2024-03-15 13:51:13
Ducati factory rider Nicolo Bulega also sets the tone on the second day of the Superbike World Championship tests in Barcelona and is 0.727 seconds ahead at midday. The hunt for times will take place later in the afternoon.
On Friday morning it was raining lightly in Montmelo around 7 a.m., so no one went out on the track, which was damp in places, when the test started. As on Thursday, the Circuit de Catalunya is open today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
When Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) completed his first lap at 10.45 a.m., the air temperature was only 13 degrees and the asphalt temperature was 18 degrees. The Englishman immediately returned to the pits.
At around 11 a.m. the sun won the battle against the clouds and alongside world champion Alvaro Bautista (Ducati), Honda test rider Tetsuta Nagashima also ventured onto the track.
By 11:45 a.m., half of the 28 riders had completed at least one lap, with record champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha) leading the way with a time of 1:42.241 minutes.
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Welcome to the Barcelona test
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Scott Redding
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Andrea Locatelli
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Andrea Iannone
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Barcelona Test 2024
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Barcelona Test 2024
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Alvaro Bautista
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Michael van der Mark
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Michael Ruben Rinaldi
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Barcelona Test 2024
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Nicolò Bulega
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Garrett Gerloff
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Remy Gardner
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Alex Lowes
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Barcelona Test 2024
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Garrett Gerloff
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Razgatlioglu and Rea
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Dominique Aegerter
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Nicolò Bulega
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Philipp Öttl
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Alvaro Bautista
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Jonathan Rea
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Toprak Razgatlioglu
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The track was getting warmer every minute and the times were falling. Bautista was the first to stay under 1:42 minutes and clocked 1:41.833 minutes.
At 12.30 p.m. Andrea Iannone (Go Eleven Ducati) was leading with 1:41.485 min, then Nicolo Bulega catapulted to the top with 1:40.714 min. The Ducati factory rider set the record on Thursday with 1:40.304 minutes, Bulega remained a tiny 0.040 seconds above the pole record of 1:40.264 minutes, set by Bautista in 2023.
On Thursday, the top four Bulega, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Bautista and Sam Lowes secured their best time with a qualifying rear tire. Bulega’s big lead of 0.727 seconds on Friday afternoon suggests that the Italian used another SCQ. As long as the other drivers are on racing tires – Pirelli provides different types with different degrees of hardness – the times cannot be compared.
Razgatlioglu is currently second ahead of Iannone, Bautista, Gardner and Rea.
World Cup leader Alex Lowes is twelfth, the Swiss Domi Aegerter is 14th and the German Philipp Öttl is 18th.
The asphalt has now warmed up to 34 degrees Celsius and the air is 19 degrees. It can be assumed that many drivers will be hunting for times later in the afternoon to see where they stand before the European opener the weekend after next.
Times Superbike World Championship test Barcelona, Friday, 2 p.m.:
1. Nicolo Bulega (I), Ducati, 1:40.741 min
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TR), BMW, +0.727 sec
3. Andrea Iannone (I), Ducati, +0.771
4. Alvaro Bautista (E), Ducati, +0.857
5. Remy Gardner (AUS), Yamaha, +0.876
6. Jonathan Rea (GB), Yamaha, +0,913
7. Andrea Locatelli (I), Yamaha, +1.048
8. Tito Rabat (E), Kawasaki, +1,086
9. Michael Rinaldi (I), Ducati, +1,170
10. Sam Lowes (GB), Ducati, +1,210
11. Garrett Gerloff (USA), BMW, +1,313
12. Alex Lowes (GB), Kawasaki, +1,315
13. Danilo Petrucci (I), Ducati, +1,353
14. Dominique Aegerter (CH), Yamaha, +1,383
15. Axel Bassani (I), Kawasaki, +1,401
16. Michele Pirro (I), Ducati, +1,411
17. Michael van der Mark (NL), BMW, +1,438
18. Philipp Öttl (D), Yamaha, +1,809
19. Xavier Vierge (L), Honda, +1,810
20. Iker Lecuona (L), Honda, +2,249
21. Tetsuta Nagashima (J), Honda, +2,365
22. Scott Redding (GB), BMW, +2,398
23. Sylvain Guintoli (F), BMW, +2,566
24. Bradley Ray (GB), Yamaha, +2,682
25. Tarran Mackenzie (GB), Honda, +2,748
26. Bradley Smith (GB), BMW, +3,022
27. Adam Norrodin (MAL), Honda, +4,035
28. Florian Marino (F), Kawasaki, not driven
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