, focusing on adjustments for ergonomics at the new circuit. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished a solid day in seventh, refining the base bike and experimenting with different swingarms. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secured P9 and P10, respectively, both within one second of Bulega‘s time. Just behind them, Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was back in action after missing Jerez
Further down the field, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) faced challenges in 13th, indicating a need for more time to adapt to the new Honda bike. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Motocorsa Racing) and Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) finished 14th and 15th, while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) grappled with new-seat and swingarm parts, was 16th. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) focused on bike geometry and setting refinement. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) stayed competitive, just 1.571s behind Bulega.
Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“Very good first day. I was a bit worried before starting this morning, this track is very difficult with this bike. It was difficult to be fast, so I’m really happy about the time today. This track is one of the most difficult this season and I needed to adapt a little bit because it’s really different from Supersport. My pace was good in the end, so I’m happy about today. We focused on braking because there is a lot of hard braking here, and we need to improve in that area. During the day, we were able to improve, and we know in which direction to work tomorrow. We’re already doing a great job, and I want to continue this way.”
Portimao Test Day 1 Results:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.913 – 82 laps
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.094s – 73 laps
3. Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) +0.148s – 74 laps
4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.355s – 89 laps
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) +0.357s – 78 laps
6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.550s – 74 laps
7. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.723 – 82 laps
8. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.760 – 86 laps
9. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +0.816s – 89 laps
10. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.866s – 65 laps
Day 2
Razgatlioglu wraps up Portimao test leading the timesheets
- BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu seized the top spot on the second day of testing, enhancing his performance from yesterday by nearly one second. Teammate Michael van der Mark secured fifth place, further affirming BMW’s competitive edge.
- Once again, Nicolo Bulega emerged as the fastest Ducati rider, securing second place with a best time of 1’39.275s. His consistent improvement sets a positive tone for Ducati. However, teammate Alvaro Bautista found himself in the 15th position.
- Next on the agenda for the WorldSBK grid is the Official Test set to unfold at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on February 19th and 20th, leading up to the Season Opener.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) stole the spotlight on the final day of the European pre-season test, demonstrating his prowess with BMW. Razgatlioglu set the fastest lap, smashing the lap record with a time of 1’39.189s. BMW continued to showcase their strength as Michael van der Mark, Razgatlioglu‘s teammate, worked on bike setup and secured the fifth position overall.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued to impress, securing the second-fastest time with 1’39.275s, reaffirming his position as the leading Ducati rider. However, his teammate Alvaro Bautista faced a more demanding day, finishing in the 15th place, after ongoing work with ballast configurations.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed the third spot focusing on race pace and crucial chassis adjustments. Meanwhile, teammate Axel Bassani worked on adapting to the inline four engine configuration but faced challenges, finishing 11th.
Yamaha witnessed a day of two halves, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in fourth as the lead Yamaha rider. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) impressing throughout, securing sixth place, while teammate Jonathan Rea faced technical issues in the morning but finished in seventh.
Other notable performances include Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW), and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) displayed strong performances completing the top 10, contributing to the anticipation of a competitive 2024 season.
Honda showed signs of improvement, with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and Iker Lecuona adjusting electronics and addressing traction issues. Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin, representing the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team, faced a mixed day, with Mackenzie experiencing a delay due to a starting issue, while both riders missed the action on day one.
The rest of the field, including Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Motocorsa Racing), Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven),Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha), continued to work on various aspects of their setups and strategies during the test.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“It was a fantastic day. We did a really good job. I wasn’t only focusing on the lap time but on the race pace, because after this test, we’re back racing already. The feeling with the bike is good. Everyday we’re getting better, especially today I made 1.39.8s lap with the SC0 tyre, and with the SCX tyre, I also made a 1’39s, which is really surprising. Today I tried a 15-lap race simulation, and it looks like we are ready to race but we are still learning. We will see in Phillip Island because it’s a completely different track.”
Portimao Test Day 2 Results:
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.189s – 74 laps
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.086s – 61 laps
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.332s – 90 laps
4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.377s – 79 laps
5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.428s – 76 laps
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) +0.489s– 80 laps
7. Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) +0.496s – 64 laps
8. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.767s – 53 laps
9. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.946s – 76 laps
10. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.947s – 59 laps
Credit Official WSBK Press Release
