WorldSBK, Portimao Testing Results [Day 1] | Rookie Bulega leads Razgatlioglu in Portugal


Nicolo Bulega was once again the rider to beat as WorldSBK testing resumed with the first of two days spent at Portimao in Portugal, the rookie leading Toprak Razgatlioglu and Remy Gardner on a close timesheet.

The Italian – runaway WorldSSP Champion in 2023 – stunned the WorldSBK regulars in Jerez last week by topping the timesheets on both days with lap record-breaking pace and would prove in similarly devastating form on the title-winning Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R as action got underway in Portugal.

Setting a benchmark lap time of 1m 39.913secs – making him the only rider to dip below the 1m 40secs mark – Bulega was run closer around the Algarve track than he was in Jerez with Toprak Razgatlioglu showing encouraging form on the ROKiT BMW M 1000 RR to slot in less than a tenth adrift of his new rival.

Jonathan Rea rounded out the top three on the best of the factory Pata PROMETEON Yamaha R1s after an improvement just prior to the flag, chased by Remy Gardner in fourth place. The Australian is having to take on the heavy lifting for the GYTR GRT squad after a viral infection forced team-mate Dominique Aegerter out of action once again.

In fifth, Andrea Locatelli was another to make a late improvement, ahead of Sam Lowes, who continued to make an eye-catching transition to WorldSBK competition with the sixth fastest time, the Briton less than half-a-second off the pace aboard the satellite Marc VDS Ducati.

In seventh was Michael van der Mark on the second of the ROKiT BMW, ahead of Alvaro Bautista, the defending champion putting in a more representative showing as he continues on the recovery trail from a neck injury sustained in post-season testing in November.

Alex Lowes, who was the best of the Kawasaki riders despite technical issues in tenth, while Bradley Ray – having missed last week’s Jerez test – made a positive first impression for 2024 by posting the 11th fastest time of the 23 riders present.

All riders that are due to compete in the 2024 WorldSBK Championship are present in Portugal, with the exception of the unwell Aegerter, as well as Petronas MIE Racing Honda duo Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin.

2024 WorldSBK Pre-season Testing Results, Portimao [Day 1 of 2]

⏱️ 2024 WorldSBK Pre-Season Testing Results | Portimao, Portugal | Testing Day 1 [Jan 2024] 🇵🇹
Pos Rider Nat Team Motorcycle Lap Time
1 Nicolo Bulega 🇮🇹 Aruba Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R 1m 39.913
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu 🇹🇷 ROKiT BMW Motorrad BMW M 1000 RR 1m 40.007
3 Jonathan Rea 🇬🇧 Pata PROMOTEON Yamaha R1 1m 40.061
4 Remy Gardner 🇦🇺 GYTR GRT Yamaha R1 1m 40.268
5 Andrea Locatelli 🇮🇹 Pata PROMOTEON Yamaha R1 1m 40.270
6 Sam Lowes 🇬🇧 Elf Marc VDS Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R 1m 40.463
7 Michael van der Mark 🇳🇱 ROKiT BMW Motorrad BMW M 1000 RR 1m 40.636
8 Alvaro Bautista 🇪🇦 Aruba Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R 1m 40.673
9 Xavi Vierge 🇪🇦 Team HRC Honda CBR1000RR-R 1m 40.729
10 Alex Lowes 🇬🇧 Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 40.779
11 Bradley Ray 🇬🇧 Motoxracing Yamaha R1 1m 41.027
12 Garrett Gerloff 🇺🇲 Bonovo Action Racing BMW M 1000 RR 1m 41.039
13 Iker Lecuona 🇪🇦 Team HRC Honda CBR1000RR-R 1m 41.044
14 Michael Ruben Rinaldi 🇮🇹 Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R 1m 41.081
15 Scott Redding 🇬🇧 Bonovo Action Racing BMW M 1000 RR 1m 41.083
16 Danilo Petrucci 🇮🇹 Barni Spark Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R 1m 41.152
17 Andrea Iannone 🇮🇹 Team Go Eleven Ducati Panigale V4 R 1m 41.208
18 Axel Bassani 🇮🇹 Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 41.305
19 Tito Rabat 🇪🇦 Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 41.484
20 Philipp Oettl 🇩🇪 GMT 94 Yamaha R1 1m 41.736
21 Sylvain Guintoli 🇫🇷 ROKiT BMW Motorrad BMW M 1000 RR 1m 42.102
22 Bradley Smith 🇬🇧 ROKiT BMW Motorrad BMW M 1000 RR 1m 43.225
23 Florian Marino 🇫🇷 Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 43.323




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