Voltcom Suzuki's Eugene Laverty has topped the timesheets on the first day of World Superbike testing at Portimao on a track that began soaking wet but dried sufficiently in the afternoon for reasonable work to be carried out.
Laverty ended the day at a circuit on which he has won with a 1'43.4, two-tenths ahead of the man who replace him at Aprilia, Marco Melandri. The circuit best lap is held by champion Tom Sykes on a 1'41.360 but that was in far more favourable conditons.
Ducati's Davide Guigliano was next along just a tenth slower than his countryman with Laverty's team-mate Alex Lowes clocking the same time at a circuit he has not ridden at before. Chaz Davies, on the second Panigale, was fifth on a 1'43.8 with Pata Honda's Jonathan Rea a further tenth adrft. Leon Haslam was half a second off his team-mate.
Due bad weather, no-one took to the track yesterday
Portimao WSBK test day one - conditions dry
1. Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Suzuki) 1'43.4
2. Marco Melandri (Factory Aprilia) 1'43.6
3. Davide Giugliano (Factory Ducati) 1'43.7
4. Alex Lowes (Voltcom Suzuki) 1'43.7
5. Chaz Davies (Factory Ducati) 1'43.8
6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda) 1'43.9
7. Leon Haslam (Pata Honda) 1'44.4
8. Sylvain Barrier (BMW Evo) 1'45.1
9. Jeremy Guarnoni (Kawasaki Evo) 1'45.6
10. Alex Hoffmann (Aprilia, tester) 1'45.7
11. Claudio Corti (MV Agusta) 1'46.0
(Times are unofficial, courtesy Suzuki)
