WSBK - Portimao test

[wull]

Portimao test is coming up this week coming, Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be the first outing for Bradley Ray and Tarran MacKenzie.

[Skub]

It's difficult to predict how well either of them will do. They are both fast and young enough,but there are so many variables of team/bike setup even before you get to outright luck.

If they were regularly poking into the top ten in their first season,that'd probably be a result.

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I wish them both the best success, it’ll be tough but fingers crossed.

[wull]

Bautista leads Rinaldi in Ducati 1-2 at Portimao, two red flags disrupt first test morning











The reigning Champion put in the fastest time of the morning test to top the timesheets, while Alex Lowes and Xavi Vierge brought out the red flags

The first morning of MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve concluded with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on top of the timesheets in a session that was disrupted by red flags. Bautista was ahead of teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi at the halfway point of the opening day of action, which was interrupted by two red flags for crashes. All five manufacturers were in the top ten positions in the opening part of the test, separated by just over a second.

Bautista put in a time of 1’39.862s to top the times by just 0.020s ahead of teammate Rinaldi on a strong first morning for Ducati. Both riders were just two tenths away from the existing Superpole lap record at Portimao, which was set by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in 2022 and stands at 1’39.610s. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) put in a late lap in the morning to take third place, just a tenth down on Bautista, and around a tenth faster than teammate and 2021 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu. Rea was fifth at the end of the morning after setting a 1’40.210s, just over three tenths down on Bautista’s quickest time.

The morning session featured two red flags due to crashes. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at Turn 10 not long into the session to bring out the first red flags, with Lowes re-joining the session on his second bike after the crash. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) brought out the second red flag when he had a crash at Turn 13 but, like Lowes, has been out on track since his crash.

In WorldSSP, Italian riders were on top in the morning with five Italians in the top six. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing WorldSSP Team) was fastest with a 1’44.240s ahead of Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) in second and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) third. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) took fourth in the morning with a 1’44.579s, while Stefano Manzi, on his first test day for Ten Kate Racing Yamaha, was fifth.

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Rinaldi pips Rea to Day 1 honours at Portimao, top three separated by 0.068s



The Italian left it late to top the times in Portugal, with the top three separated by very little at the end of Day 1 at Portimao


The first day of testing action for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship came to a conclusion at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topping the times by 0.061s ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). In a day disrupted by two red flags, the top three in Portugal were separated by just 0.068s at the end of the day’s action, with another day to come on Wednesday.


TAKING HONOURS: top three separated by 0.068s…
It was as close as ever as Day 1 at Portimao concluded, with around than half-a-tenth separating the top three. Rinaldi put in a late lap to take spot with a 1’39.639s as he continued to keep working as he did in Jerez. He was joined in the top three by teammate and reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista in third, with Bautista lapping only 0.068s slower than Rinaldi as the new Panigale V4 R continued to impress in its early days.


Six-time Champion Rea was second on Day 1 after posting a 1’39.700s, ahead of his main rivals from 2022, as he goes in search of an unprecedented seventh World Championship. It was a dramatic day for Rea’s teammate, Alex Lowes, as he brought out the red flags after a crash at Turn 10 in the morning. Despite this, Lowes was able to post the seventh fastest time with a 1’40.264s as they continue to work on perfecting their 2023 package.


2021 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was fourth fastest after posting a 1’39.851s, with a big focus on the rear of his Yamaha YZF R1 machine as was the case at Jerez last week. Teammate Andrea Locatelli was fourth fastest after a strong day, lapping only 0.136s slower than his teammate after setting a 1’39.987s on his Yamaha R1 machine.


SHOWING PACE: a congested field on Day 1
As seen so often throughout 2022, the Team HRC duo of Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona were almost inseparable on Day 1 at Portimao, claiming sixth and eighth respectively. Vierge’s best time was a 1’40.053s, with Lecuona half a second behind.

Vierge’s day was disrupted in the morning when he had a crash at Turn 13 which briefly brought out the red flags. The CBR1000RR-R machine feature the same updates as spotted at Jerez while there were several Japanese engineers once again present for the test. Independent riders rounded out the next three positions as they once again shone in testing, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in ninth, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) in 10th and his teammate, Loris Baz, in 11th; Gerloff the highest-placed BMW rider with Gerloff just over a second off Razgatlioglu’s time and Baz only 0.039s behind his teammate.


AIMING HIGHER: hoping for progress on Day 2
Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the top factory BMW rider in 12th place, posting a best time of 1’40.749s, while teammate Michael van der Mark was 14th place. The BMW factory team were continuing to adapt to their switch to Brembo brakes as well as the new fairing and aero packing on the bike, plus a new gearbox. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) broke up the group of BMW riders with 13th place, while rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), continuing to adjust to WorldSBK ahead of his debut campaign, rounded out the top 15 as he posted a 1’41.321s.


