WSBK: Portimão J2 tests: Alex Lowes and Yamaha dominate

After an excellent first day benefiting from favorable weather, the competitors of the Superbike World Championship rode this Sunday for the second and final day in Portimão in Portugal, in order to prepare for the world round which will take place there on the 7th and 8th. September, and to start testing, for some, a few pieces for next season.

The best time this Saturday was achieved in 1'41.897 by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing). Were also present this weekend Jonathan Rhea and Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who was discovering the circuit, unlike his teammate Chaz Davies, Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Team), Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing), Eugene Laverty (GoEleven Ducati), Jordi Torres (Pedercini Kawasaki), Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Sylvain Barrier ( BRIXX Ducati) and the current leader of the All Japan Road Race Championship, Takumi Takahashi (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) as well as Ryuichi Kiyonari.

From the start of the first session this Sunday, Johnny Rea took advantage of the relatively cool weather to improve the best performance in 1'41.371. Not running was Tom Sykes, who had crashed twice the day before with his BMW, once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

At the end of the first session, Jonathan Rea lost the fastest time to Alex Lowes who clocked 1'41.153. The Englishman then preceded his compatriot from Northern Ireland, followed by the Turk Toprak Razgatlioglu, the Dutchman Michael van der Mark, the Savoyard Loris Baz and the Englishman Leon Haslam. Tom Sykes finally took to the track to complete a few laps, but had to settle for a modest eleventh position. Sylvain Barrier, on his BSB-specification Panigale, was ahead of the official Honda of Ryuichi Kiyonari.

Time of the first Superbike session:

Reference times in Superbike:

Test record: 1'40.705 by Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) in 2018

Lap record: 1'42.304 by Johnny Rea (Kawasaki) in 2018

During the second Superbike session, Álvaro Bautista chose not to ride. “ I have pain in my left shoulder, explained the Spaniard. Saturday, I drove a lot (Editor’s note: 66 laps). And today I don't feel well. I can't push, the shoulder is slightly swollen. It is better that I rest so as not to harm the race which will take place here in two weeks. There's nothing broken, but sometimes it's worse. Fortunately, on Saturday everything was more or less good, so we were able to try a lot of equipment ».

Toprak Razgatlioglu, author of the best time the day before, was ill and limited his tests. Alex Lowes, who recently underwent surgery to treat tendinitis, felt perfectly fine and was running smoothly.

Rea and Razgatlioglu placed their Kawasakis behind the Yamaha of Lowes and in front of those of van der Mark and Baz. Loris was the rider who lined up the most laps (146), thus trying as many solutions as possible for his Yamaha Ten Kate.

Combined times of the two days of Superbike testing:

In Supersport, Randy Krummenacher was the fastest in 1'45.392. 18 drivers from the Supersport category were hard at work, including the Bardahl Evan Bros. team. WorldSSP with Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo, as well as Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha), winner of the last round.

Caricasulo improved the time achieved by his Swiss teammate the day before in 1'45.281, ahead of Neapolitan Raffaele de Rosa and his MV Agusta. Jules Cluzel occupied third position ahead of Krummenacher, Isaac Viñales and Corentin Perolari.

In the final minutes, Isaac Viñales took fourth position from Randy Krummenacher. Corentin Perolari was eighth, Jules Danilo eleventh and Gaëtan Matern eighteenth.

Time of the first Supersport session:

Reference times in Supersport:

Test record: 1'44.554 by Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta) in 2015

Lap record: 1'45.180 by Michele Pirro (Ten Kate Honda) in 2010.

During the second and final session, Jules Cluzel fell without seriousness at the end of the session. Absolutely no one improved their morning times, so the first session table (above) represented the best times of the day.

Caricasulo finished these two days in the lead, ahead of his teammate Krummenacher, de Rosa and Cluzel, while Perolari ranked eighth, Danilo eleventh and Matern nineteenth.

Combined times of the two days of Supersport testing:

Photos and rankings © worldsbk.com / Dorna