Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) beat his previous best lap on Friday by over two tenths of a second to claim top spot again in Free Practice 2, as things heated up at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca amongst the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders.

The defending champion, winner of Race 2 here last year, continued his great form from the morning session to comfortably take first in FP2, opening a near four-tenths gap with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The Italian couldn’t improve on his time from FP1, but remains second in the overall standings. He also slipped early on at the famous Corkscrew, showing that it remains a stern challenge for even the most experienced riders out on track.

Second in session two was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who jumps up to third overall and a mere 13 thousandths of a second behind Melandri.

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) took fourth spot in FP2 and overall, one better than after the morning standings, climbing above Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) who falls to fifth in the overall classification. Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) leaps to sixth overall, ahead of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in seventh.

Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) found their way into the Superpole 2 spots, coming in after FP2 in eighth and ninth, with Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) closing the top-10.

The American riders will have to battle back in FP3, after neither Josh Herrin (Attack Performance Two Wheel Legal Yamaha) nor Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) could improve their morning times, while PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) climbs one position into eighteenth.

Will the home heroes make it into tomorrow’s Superpole 2? Find out before anyone with our live timing starting at 16:05 local time (23:05 GMT), and watch all the highlights and the aftermath from Friday’s action thanks to the WorldSBK VideoPass.