Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) led the way on the opening day of action at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

The Ducati rider completed 34 laps on the opening day of action and set a fastest time of 1’40.681 in an action packed FP2 session

Blue skies and high track temperatures dominated the conditions and while it was picture postcard weather the wind played a role in the closing stages. The evening schedule saw the wind strength increase as the day wore on and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) both crashed in the closing stages

Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has won ten races in a row but this weekend looks to be more challenging. The Turkish rider was third fastest but more worrying was that he suffered reliability issues in both sessions today. He completed 31 laps today

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also suffered a technical issue today. The Ducati rider, second in the championship standings, lost all of FP1 due to a problem that sidelined him after one flying lap but recovered in FP2 to set the fourth fastest time

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) covered the most mileage today. The Swiss rider’s 41 laps were consistent for his race simulation and he ended the session fifth fastest

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) suffered a technical issue in FP2 to end the day 18th fastest. Despite his lack of running the Australian rider was within one second of the fastest time as WorldSBK gears up for a very competitive weekend.

P1 | Danilo Petrucci | Barni Spark Racing Team
“I’m quite surprised because I struggled here last year even though it’s always been one that I like. Today, I felt good on the bike and I was able to push and find a good rhythm. We made a few setting changes in the afternoon and I tried the new rear tyre. This tyre was a step forward and I felt good immediately. The tyre is grippy so I liked it! We also did something with the front end of the bike, and I have a good feeling there as well. I didn’t expect to finish the day with the fastest time so I’m surprised but also happy. I’m still recovering from my injuries and my right arm is a bit tired. I hope this result gives me some happiness and strength for tomorrow.”

P2 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“Physically, I feel okay. I have a bit of road rash but it’s no problem. The wind was the issue for the crash because it started to get stronger after the middle of FP2. In that corner the wind pushed me a lot. I had arrived at the corner a little faster than the lap before and I tried to brake at the same point but I lost the front. In general, I’m quite happy because, already this morning, I felt very similar to how I did in Most with the bike. That means it’s similar to last year as well. The memories I have from the winter test here weren’t good but today has been much better. The feeling with the bike is definitely better, so I’m happy about that. We also tried some different gearing to deal with the wind. This is the first weekend where we’ve left one track and come to a new one where the feeling has stayed the same. It’s been a positive day. We had a good weekend at Most, even if the result wasn’t great, and we’ve started well here. We need to keep building our confidence with the bike and aim for our best performance tomorrow.”

P3 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“I had a technical problem in FP2 and I had to return to the box. Unfortunately, I couldn’t ride the bike for the last ten minutes. Overall, my feeling wasn’t bad with the bike. Before the technical issue, I was using a used tyre, and I’m very happy with how the bike performed on it. This is positive for me because our pace was good and I did a very good job with the used tyre. After 18 laps, I was still able to do a 40.9 lap which is really good in these hot conditions. I started feeling some problems after 3-4 laps when I used the new tyre and I realised there was a technical issue. I had to return to the box, but very slowly. We’ll see how things go tomorrow but the first day is done and I’m very happy because not every session or race weekend goes perfectly. Now we’re starting a little differently this weekend but I’m feeling positive. I’m just waiting for tomorrow.”

WorldSBK Combined Results after FP2
1. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’40.681s
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.023s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.102s
4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.130s
5. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.140s
6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.255s

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