In a pivotal day of WorldSBK action at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, FP2 showcased fierce competition, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) leading the way. The first session had been a quiet affair, with only four riders setting lap times on a damp track.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had a minor setback when he crashed during FP2 but recovered to finish third, which combined with his Championship lead, puts him on the brink of a potential Championship-clinching performance from in Race 1.
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured second place overall with teammate Dominique Aegerter finishing in fifth place, only split by Bautista’s stablemate Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as Friday action finished.
Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) completed the top six while Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a challenging day finishing in 13th.
Toprak Razgatlioglu led the charge in FP2 for his last weekend with Yamaha, aiming to challenge Bautista’s dominance.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
“Friday was difficult because nobody rides in FP1, because the track conditions were strange. In FP2, everybody’s riding and I’m feeling less grip. This is not just my problem; all riders are feeling the same. My bike is worse than the others because I’m feeling just spinning, no grip and no turning. We have some positives. I hope we are improving the bike tomorrow; I just need a little bit more grip for good pace. I did a good lap time, but I need good pace. Now, I’m not really strong.
Bautista is very strong and this track and I just tried to follow him to understand which areas his bike is very strong. The exit of Turn 5, he’s unbelievably fast. And the last corner exit, there’s a big gap. I’m just trying to find which corner I can catch him. I see this and I understand. I just need a good setup because I feel a lot of spinning. I’m still fighting for the win. I hope tomorrow I have much better feel with the bike and first I need a good Superpole, then a good race. I hope I’m fighting like at Portimao; then I’m feeling the bike better and starting to enjoy. I’m focused and hungry to win.”
P3 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“Every day that I enjoy the bike is a great day and today I enjoyed it! Tomorrow, the approach is to keep this feeling and to work well; I hope the track is in better condition. The track is so nice when the conditions are good. There is nothing that will change for tomorrow. Firstly, I try to be away from everyone saying, “You’ll win tomorrow! You’ll win tomorrow.” I’m the first person that knows I have the match point tomorrow.”
Remy Gardner finished second in FP2 and asserted himself as a strong contender for the weekend.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi displayed his competitiveness with fourth place in FP2 for his last round with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team.
WorldSBK Combined Results after FP2
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 1’40.312s
2. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.244s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.320s
4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.398s
5. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.511s
6. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) +0.546s
Bulega leads the way in evolving WorldSSP conditions at Jerez
The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto bore witness to a unique day of WorldSSP action. Unpredictable weather during the morning’s FP1 session kept many riders off the track, resulting in only a handful setting lap times. However, as the conditions improved during the afternoon’s FP2 session, more riders ventured onto the track.
The 2023 WorldSSP Champion Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) dominated this evolving scenario, setting the fastest lap of the day with a blistering 1’43.171s in FP2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) secured the second spot in the combined results after FP2, clocking a 1’43.799s lap, making him the only rider to break into the 1’43s bracket. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took third spot, trailing Montella by just two tenths of a second. With the current WorldSSP Championship’s third-place holder, Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) securing the fourth position in the combined classification with a lap time of 1’44.110s, the competition promises to be intense in the days ahead.
P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team
“FP2 felt much like FP1 because many riders, including me, didn’t ride in FP1. We only rode in FP2 because of the mixed track condition – it wasn’t dry, but it wasn’t wet either, so we preferred not to take any risks and stayed in the garage. But when I started this afternoon, the feeling with the bike was already quite good. We changed a few things during the session, but only small, small things.
I would like to dominate this weekend; we are working for that because we won the Championship in Portimao. Now I just want to have fun with my bike and enjoy the last weekend with my team. This last weekend is very emotional for me because Supersport gave me a lot during these two years. This category helped me a lot to have fun with my bike again, and in the end, I’m happy to go to Superbike. But I will stay focused also for these last two days.”
WorldSSP Combined Results after FP2
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’43.171s
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.628s
3. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.841s
4. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.939s
5. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.952s
6. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +1.061s
WorldSBK action resumes on Saturday with FP3 from 09:00 (Local Time) UK TIME 08:00, followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:10 UK TIME 10:10 and Race 1 at 14:00 UK TIME 13:00, while WorldSSP action continues on Saturday with the Tissot Superpole from 10:25 UK TIME 09:25, and Race 1 at 12:30 UK TIME 11:30
Official WorldSBK Press Release
