The second day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya came to a conclusion on Saturday with reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) topping the timesheets, although it was his wet-weather running that the Turkish star was discussing as it meant he got to test Yamaha’s new electronics in wet conditions ahead of the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign starting in a couple of weeks.

The rain started coming down as the afternoon started, forcing riders to take an early lunch as they re-evaluated their plans for the afternoon to allow for the rain. Razgatlioglu was one of a few riders to head out after the rain well, as he looked to test Yamaha’s new electronic package.

Discussing why the wet weather test was so important, Razgatlioglu said: “In the wet conditions, I’ve improved. We used the new electronics because I need to ride in wet conditions for the new electronics. It’s all new and I need to understand how it’s working. I’m very happy with the new electronics because it works well in wet conditions. We improved some setup. It’s the first time I enjoyed the wet conditions! Normally I don’t like them, I’m not really strong, but last year I started to improve and this year I think I improved again. In the wet conditions, I don’t like engine braking. I like a free bike. For me, it’s very important, especially traction control. For the angle, I need a little bit more traction because I was riding like it was a WorldSSP bike. Now I’m feeling everything that this is good because now I’m feeling more relaxed. I open the gas and I know the electronics are working.”

Razgatlioglu’s pace in the dry meant he bounced back from fifth place on Friday to top spot on Saturday after admitting he was “lost” on day one. Yamaha, throughout the test, tried their new electronics as well as a new exhaust. After the day ended, Razgatlioglu discussed the test in full including responding to Friday’s times.

Explaining the test, Razgatlioglu said: “For me, yesterday was not a good day but today we improved with a big step. We tried to find the setup for bike because we used some new parts. Yesterday, was not an easy day. We tried to refine the setup, but it wasn’t correct. We were lost. This morning, we started very well. We started with my first bike and I did a very good lap time.”

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