Supersport Navarre FP2: Aegerter shows his fangs, Cluzel secures second place

The Swiss driver honored his status as championship leader by setting the best time in the second free practice session in the Supersport category. He is ahead of Frenchman Jules Cluzel and Federico Caricasulo.

The first day of competition on the Navarre circuit ended with the holding of the second free practice session for the Supersport category. After FP1 dominated by Manuel González, this time it was the championship leader, Dominique Aegerter, who was the fastest by setting the best time of the session in 1'41.197.

The Swiss driver monopolized first place throughout and left only crumbs to his rivals, the closest of them, Jules Cluzel, finishing more than five tenths of a second behind. Aegerter and Cluzel were joined in the top 3 by Federico Caricasulo, who thus confirmed his good intentions already seen in the morning when he had already grabbed third place.

 

Better for Odendaal

Behind the top 3 is Randy Krummenacher, author of a promising fourth time, and Steven Odendaal. The latter, who is battling with Aegerter in the championship for obtaining the title this season, has progressed well compared to the first free practice session, when the South African was much more discreet with obtaining from seventh place.

Manuel Gonzalez took sixth position. The Spaniard was one step worse after his best time achieved during FP1. However, it should not yet be excluded from the hunt for the Superpole planned for tomorrow, while the entrants are still at the stage of making contact and getting a good understanding of the new route which is being offered to them this year in Navarre. Gonzalez also remains the fastest driver at the end of this first day, since his time for the morning is 16 thousandths faster than the reference recorded this afternoon by Aegerter.

Öttl, only non-Yamaha rider in the top 10

In seventh place we find Luca Bernardi, author of good progress between the two free practice sessions since he gained no less than seven tenths. The Italian driver is ahead of the Finnish Vertti Takala, Simon Jespersen (who replaces the injured Hannes Soomer in Navarre) and Philipp Öttl. Beyond the top 10, Niki Tuuli took 11th place, ahead of Raffaele de Rosa, Can Öncü, Marcel Brenner and Borja Gomez.

As in the first session, the Yamahas once again held the upper hand, the machines from the brand with three tuning forks occupying the first nine places in the top 10! Öttl on his Kawasaki appears to be a black sheep at the end of this session, but the German will nonetheless have his say in the race over the next two days, having scrapped more often than his round with Aegerter and Odendaal for victory (the German has finished on six podiums out of ten possible so far this season), without however achieving his goals so far.

 

Supersport Navarre – FP2 Results:

Classification credit: WorldSBK.com