WorldSBK with Lowes fastest on Day 1

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Cremona Welcomes WorldSBK: Alex Lowes Fastest on Day 1

The WorldSBK series made its debut at the Cremona Circuit, the 53rd venue to host the championship and the seventh Italian circuit to do so. Despite overnight rain, the first day of free practices saw contrasting conditions, with damp weather in FP1 and dry track action in FP2.

In FP1, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) topped the timesheets, but it was his twin brother, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who led the field in FP2. Alex clocked a fastest lap of 1’29.685 to top the combined times.

Top Performers from Day 1

P1 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
“I want to congratulate the circuit for their fantastic work. It feels like a completely different track with the improved run-off areas and new grandstands. Today was positive, even though we missed most of FP1 due to the damp conditions. In FP2, I found my rhythm quickly and tested a few Pirelli tires. We don’t know this track well, but I’m confident we’ll improve for tomorrow, and I expect to be strong in the race.”

P2 | Danilo Petrucci | Barni Spark Racing Team
“It’s great to be here with so many fans. The track is tough, but I felt good on the bike today. It’s my first time on a superbike at this circuit, and I’m happy with my setup. In FP2, we tested both race tires, and while Alex Lowes is a little faster, we’ll aim to stay close and push for the win.”

P3 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike today. My riding style doesn’t seem suited to this track, so I’ll need to adapt. We have some issues to work through, but I’m hopeful we’ll make progress tomorrow. I feel like I’m at 80%, but we have the potential to be much faster.”

P4 | Tito Rabat | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
“This was my best practice performance during a race weekend. It’s a new track for us, but we tested here three months ago. The narrow layout and camber suit me well, and my team is working hard to adapt. I feel like we’re in a good place to make a step forward tomorrow.”

Championship Contender Updates

Nicolo Bulega completed 22 laps across both sessions, finishing third overall. He remains 55 points behind the championship leader, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who is sidelined due to injury. Bulega has the chance to close the gap and potentially leave Cremona as the new championship leader ahead of the Aragon round.

BMW Riders on the Move

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was the fastest BMW rider, despite crashing at Turn 7 early in FP2. He ended the day one hundredth of a second faster than teammate Scott Redding. Michael van der Mark finished tenth, also recovering from a crash in FP2.

Penalties and Technical Updates

Tito Rabat completed 32 laps but had his best time deleted due to yellow flag infringements, which would have placed him second fastest.

Danilo Petrucci was second fastest overall, but a collision with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) resulted in both riders being penalized three grid positions by the FIM Stewards.

Yamaha’s New Bike Debuts

Yamaha unveiled their newly homologated YZF-R1 at Cremona, featuring aerodynamic wings. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) debuted the bike and finished the day 13th fastest.

WorldSBK Combined Results After FP2:

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’29.685
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.081
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.151
Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.291
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.331
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.335

WSSP Friday Cremona

Sixth Pole of the Season for Adrian Huertas: Superpole Highlights

Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) continued his dominance in the Supersport class by securing his sixth pole position of the season. The championship leader set a blistering pace, finishing three-tenths of a second ahead of Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing). Huertas’ performance not only marked his sixth pole but also extended his perfect run of front-row starts this season.

A red flag briefly interrupted the session after multiple crashes left gravel on the track. Once the session resumed, both Manzi and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) were able to secure their spots on the front row. This marks the seventh time Montella has been out-qualified by Huertas this season, but Montella, just seven points behind in the championship, remains a significant contender. Montella has won three of the last four races in the class.

Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) overcame a crash to qualify on the second row. He will be joined by John McPhee (WRP by SKM-Triumph), who achieved a career-best Superpole performance.

It was a dramatic session for Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura). After suffering a crash and a yellow flag infringement, Navarro’s two fastest laps were deleted, leaving him to qualify in 10th position.

P1 | Adrian Huertas | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team

“It’s almost impossible to have a better day than today. We were fastest in both sessions and showed incredible pace all day. There’s always room for improvement, and we need to keep pushing. I’m happy with our performance, and I believe we’re the strongest team at the moment. The track feels amazing, and with no wind, it’s even better. After two tough weekends, we’ve minimized the damage and are now in a position to extend our championship lead.”