The eighth round of the Superbike World Championship started this Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the Valencian from Team HRC Iker Lecuona registering the best time of FP1 with a time of 1’41″396
Lecuona was on top of the time sheet with ten minutes remaining and remained in his place until the end of the 45-minute session. Ruben Rinaldi, who just confirmed his place for 2023 in Aruba.it Racing – Ducati dropped to 0″535. Reigning world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) finished third with a time of just 60 thousandths of the Italian. The Turkish driver, who cut Álvaro Bautista almost 50 points in the last three Rounds, will be looking to continue that streak and catch up with the man from Toledo in this weekend’s races. In FP1 he was ahead of the Spaniard and leader of the championship by 51 thousandths Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) is fifth, so all contenders for the title have taken positions since the first session of the Round.
The Northern Irishman followed Talaverano’s wheel in the first laps of the session, starting the psychological game with his rival.
As for the other Spaniards, Xavi Vierge, Lecuona’s Team HRC teammate, was tenth at 1″348 and Óscar Gutiérrez (Team Pedercini Racing) was 19th at 2″496.
Classification of FP1
1. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) 1’41.396
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at 0.535
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) at 0″595
4. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at 0.646
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) at 0.717
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx) at 0.747
….
10. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) at 1,348
19. Oscar Gutierrez (Team Pedercini Racing) at 2,496.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
