The seventh WorldSBK round has commenced at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal in extremely hot conditions.
In light of the typical August temperatures, the weekend’s schedule has been modified, moving the sessions back so that Friday’s FP2 and the weekend’s races run in the late afternoon.
The first free practice got underway at 1.15pm local time. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider Tito Rabat set a time of 1’42”697 to place eighteenth.
In the day’s second and final practice, which began at 6pm, Rabat was able to improve significantly on his lap time (1’41”424), closing in sixteenth position, just 0.743 of a second from provisional pole. A result that bodes well for tomorrow, when the Spaniard will be back out for Superpole and, in the early evening, Race 1.
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve – Portimao – Portugal
Superbike World Championship
Combined free practice results: 1) Petrucci (Ducati) – 2) Bautista (Ducati) – 3) Razgatlioglu (BMW) – 4) Bulega (Ducati) – 5) Aegerter (Yamaha)……….16) Rabat (Kawasaki)
Tito Rabat
“Today we really did a good job. We’ve never been so close to the front. I didn’t have the best feeling with my bike this morning, but in FP2 we improved a lot and used the tyres that we’ll use in the race. We still have room to improve, something we’ll try to do in FP3, to be ready for the Superpole and race 1.”