A CLOSE GRID: a sign of things to come in 2023…
Rookie Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 16th on his first visit to Portimao on WorldSBK machinery, lapping in 1’41.342s on his R1 machine. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 17th as he re-adjusts to WorldSBK and Kawasaki machinery with Sykes aiming to understand where he and the team are in relation to the rest of the field. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) had his first outing on the 2023 Panigale V4 R and lapped Portimao in1’41.982s for 18th place, while rookie Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 19th after his first run on WorldSBK machinery. Team and rider rookie duo Lorenzo Baldassarri and GMT94 Yamaha rounded out the WorldSBK field with 20th place.


HONDA’S DEBUT, BULEGA ON TOP: WorldSSP action in Portugal
Honda’s return to WorldSSP broke new ground at Portimao as the MIE – MS Honda Racing Team made their first on-track action with riders Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin, although neither rider had a lap time recorded despite being on tack. In terms of riders who had lap times recorded, it was an Italian and Ducati 1-2-3 at the top of the standings.


Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing WorldSSP Team) topped the times after posting a 1’43.282s, almost half-a-second clear of compatriot Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) in second. Raffaele De Rose (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) was third, 0.012s slower than Caricasulo, while Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) took fourth spot; Debise is preparing for his first full WorldSSP campaign. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was fifth on his first outing for the team, ahead of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) who was also making his debut for his new team.


Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), still testing four bikes ahead of the 2023 campaign, was seventh with Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) eighth; Bayliss making his debut for his new squad. Jorge Navarro’s (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) first outing for his new team ended with him in ninth, with Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) and Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) rounding out the WorldSSP field.


The top six from WorldSBK on Day 1 in Portugal:
1 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.639s
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.061s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.068s
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.212s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.348s
6. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +0.414s

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Alvaro Bautista destroys Portimao WorldSBK lap record, on MotoGP pace


Alvaro Bautista’s stunning performance at the Portimao WorldSBK test has continued during the final day after smashing the lap record on race tyres.

The WorldSBK champion, who was third fastest last week in Jerez during the time attack simulations - Bautista was however fastest and the most consistent when it came to race runs - has begun to show similar form at the Portuguese circuit.


After being one of three riders to narrowly miss out on setting a new lap record during day-one in Portimao, Bautista immediately broke Jonathan Rea’s existing record with a time of 1:39.589s, which was set on his second bike.

While team-mate and day-one pacesetter Michael Ruben Rinaldi eventually closed to within half a tenth of Bautista’s time, the world champion then produced an even better lap time on his first bike to go over five tenths clear of his own time.

Not just a one-off lap, Bautista produced lap times in the mid 1m39s over a period of 5-6 laps on race tyres.

What was a stunning performance from the Superbike champion got better as Bautista's time of 1:39.589s was just over a tenth slower than Fabio Quartararo’s best lap time from last year’s MotoGP race.

With just under an hour to go of the third session, Bautista remains clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Rea by four tenths.

Should Bautista manage to find over -0.036s then he will set the first-ever sub 1m 39s lap on Superbike machinery around Portimao.

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From the WSBK website.


Four riders smash lap record pace at Portimao, Bautista fastest despite Turn 7 crash

Reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista was fastest on Day 2 at Portimao despite a crash, with Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu also under the lap record

It was a morning of record-breaking pace at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as three riders went under the existing lap record set in last year’s Portuguese Round.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was the fastest rider on track despite a crash at Turn 7, while Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) also lapped under the lap record.


Bautista had a disrupted morning on the second day of testing after he had a crash at Turn 7, but, prior to this, he was able to set the fastest time of the day with a 1’39.035s; just 0.009s ahead of six-time Champion Rea in second place. It had looked like the ‘Titanic Trio’ would finish 1-2-3 in the morning, but a late lap from Rinaldi moved him into the top three and demoted 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu to fourth place; all four riders lapped faster than the existing lap record. Razgatlioglu’s Yamaha teammate, Andrea Locatelli, rounded out the top five, 0.670s down on Bautista.

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was sixth after posting a 1’39.987s on his CBR1000RR-R machine, despite the Spanish rider having a crash in the final sector in the opening stages of the session. He was not the only rider to hit troubles during the session, with Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) having technical issues on the front straight at around the same time as Bautista’s crash, with the red flags briefly deployed following the two incidents.


In WorldSSP, it was Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing WorldSSP Team) on top halfway through Day 2 after posting a 1’42.919s; beating the previous lap record set two-time Champion Dominique Aegerter by around a tenth. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) was second with Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) rounding out the top three. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was fourth with French rider Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) in fifth.

[Skub]

Only 4 and a bit weeks to go before Phillip Island.

*rubs hands.

[wull]

Only 4 and a bit weeks to go before Phillip Island.

*rubs hands.

It can’t come quick enough.

