WORLDSBK FRIDAY REPORT: Bulega narrowly beats Surra and Lecuona, Oliveira impresses with P4 on home soil
SOURCE & PHOTO: WorldSBK
Bulega topped both sessions on Friday at Estoril ahead of rookie Surra and teammate Lecuona, while home hero Oliveira claimed P4
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was the fastest rider on Friday at the Circuito Estoril in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he beat rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) and teammate Iker Lecuona on the opening day of action at the Tissot Estoril Round. Also catching the eye was home hero Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as the #88 finished the day in fourth place, raising hopes he can make a rostrum return this weekend.
BULEGA ON TOP, SURRA CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
After topping Free Practice 1, Bulega made it a Friday clean sweep as he took honours in Free Practice 2 as well. The #11 posted a 1’35.432s as he immediately found gains compared to the morning session, with all but two riders improving in FP2. The #11 was just 0.066s ahead of rookie Surra. The #67 left it until the last few minutes to set his best time of the day as he posted a 1’35.498s to claim second, ahead of Lecuona. The #7 took third with a 1’35.516s with less than a tenth separating the top three. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished Friday in sixth place after posting a 1’35.863s, while his teammate, Alvaro Bautista, was in ninth place; despite three positions separating the pair, the #19 was only a tenth slower than Montella. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) was 12th with Loris Baz (MGM Optical Express Racing) in 15th and Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) in 20th; the #46 had a crash in FP1 at Turn 7.
OLIVEIRA TAKES FOURTH FOR BMW
Home hero Oliveira will look to be back in the top five, or even podium contention at a circuit just half-an-hour drive from his hometown. The #88, who had Turn 7 named after him ahead of the round, finished in fourth place after posting a 1’35.816s. Teammate Danilo Petrucci was down the order in 16th place, although it was so tight on Friday that just a small gain for ‘Petrux’, or any other rider, will haul him up the order.
BASSANI LEADS ALEX LOWES AT BIMOTA
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished as the lead Bimota rider after surging up the order in the latter stages of the 45-minute session, setting a 1’35.844s to finish in fifth. He was just a few hundredths ahead of teammate Alex Lowes in seventh after the #22 set a 1’35.873s to finish two places down on ‘El Bocia’.
DIXON IN THE TOP TEN
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) headed to Estoril after his first top six WorldSBK finish, and the #96 appears to be knocking on the door of more top ten possibilities in Portugal. He finished the day in eighth on the combined classification after posting a 1’35.964s. His teammate, Somkiat Chantra, was 13th but two tenths separated the two Honda riders.
VIERGE LEADS YAMAHA CHARGE
Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was the lead Yamaha rider in 10th on Friday after posting a 1’36.364s, although the #97 was one of only two riders to not improve their lap time in FP2 with his time coming in the morning session. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was under two tenths behind his teammate but finished three places lower, while he was a tenth clear of rookie Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 18th. Manzi’s teammate, Remy Gardner, was directly behind the #62 and suffered a late crash in FP2 at Turn 9. His best time was a 1’36.646s. Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 21st after he had a big crash at Turn 7, while teammate Twan Smits rounded out the WorldSBK field; like Vierge, he did not improve his time in FP2 compared to FP1.
GERLOFF JUST MISSES OUT ON THE TOP 10
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) had a dramatic start to his weekend when he crashed at Turn 7 in the latter stages of Free Practice 1. The #31 finished the day in 11th place after posting a 1’36.150s, missing out on a spot in the top ten by just three thousandths of a second.
The top six from Friday’s WorldSBK action
– Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’35.432s
– Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) +0.066s
– Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.084s
– Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.384s
– Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.412s
– Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.431s
Circuito Estoril
