Superbike Estoril Day 1: Toprak, Nicolo, Alex, they said...

In ideal conditions on the Circuito do Estoril, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team rider, Nicholas Bulega, set the best time of the day in 1'35.778. L ahead Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) and alex lowes (Bimota), thus providing a provisional Superbike podium made up of three different manufacturers.

Bulega, author of 40 towers, topped the timesheets by two tenths of a second, with shorter stints than his rivals. His pace was consistent, but it was the Razgatlioglu's racing simulation who impressed: the championship leader continued 16 quick laps at a constant pace, demonstrating all his solidity before the first race of the weekend.

The duo Alex Lowes / Axel Bassani du Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team also shone. Both present in the top 5 during the two free practice sessions, they confirm the potential of the Bimota KB4 998 Rimini on the 4,182 km of the Portuguese route.

At the end of the day, Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) took advantage of a new tire to set the fifth fastest time. The Englishman finished a tenth ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha), author of an encouraging day by regularly remaining in the top 10.

Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) was making his comeback after his injury sustained during the Hungarian round. The Spanish rider, still hampered by a broken right arm, covered 21 towers to set the 18th fastest time, before crashing at Turn 2 in the middle of the afternoon.

Injured in the hand during training before Estoril, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) took part in FP1, covering 16 laps before retiring for the remainder of the day. An injury that could weigh heavily in the fight for the third place in the championship, which sees him at only 31 pointsAndrea Locatelli et Alvaro Bautista.

Drivers' statements

P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Ducati Aruba.it Racing)

“Today was a good day. Estoril isn't normally a difficult circuit, but it's not our best either. It was important to start the weekend well. We improved a few points in FP2, so I'm happy with the work we've done. I think we understand how to improve tomorrow. At the moment, it's quite close between Toprak and me, but we seem a bit faster than the others. It's only Friday, we'll see how it evolves during the weekend.”

P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

“I focused on the race simulation today. In the first stint, I had a worn tire, with 20 laps, and I did a 1:36.6. Then I changed tires and continued to work on race pace. For 17 laps, I stayed between 1:36.0 and 1:36.2, which is a good pace. On the last lap, I pushed and saw a 1:36.0 before going into the pits. We are working for the race, but we still have to improve. I am not totally satisfied with the engine braking in some corners, but I know my team will improve the bike tomorrow. My goal is to win the race, not to finish second.”

P3 – Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team)

“I’m happy with the work we did today. It’s our first time here with the Bimota and I really enjoyed it. The track is very nice, especially in the central part where the bike works well and I had a lot of fun. There are still some areas to improve and a few sectors where I’m not very fast, but Axel is really fast. I hope we can combine our data to be even better tomorrow.”