Wet weather disrupted running of testing for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field in Portugal as Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) topped the timesheets by just 0.005s ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). The pair took advantage of a short dry spell to set their best laps at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve but, with more rain falling in the afternoon, the times didn’t improve from the 1’42s bracket nor challenge the times from yesterday’s action when ‘El Turco’ set the pace. With unstable conditions all day, a lot of riders completed either several installation laps or didn’t venture out on track at all.

BIMOTA ON TOP: Alex Lowes fastest, Bassani doesn’t test

Lowes was the fastest rider on track on Day 2 with a 1’42.096s, taking advantage of the brief dry conditions a couple of hours into the day to set his fastest lap after he worked on some front fork options and chassis items on his KB998 Rimini. He was the sole Bimota race rider on track on Wednesday as teammate Axel Bassani opted not to test, although test rider Xavi Fores did join the #22 on track to get some data in the mixed conditions.

BMW JUST BEHIND: Razgatlioglu 0.005s away from P1

Razgatlioglu once again led BMW’s charge on Day 2 as he finished just 0.005s behind Lowes. His best time was a 1’42.101s as he secured second place, still running his special gloves to help him use his broken finger as best as he can; although ‘El Turco’ did state he was mostly using his middle finger as opposed to his index finger for braking. He also revealed he had a small technical problem on his first run. Teammate Michael van der Mark did venture out on track, although didn’t set a lap time on his M 1000 RR. Test rider Markus Reiterberger also completed laps for the German manufacturer; the German was riding until the end of the day.

BAUTISTA THIRD DESPITE HIGHSIDE: mixed day for the two-time Champion

Three manufacturers were in the top three on Day 2 as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) secured third place, lapping around 0.960s slower than Lowes out in front. The #19, who had a new exhaust on his machine that teammate Nicolo Bulega had already been using, crashed at Turn 9 a few hours into the day after losing the rear of his Panigale V4 R; he was able to complete installation laps in the afternoon following the fall. Rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) got his first taste of Portimao in the wet as he took sixth place; this test is the first time he’s ridden at the rollercoaster venue since 2019 when he was preparing for his first British Superbike campaign. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) both ventured on track at various points, although the latter didn’t set a lap time. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) didn’t test. In WorldSSP, Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) was the only rider on track as he tested his Panigale V2; he set a best time of 1’45.834s.

LOCATELLI LEADS YAMAHA CHARGE: P4 for ‘Loka’, rookie Sofuoglu with two crashes

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was the fastest Yamaha on Wednesday in Portugal as he finished in fourth place, with him and teammate Jonathan Rea ending their test early in the rainy conditions; the #65 didn’t set a lap time. Locatelli set a best time of 1’43.131s as he claimed P4 as Yamaha tested components at Portimao to confirm them after a positive outing at Jerez. With flag-to-flag races mandatory for Phillip Island, the Yamaha squad opted to do some pit stop practice in the mixed conditions to utilise their time even without lapping on track. Elsewhere in the Yamaha camp, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished in fifth – just two tenths behind ‘Loka’ while Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was tenth out of the full-time WorldSBK riders. Tito Rabat (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was seventh as the Japanese brand had four riders in the top ten while rookie teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu had two crashes on Day 2, at Turn 15 and Turn 1, the latter of which brought out the red flags.

LECUONA P7, VIERGE NINTH: both Hondas in the top ten

Iker Lecuona was the fastest of the two Honda HRC riders on Day 2, with both getting limited running. The #7 set a best of 1’47.368s while teammate Xavi Vierge had a crash at Turn 1 early in the day which ended his running; his 1’59.962s not representative of the pace he had shown previously as both riders continued adapting to new Ohlins suspension on the CBR1000RR-R. At the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team, Tarran Mackenzie did not go out on track.

The top six from Day 2 at Portimao:

1. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 1’42.096s

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’42.101s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’43.061s

4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 1’43.131s

5. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’43.373s

6. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) 1’46.369s

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