Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed the fastest Estoril lap on Friday with a 1’36.290 in WorldSBK’s FP2.
Title challengers Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea joined the defending champion at the top of the times with the Aruba.it Ducati a mere 0.132s ahead the Kawasaki while GRT Yamaha's Garrett Gerloff rounded out the top three overall thanks to his 1'36.572 FP1 effort.
A strong cross wind and 41℃ track temperatures greeted the WorldSBK paddock for Portugal’s 45-minute afternoon practice. BMW’s Michael van der Mark absent from proceedings due to a fracture to the neck of his right femur after his FP1 fall.
KRT’s Rea set his fastest time of the weekend so far with a 1’36.976 on his first attempt. Razgatliolgu and Bautista battling for second as the next efforts came in with over half a second separating them from the six-time champ in the opening stages as he bettered his own pace on lap three.
Bonovo BMW’s Loris Baz sat fourth in the session ahead of Ducati’s Michael Rinaldi and factory BMW’s Scott Redding with teammate Eugene Laverty, Philipp Oettl, Axel Bassani and Andrea Locatelli completing the FP2 top ten.
Garrett Gerloff began a more subdued second practice from 11th in the session standings leading the Honda duo of Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge with Lucas Mahias and Alex Lowes completing the top 15. Rinaldi launching an assault on the leading times on his way to third, then second with a 1’37.189, four-tenths adrift of Rea’s target and half a second from the American’s overall best.
Bautista returned to second with the second 1’36 lap of the afternoon, 0.155s shy of his Kawasaki rival. Lowes returning to the track after a stint in the box and circulating on 1’38 pace.
The halfway stage saw Gerloff back in the top three and on the bubble of 1’37 pace as Razgatlioglu looked to make his own improvements from sixth, the pair the only riders inside the top ten yet to enhance their morning times. Pata teammate Locatelli circulating narrowly behind with his own personal best before he leapfrogged the reigning champion for fifth.
The closing 15 minutes saw Vierge the first to make a move as he advanced the Fireblade to sixth in the session. Gerloff aiming for his overall target once again before losing out in the final sector. Another stint in the box and Lowes was back in action and running 14th then 12th, a second adrift of his teammate. Rea refining his own pace with a 1’36.692 and eight minutes left on the clock.
Razgatlioglu hit the top with a 1’36.597 two minutes later, a tenth shy of the overall target, before he bettered with an impressive 1’36.290 next time around to take control of the combined standings. Bautista claiming second moments later three-tenths back as Lowes found his way into the top ten.
Rea and Bautista continued to bicker over second position as the clock counted down. The Ducati holding a tenth advantage in the final minute as Redding set his sights on the top five. The Brit’s momentum fading in the final sector as he settled for 12th at the flag, narrowly behind countryman Lowes as Oettl crashed out at the final corner.
Razgatlioglu claimed the day with his 1’36.290 from his usual podium companions, with Gerloff fourth. Rinaldi and Locatelli completing FP2’s top six. The combined times maintain Gerloff’s position amongst the front runners in third as the only rider not to improve in the afternoon action.
