Yakhnich Motorsport’s Sam Lowes stormed to the top of the time-sheets in the opening World Supersport free practice session, on a very wet Monza track this morning.
The Lincolnshire rider set the fastest lap of 2’01.016 with two minutes remaining, after spending some time in his garage. Lowes pitted after seven laps and during that time was overtaken by many riders, including current champion MAHI Racing Team India’s Kenan Sofuoglu and PTR Honda rider Sheridan Morais. But Lowes having found himself just inside the top ten clawed his way up to top once again after completing his tenth lap on the Monza circuit.
Suriano Racing’s Matthew Scholtz had a sold session out on track and set the second fastest time of 2’01.678, very closely followed by South African rider, Morais clocking a time of 2’01.706. Sofuoglu could not hang on to a top three finish, and had to settle for sixth with a time of 2’02.637, just behind PTR Honda’s Luca Marconi.
Dublin rider, Rivamoto’s Jack Kennedy during the session did manage to make it into the top three, and was closely matching the times set by Lowes but could not hold on and finished in ninth, with a time of 2’03.232. Kawasaki DMC-Lorenzini’s Kev Coghlan was another rider who made it into the top three in the time-sheets with less than thirty minutes of the session left, but the rest of the grid were too strong for the Scottish racer, and he finished just ahead of Kennedy with a time of 2’03.009.
ParkinGo MV Agusta Corse’s Christian Iddon was hovering around the top twenty for most of the forty five minute free practice, but during the final minutes made it to thirteenth, with a lap time of 2’03.504.
The session was red flagged after twenty seven minutes, after Honda PTR’s Nacho Calero Perez crashed out, but the rider was unhurt and did manage to return out on track. VFT Racing’s, wild card, Alessia Politia also hit the gravel, but was uninjured. Lowes’ Russian team-mate Vladimir Leonov experienced technical problems, with less than ten minutes to go, ending his free practice session early.
