Scott Redding topped the timesheets in opening free practice for Round 8 of the 2023 WorldSBK Championship at a damp and drizzly Autodrom Most.

The ROKiT BMW rider - a race winner at the Czech circuit with Ducati in 2021 - hit the front in the closing stages as conditions improved to get an early psychological boost over the competition.

His effort of 1m 34.570s was enough to put six tenths between himself and Toprak Razgatlioglu, the Pata Yamaha rider slotting into second late on as one of four R1 riders inside the top six.

Alex Lowes was the quickest of the Kawasaki riders in third place a further tenth back, ahead of Yamaha trio Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner on the GRT entries, with Andrea Locatelli following them up in sixth place.

Philipp Oettl had the honour of heading up the Ducati contingent in seventh, ahead of Xavi Vierge and Garrett Gerloff in eighth and ninth, while Eric Granado - something of a wet weather specialist in MotoE - demonstrated a strong turn of pace with the tenth best time on MIE Honda.

Elsewhere, familiar front runners like Jonathan Rea and championship leader Alvaro Bautista maintained a low profile in the hope of better conditions this afternoon, the Kawasaki and Ducati riders 16th and 17th respectively.