[wull]

0.009s in it: Bautista just beats Rea on Day 2 at Portimao as four riders go quicker than the lap record

There was nothing to separate Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea on Day 2 as the top four riders all obliterated lap record pace
There was plenty of lap record pace on display in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Day 2 of the two-day test in Portugal, with riders on the verge of breaking into the 1’38s for the first time in WorldSBK. Reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topped the times on day two by just 0.009s ahead of six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) as four riders went under the lap record set by Rea in 2022.

SMASHING RECORDS: four riders and three manufacturers under the lap record

The pace was rapid from the get-go on Wednesday in the final European test before teams and riders head to Australia, with Bautista posting a 1’39.035s to obliterate Rea’s Superpole lap record from last year’s Portuguese Round. Bautista’s day, with the Spanish rider looking at bike stability, was disrupted by a crash at Turn 7 which brought out the red flag. His teammate was one of the four riders to go below the lap record with a 1’39.144s to take third place; backing up his top spot from Day 1.

Rea, the lap record holder with a 1’39.610s from last year’s Tissot Superpole, took second spot and was only 0.009s slower than Bautista at the end of the day’s running with the six-time Champion testing some new items from Showa and looking at chassis balance. His teammate, Alex Lowes, was ninth fastest on Day 2 as he worked on his ZX-10RR machine, posting a best time of 1’40.559s on Day 2, as he looked to work on exiting corners.

2021 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was fourth fastest as he also went under Rea’s existing lap record, posting a 1’39.441s on his way to fourth spot. As at Jerez, there was a lot of focus on the rear of his Yamaha YZF R1 machine in order to improve grip exiting corners. Teammate Andrea Locatelli was fifth fastest with the two Yamaha riders separated by around three tenths of a second; Locatelli was lapping only a tenth outside the lap record.


MOVING ON UP: late laps change the order
With Ducati, Kawasaki and Yamaha taking up five of the top six positions, Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona was able to put a fourth manufacturer in the top six on Day 2 at Portimao.

Lecuona, who had a crash in the final sector in the morning, posted a 1’39.803s to take sixth spot as Honda looked to work on setups for the CBR1000RR-R machine, including long runs. Teammate Xavi Vierge was in eighth place, with Independent Yamaha rider Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), looking for improvements with the SCX tyre, separating the two with seventh place. A late lap from 2013 Champion Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) propelled him up the order to ninth ahead of French rider Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was 11th on his M 1000 RR to ensure all five manufacturers were represented in the top 11, while his teammate, American star Garrett Gerloff, was 14th.


HOTLY CONTESTED FIELD: not much in it…
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a focus on new electronics and ran BMW’s brake covers on Day 2 on his M 1000 RR as he searched for more time on corner exit. The Dutch rider finished the day in 12th place after setting a 1’40.711s, while teammate Scott Redding was 16th on his machine with a best time of 1’41.002s.

In between the two BMW riders was Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) in 13th place with the German rider working on the new Panigale V4 R including a different fork for rear grip as well as Gerloff and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), whose lap time of 1’40.844s put him in 15th.
Aegerter’s WorldSSP rival, Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), was 17th and around four tenths slower than the two-time WorldSSP Champion.

Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) took 19th spot with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), in his first test of 2023, in 20th spot. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was 20th ahead of MIE Honda Racing Team duo Eric Granado and Hafizh Syahrin in 21st and 22nd respectively; Granado suffering a technical issue in the afternoon on his bike.


RECORDS BROKEN: lap record pace in WorldSSP
Like his Ducati counterpart in WorldSBK, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing WorldSSP Team) took top spot in WorldSSP running on Day 2 as he smashed the lap record. Bulega posted a 1’42.636 which gave him the quickest lap time, ahead of compatriot Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team); Ducati locking out the top three positions in WorldSSP. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) continued testing four machines in Portugal and set the fourth best lap time, a 1’43.583s for fourth place, with Raffaele De Rose (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) in fifth.


New Ten Kate Racing Yamaha recruit Stefano Manzi took sixth spot ahead of Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) in seventh and Manzi’s teammate, Jorge Navarro, in eighth. Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) was the lead rider from his team with ninth spot after setting a 1’44.978s, with Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) and Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) rounding out the field; Kofler had a crash in the afternoon which briefly brought out the red flags.

Both Adam Norrodin (MIE – MS Racing Honda Team) and Tarran Mackenzie were on track on Day 2, but with no times recorded.

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[wull]

Jorge Martin was there as well pretty much on a road bike and knocked out a 1:42.5, only 3.5s from Bautista and 2.5s off the majority of them.

[Bigyin]

Jorge Martin was there as well pretty much on a road bike and knocked out a 1:42.5, only 3.5s from Bautista and 2.5s off the majority of them.

Just read that elsewhere .....absolutely amazing to be 3.5 seconds off the current champion on the latest full works bike when Jorge is on a stock bike with slicks .....just fucking wow