Testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto came to a conclusion for the teams and riders from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship that attended, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) setting the fastest lap time. Using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, the 2021 Champion posted a 1’38.269s, just missing out on the lap record, and topped the timesheets despite a Turn 13 crash in the morning.

TITANIC TRIO ON TOP: Razgatlioglu chases a 1’37s, Rea and Bautista close behind…

Razgatlioglu was able to bounce back from his crash in the morning to record the fastest time with a 1’38.269s set in the afternoon on SCQ tyres; attempting to break the 1’37s barrier as he discussed on Wednesday. Like on Day 1, Razgatlioglu was aiming to improve acceleration out of the corners, with Razgatlioglu completing 61 laps while teammate Andrea Locatelli was seventh with a best time of 1’39.280s

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) put his ZX-10RR into second place on Day 2, less than a tenth behind Razgatlioglu, after he set a 1’38.352s in the final hour of the test to finish only 0.083s off the pace. Both Rea and KRT teammate Alex Lowes were working to make final checks and balances on the ZX-10RR, with Lowes in fifth place and around nine tenths down on Rea.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, once again looking to work on the 2023 Panigale V4 R machine, took third and fourth with Alvaro Bautista and Michael Ruben Rinaldi respectively, with Rinaldi almost two tenths down on his teammate on the second day after Bautista set a 1’38.449s; the 2022 top three separated by just 0.180s. It was a strong debut outing for Ducati’s new model, featuring revised exhausts and winglets, with two riders occupying two positions inside the top four.

ROOKIES IMPRESS ONCE AGAIN: three rookies inside the top ten…

After a strong showing on Day 1, three WorldSBK rookies finished the test inside the top ten on Day 2. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was sixth fastest after posting a 1’39.193s using the SCQ tyre to make him the second-fastest Yamaha rider on Day 2, with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) once again inside the top ten, taking eighth place after setting a 1’39.311s. Aegerter’s GRT Yamaha teammate, Remy Gardner, took tenth spot but was only three tenths slower than Aegerter at the end of Day 2; showing how tight the WorldSBK field is in 2023.

CLOSELY MATCHED FOR THE TOP TEN: a hotly-contested fight in 2023?

Team HRC had one rider inside the top ten with Iker Lecuona in ninth place, completing 68 laps on his way to a position inside the top ten as he set a 1’39.337s, while teammate Vierge was in 12^th place and more than six tenths down on his teammate. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was the lead BMW rider on Day 2 as he took 11^th place with a 1’39.517s. Factory BMW riders Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Michael van der Mark were 12^th and 16^th respectively, while Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was 15^th; Gerloff had a crash in the morning after losing the front of his machine at Turn 6.

NOT FAR AWAY: it’s close at Jerez…

The returning Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was classified in 17^th place with a 1’40.750s on his ZX-10RR, with his day ending a few minutes early after he had a crash towards the end of Day 2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), making his and the team’s WorldSBK debut, was 18^th fastest as he adjusted to new surroundings, while Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was 19^th; the team have switched brake suppliers from Brembo to Nissin for 2023.

BULEGA LEADS THE WAY: Italian rider on top in WorldSSP

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba WorldSSP Racing Team) was the lead rider in the WorldSSP field on his Panigale V2, completing 69 laps with a best time of 1’41.685s. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), with four bikes to try as well as comparing suspension suppliers, was second and two tenths back while Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) was third and only three tenths down on Bulega. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) was fourth while three rookies completed the classification: Andrea Mantovani (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was fifth, 1.4s down on Bulega, with John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) sixth and Yuta Okaya (Prodina Kawasaki Racing WorldSSP) seventh; Okaya’s best time was recorded as a 1’46.225s, but he was running without a transponder for a lot of the day.

Click HERE for the full results from Day 2 at Jerez!

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