During the fifth act of Superbike at Donington, Yamaha rider Remy Gardner set the best time in FP3 this Saturday morning. The Australian is followed by the two BMW drivers Razgatlioglu and Redding. The latter showed signs of resurgence, placing itself in second position. This performance raises questions about his potential to disrupt the race.
In the last second of the session, Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) set a time of 1'25.823 min and set the record for the fastest lap. The Australian is followed by Toprak Razgatlioglu author of a time of 1'25″905. He thus fell below the record of Jonathan Rea in Superpole, and only a tenth from the official record of 1'25″896 established by Alvaro Bautista last year, beaten by the leader this morning on the Yamaha.
Scott Redding surprised by placing second with a time of 1'26″188. Probably using extra-soft tires to simulate qualifying, Redding showed renewed vivacity on a track he knows well. Its performance is promising, especially since BMW often performed well Donington even during years of crisis.
Garrett gerloff et Michael van der Mark also achieved good times for BMW, respectively 1'26″506 and 1'26″791. Jonathan Rhea showed significant progress, finishing fourth with the Yamaha , demonstrating a better adaptation to soft tires.
Andrea Locatelli also showed improvement, placing just behind Sale. Andrea Iannone, after a fall on Friday, showed his real potential by achieving a time placing him in the top 10.
Nicholas Bulega et Álvaro Bautista are still working to find the 3-4 tenths needed to compete with Toprak. They are only 12th and 14th respectively. This margin, although small, is crucial at a track like Donington. Ducati hopes to adjust their setup to be more competitive in upcoming races.
With a time difference of one hour due to the British time zone, the Superpole will start at 12h00 French time, and Race 1 at 15h00. The 23 laps of the race will total 93 kilometers. Pirelli did not bring new tire options, offering the SC0 (medium) and SCX (soft) for racing. The SCQ will be available for the Superpole Race scheduled for Sunday. Forward options include the SC1 (medium) and SC2 (hard), the latter of which was decisive at Misano.
Toprak Razgatlioglu seems to be on course for another sensational hat-trick like that of Misano. However, the resurgence of Scott Redding on another BMW could bring a new dynamic to the race. The performance of Yamaha de Jonathan Rhea, Andrea Locatelli et Remy gardner also add to the suspense. Race 1 this afternoon will be a real test for these drivers and their teams.
WSBK Superbike Donington, FP3: times
