All eyes were turned to the sky during this first day of action by the Superbike at the Most Autodrome in the Czech Republic, but it was ultimately the ground that the two main protagonists of this Friday crashed into. Garrett gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) and Nicholas Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
The afternoon WorldSBK session began with a few drops of rain on the 4,2km Czech circuit and ended with Garrett Gerloff leading for the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team, while the championship leader Nicholas Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed at turn 1.
With 35 laps completed, Gerloff managed to bounce back after a crash in the early moments of FP1 to show consistent pace throughout the afternoon. The American finished the day on top with a time of 1'30.791, which can be compared to the absolute circuit record of Toprak Razgatlioglu set last year in 1'30.064.
The factory Ducati rider had taken the lead before running wide at turn 6 and then crashing at turn 1 during a particularly eventful afternoon for the Italian. His day ended after this crash, and he was only able to complete six laps in the second practice session.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) set the third fastest time, but the Briton suffered a technical problem in FP1 which cost him valuable time on his Ducati Panigale V4 R. The afternoon then went smoothly for Lowes, who finished less than two tenths of a second behind Gerloff.
It was also a solid day for the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team with Alex Lowes fifth and Axel Bassani Seventh. Alex Lowes had crashed at turn 20 in the morning, but he immediately found a good rhythm in FP2. He finished the day behind Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Michael van der Mark was making his return to WorldSBK as a replacement for the injured Miguel OliveiraThe Dutchman set the tenth fastest time, allowing both ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team riders to finish in the top 10. Danilo Petrucci occupying sixth place.
They said…
P1 – Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team): “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to finish the day in P1, especially after this morning when I didn’t feel very comfortable. The team made some great changes for FP2 and I immediately felt much better with the bike. The track conditions also suited me better in the afternoon, so I had more confidence and more grip, and everything came together better. When I crossed the finish line with that time, I thought I’d done it on the qualifying tire, but when I got back to the pits they told me it was actually on the race tire, so that was a nice surprise.”
I felt like I'd done a good lap, and when I crossed the finish line and saw a time of 1'30, I thought, 'I hope that's a top-five time,' because I couldn't really remember what a good lap felt like here. Then, on the next lap, I saw 'P1!' on my pit board. When I came back into the pits, I asked if I was on a race tire and not the softer SC0, and they told me it was indeed a race tire.
I had a small crash this morning in FP1 and at that point I wasn't feeling very comfortable, but a big thank you to my guys because they made some good setup changes and I felt really comfortable in FP2. Also, the track suited me better this afternoon because, overall, I had more confidence and more grip. This combination of factors helped me enormously.
P2 – Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “This morning, the feeling wasn’t fantastic. I started FP2 quite well and was improving my lap times, so overall I was happy with the feeling, but unfortunately I had a small crash while pushing to find the limit in some sectors. In turns 6 and 7, I’m still struggling a bit to stop the bike properly. The only negative point of the day was the crash, because it didn’t allow me to do many laps in the afternoon. Otherwise, I’m satisfied because we still managed to gather some important data for the races. Tomorrow in FP3, we’ll try to make the most of it. The crash was minor, but there was quite a bit of damage to the bike. I was only able to do six or seven laps in the afternoon. This means we didn’t get a lot of work done, but I still think we collected some good data for tomorrow.”
P3 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “Overall, it was a good day. I’m happy with the step forward I made compared to the previous races at Most, where I struggled a bit to understand some of the circuit’s secrets. But after two fourth-place finishes last year, I came here with a positive mindset, so it’s nice to confirm our potential. We had a few minor issues in FP1, but the afternoon session was positive. I completed an 18-lap stint, with a few slower laps, but overall the pace was good. Obviously, it’s difficult to compare too much with Nicolò since he crashed, but he still looked very quick, especially on the shorter runs. We did a good job today, and I still feel there are areas where I can improve my riding tomorrow.” If I can find a bit more speed in sector 2 and a bit more consistency in the final sector, then I think we have a really good opportunity to achieve some great results. I think we're definitely in the fight for the podium and the top 5, where we've consistently been this season.
Tomorrow morning, I'll try the soft rear tire to see if it could be an option for the Superpole Race, but I think our base is good and we can approach the rest of the weekend with a lot of optimism.
P4 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I’m satisfied with the progress we made between FP1 and FP2. This morning, the feeling wasn’t what I expected, but this afternoon it improved significantly. That gives us confidence for the weekend.”
P5 – Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team): “I enjoyed FP2, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I think I can make good progress on Saturday if the track stays dry. I always like to get out there and be competitive quickly, but this morning in FP1 I was obviously a bit too enthusiastic and crashed. It’s not like I was incredibly fast, but maybe I was going too fast for the conditions. Thanks to the whole team, as they rebuilt the bike, and Axel’s mechanics also helped a lot, so I thank them. In FP2, the bike felt good. We tried a few settings as well as two Pirelli tires. After FP2, I felt good and, even though I missed part of the morning session, I was quite competitive.”
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