Superbike: Davies sets the best time in second free practice at Sepang

Friday's free practice for the Pirelli Malaysian Round confirms that the weather will be an important variable of the weekend: the second session was in fact held in the wet given the heavy rain that fell on the Sepang International Circuit.

The riders were thus able to test not only the bikes in wet configuration, but in the end they also tested the track in mixed conditions, managing to significantly improve their times in the final minutes, with Chaz Davies setting the best time with a 2'11.300.
Overall, however, the Welshman finished in second place, just 149 from leader Max Biaggi, able to exploit the set-up of the RSV4 RF already found in the tests carried out last week in Sepang. Behind the two-time WorldSBK champion and the author of the double in Laguna, the Kawasaki Racing Team standard bearers Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes finished in third and fourth place, closely followed by Aprilia riders Leon Haslam and Jordi Torres, from the Voltcom Crescent duo Suzuki of Alex Lowes and Randy de Puniet and the Pata Honda pair, who complete the top 10 with Sylvain Guintoli ahead of Michael van der Mark.
Next appointment tomorrow morning at 3am with the third and final free practice session valid for access to the Tissot-Superpole.

Below is the combined ranking of times after FP2:

1. Max Biaggi ITA Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 2m 04.823s
2. Chaz Davies GBR Aruba.it Racing Ducati 1199R 2m 04.972s
3. Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R 2m 05.382s
4. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R 2m 05.491s
5. Leon Haslam GBR Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 2m 05.533s
6. Jordi Torres ESP Red Devils Roma Aprilia RSV4 2m 05.623s
7. Alex Lowes GBR Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 2m 05.806s
8. Randy de Puniet FRA Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 2m 05.920s
9. Sylvain Guintoli FRA PATA Honda CBR1000RR 2m 05.961s
10. Michael van der Mark NED PATA Honda CBR1000RR 2m 05.986s
11. Ayrton Badovini ITA BMW Italia S1000RR 2m 06.147s
12. Roman Ramos ESP GO Eleven Kawasaki ZX-10R 2m 06.518s
13. Niccolò Canepa ITA Althea Ducati 1199R 2m 06.709s
14. David Salom ESP Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 2m 07.086s
15. Matteo Baiocco ITA Althea Ducati 1199R 2m 07.170s
16. Leon Camier GBR MV Agusta F4 RR 2m 07.597s
17. Leandro Mercado ARG Barni Ducati 1199R 2m 07.654s
18. Christophe Ponsson FRA Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 2m 09.866s
19. Gianluca Vizziello ITA Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10R 2m 10.516s
20. Gabor Rizmayer HUN Team Toth BMW S1000RR 2m 11.122s
21. Imre Toth HUN Team Toth BMW S1000RR 2m 12.119s
22. Alex Phillis AUS Grillini Kawasaki ZX-10R 2m 12.682s