SBK| Pirelli Spanish Round, FP2: Rea is still the fastest

It was a good Friday in the Pirelli Spanish Round for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who, despite the crash in FP2, achieved the best time of the day, after leading the morning session. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), second and third respectively, make up the top 3 with their best time of the afternoon.

In the first ten minutes of FP2, Rea crashed at turn 8 and his team worked hard to allow him to return to the track to set fast laps again. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also crashed in the first minutes, at turn 13, and was unable to return to the track, thus ending the day in tenth position.

Under the beautiful sunny skies of Spain Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) finished fourth in the general classification, ahead of Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Both the rider from Ravenna and Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) had technical problems at the end of the afternoon session.

Lowes, on the other hand, managed to make a long run in FP2, keeping the pace constantly high with his Yamaha YZF R1.

Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) finished sixth, ahead of his teammate Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) who suffered a fall at turn 2 in the afternoon session, fortunately without consequences.

2014 world champion Sylvain Guintoli is back on the world stage with his Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR, which he will ride for the final two rounds of the season, and is ninth in the combined time standings.

Takumi Takahashi (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team), after having a technical problem in FP2, finished the day 23rd with his Honda CBR1000RR and in front of him is his current teammate Davide Giugliano, 17th.

In FP1 at the Pirelli Spanish Round, Rea also finished in first place, trailing second-placed Alex Lowes and third-placed Marco Melandri by six tenths.

The action on the track returns tomorrow with FP3 at 8.45am, and then at 10.30am and 10.55am for SP1 and SP2 respectively and at 13pm for the race.

Below is the time ranking at the end of the two free practice sessions:
1. Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10RR 1m 40.291s*
2. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10RR 1m 40.888s
3. Michael van der Mark NED PATA Yamaha YZF-R1 1m 40.890s
4. Alex Lowes GBR PATA Crescent Yamaha R1 1m 40.891s*
5. Marco Melandri ITA Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale R 1m 40.893s*
6. Eugene Laverty IRE Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4 1m 40.896s*
7. Lorenzo Savadori ITA Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4 1m 41.086s
8. Roman Ramos ESP Team Go Eleven Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 41.191s*
9. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Puccetti Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 41.194s
10. Chaz Davies GBR Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale R 1m 41.204s*
11. Leon Camier GBR MV Agusta RC F4 RR 1m 41.281s
12. Leandro Mercado ARG IodaRacing Aprilia RSV4 1m 41.299s
13. Jordi Torres ESP Althea BMW S1000RR 1m 41.313s
14. Raffaele De Rosa ITA Althea BMW S1000RR 1m 41.585s
15. Xavi Fores ESP Barni Ducati Panigale R 1m 41.620s
16. Alessandro Andreozzi ITA Guandalini Yamaha YZF-R1 1m 41.987s
17. Davide Giugliano ITA Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR SP2 1m 42.218s
18. Riccardo Russo ITA Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 42.262s
19. Ondrej Jezek CZE Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 42.786s
20. Takumi Takahashi JPN Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR SP2 1m 42.918s
21. Ayrton Badovini ITA Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10RR 1m 42.989s
22. Dominic Schmitter SUI 81 HPC-Power Suzuki GSX-R1000 1m 45.382s

*Fastest lap times taken from FP1