Go Eleven Ducati’s Michael Rinaldi finished his Aragon WorldSBK Friday at the top of the timesheets, heading Jonathan Rea in both the second session and on the combined sheets.
Rinaldi was quickest this morning by the smallest available margin and was 0.274 ahead of the reigning champion this afternoon where temperatures were up and laptimes down.
In terms of outright performance, Chaz Davies, Alvaro Bautista, Scott Redding and Leon Haslam all went faster in the second session even though the tarmac was 14°C hotter at 46°C.
That is good news for Davies who by his own admission has got to sort out Superpole to give himself half a chance in the first two races.
Rea and Rinaldi both put in decent-length race simulations this afternoon and spent some time together on track. The Ducati man set a total of 22 laps with 12 1’51s and three 1’50s. Rea completed one lap extra with 14 1’51s and five 1’50s, which is somewhat ominous.
Davies - third in the session - did ten 1’51s which is something like his pace at the same time last week. Bautista was a little more inconsistent with two 1’50s ten 1’51s and three 1’52s.
Redding is again suffering with engine brake problems and didn’t complete more than four laps in any one run with a best of 1’50.859 which is second off the pace.
Haslam also spent time making adjustments but improved to sixth in the session. Michael van der Mark led the Yamahas and he had a decent crack at a race simulation, with 12 1’51s.
Alex Lowes was eighth for the afternoon but his time from this morning kept him in third place. The Kawasaki man only managed 13 laps in the second period with a best of 1’50.993. Tom Sykes was ninth and Garret Gerloff - who followed Rea and Rinaldi for a time - ended in tenth but 15th on the combined sheets.
Ten Kate Yamaha’s Loris Baz crashed unhurt at turn eight, so didn’t get any more of the setup time he needs to help with his engine brake strategies while Eugene Laverty was again right at the top of the speed charts at 193mph, second only to Bautista.
Top ten top speeds
1 19 A. BAUTISTA Honda CBR1000RR-R 312,1
2 50 E. LAVERTY BMW S1000 RR 309,5
3 33 M. MELANDRI Ducati Panigale V4 R 309,5
4 91 L. HASLAM Honda CBR1000RR-R 307,7
5 54 T. RAZGATLIOGLU Yamaha YZF R1 307,7
6 21 M. RINALDI Ducati Panigale V4 R 307,7
7 45 S. REDDING Ducati Panigale V4 R 306,8
8 7 C. DAVIES Ducati Panigale V4 R 306,8
9 20 S. BARRIER Ducati Panigale V4 R 306,8
10 22 A. LOWES Kawasaki ZX-10RR 306,8
