Voltcom Suzuki’s Eugene Laverty found pace over the lunchbreak at Magny-Cours to fight with Davide Giugliano’s Ducati for top spot in the second World Superbike free practice session with Sylvain Guintoli and Jonathan Rea running the Monegasque close.
Giugliano went under the lap record set by Tom Sykes last year with a 1’37.866 and then stuck in two more lap under the 1’38 mark while no-one else could break into it. Laverty was the closest on a 1’38.138 so the Italian Ducati rider is the man with pace so far this weekend.
Laverty wasn’t so consistent five laps in the 1’38s but Guintoli banged in eight with a best of 1’38.152. However, Pata Honda’s Rea managed six with a fastes of 1’38.157 so the pair are evenly matched in third and fourth.
Kawasaki’s Sykes, who is looking to sew up his second consecutive championship this weekend, was also in consistent mood with seven laps in the 1’38s but his outright pace slipped back to sixth place, one behind Marco Melandri on the sister Aprilia to Guintoli’s.
Team-mate Loris Baz shuffled himself up to seventh place with Brits Chaz Davies, Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam completing the top ten, so if it rains in free practice three tomorrow morning, they will all get through to qualifying two by right.
Haslam spent a good portion of the session in the top four but slid back as the laps clicked down and only improved on this morning’s pace by 0.007s while Lowes and Davies took out big chunks of time. In contrast, Giugliano found 1.2s over lunch.
