WorldSBK 2024 – Round Seven
Portimao – Friday
WorldSBK Rider Quotes
Danilo Petrucci – P1
“I’m quite surprised because I struggled here last year even though it’s always been one that I like. Today, I felt good on the bike and I was able to push and find a good rhythm. We made a few setting changes in the afternoon and I tried the new rear tyre. This tyre was a step forward and I felt good immediately. The tyre is grippy so I liked it! We also did something with the front end of the bike, and I have a good feeling there as well. I didn’t expect to finish the day with the fastest time so I’m surprised but also happy. I’m still recovering from my injuries and my right arm is a bit tired. I hope this result gives me some happiness and strength for tomorrow.”
Alvaro Bautista – P2
“Physically, I feel okay. I have a bit of road rash but it’s no problem. The wind was the issue for the crash because it started to get stronger after the middle of FP2. In that corner the wind pushed me a lot. I had arrived at the corner a little faster than the lap before and I tried to brake at the same point but I lost the front. In general, I’m quite happy because, already this morning, I felt very similar to how I did in Most with the bike. That means it’s similar to last year as well. The memories I have from the winter test here weren’t good but today has been much better. The feeling with the bike is definitely better, so I’m happy about that. We also tried some different gearing to deal with the wind. This is the first weekend where we’ve left one track and come to a new one where the feeling has stayed the same. It’s been a positive day. We had a good weekend at Most, even if the result wasn’t great, and we’ve started well here. We need to keep building our confidence with the bike and aim for our best performance tomorrow.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu – P3
“I had a technical problem in FP2 and I had to return to the box. Unfortunately, I couldn’t ride the bike for the last ten minutes. Overall, my feeling wasn’t bad with the bike. Before the technical issue, I was using a used tyre, and I’m very happy with how the bike performed on it. This is positive for me because our pace was good and I did a very good job with the used tyre. After 18 laps, I was still able to do a 40.9 lap which is really good in these hot conditions. I started feeling some problems after 3-4 laps when I used the new tyre and I realised there was a technical issue. I had to return to the box, but very slowly. We’ll see how things go tomorrow but the first day is done and I’m very happy because not every session or race weekend goes perfectly. Now we’re starting a little differently this weekend but I’m feeling positive. I’m just waiting for tomorrow.”
Nicolò Bulega – P4
“There is little to say. It was a difficult day for me, but in the end, I was satisfied because, in the afternoon, I could ride with continuity and good sensations. Now I have to rest and recover energy for tomorrow”.
Dominique Aegerter – P5
“Overall it was a good day and it’s nice to be back inside the top five. This is just free practice, but it gives us extra confidence and that’s very good. The late schedule here is also very interesting, let’s see how it will goes with the races. We were able to make a good step from the morning and we hope we could do another one tomorrow. We’ll work very hard to keep making progress and to have a good qualifying session tomorrow, that’ll be very important to build a good race.”
Jonathan Rea – P6
“It was a positive day, but we started off trying to “budget” tyres for the weekend because we don’t have enough of what we expect to be our race tyre in the allocation. So FP1 was more about trying to build my speed, confidence and further understanding of my R1 again because it’s been a long time since I rode here in January. The guys did a lot of analysis after the last few races and we started here with a different race set-up than we would normally have from a chassis point of view. We didn’t change much all day, just worked precisely on electronics for engine braking and wheelie control because it’s an important track for this aspect. When we tried the race option tyre, unfortunately on my fastest lap I just caught a bit of traffic but I was able to chip away well. I feel positive but there’s still room for improvement, we’ll sit down with the guys tonight and try to make another step for tomorrow because it’s going to be a challenging race! A lot of guys have a good rhythm, so it’s important that we can still make a step to be competitive. The focus is on a really good qualifying and I feel with the new base set-up we have that I am able to push the tyre more when it is fresh – it gives me confidence for tomorrow that we can go out and try to set a good lap!”
Alex Lowes – P9
“That was a pretty good day for us. We had some issues in the morning session so we had to do a bit more work this afternoon. There was a new rear tyre to try from Pirelli and we had to test both front tyre options. It was a bit hotter than the conditions we have normally have at Portimao, so we had to try all the combinations. We found some positive points and some points for improvement. We need to piece it together now to make a good plan for FP3 on Saturday afternoon.”
Xavi Vierge – P11
“We can be happy with our Friday, both because my right arm felt good and because it’s been a long time since we were just four tenths of a second from the front. Of course, with such a close classification, the placement is what it is, but being so close in terms of lap times is encouraging and gives us a bit of fresh air and motivation. That said, we’re keeping our feet on the ground and will continue to work for tomorrow, even though the feeling on the bike is already pretty good. The track in FP1 was super hot, but with the temperature dropping slightly at six in the afternoon, it felt nice to ride and the track was really fast. The lap times we set on race tyres were very good, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Iker Lecuona – P12
“Overall, we did a really good job today and both the team and I worked very hard. We started with the same setup as in Most, basically just making a few clicks to the suspension for FP1, and it worked quite well. We made some further refinements for FP2 to address some issues we had during the last race with the front “locking” a bit too much. I think what we tried worked very well, and then we focused on the electronics, trying to improve my confidence on the bike. In the end, the gap to the front is super small and we are quite close around what is a very tricky track, which is very good. Both of us are close to the top, so we’re there, perhaps a little surprisingly, but we’re there. The schedule is a bit strange, in that at 6pm the track conditions are perfect, but by 6.30pm it starts to cool down. Anyway, by that time tomorrow, the race will be almost done. So, we’re happy for now, and will now turn our attention to the races and see how it goes.”
Axel Bassani – P14
“We have finished a really hot first day here at Portimao and riding in the evening makes it a little bit more difficult. But we improved a lot in respect to our first free practice. We tried a new rear tyre and for sure it is better. There are some parts of the track where we can improve. Alex helped me in the first pitlane exit of FP2 and I really appreciate that. Following your team-mate means you can learn a lot and Alex was a gentleman to help me. Now we look to tomorrow.”
Andrea Iannone – P15
“All in all it was a good day and I’m quite satisfied. It’s a track where I don’t have many references, I’ve only done the tests this year and on that occasion we struggled a bit. However, we managed to do small improvements in each outing. We’ll try to make another step forward for tomorrow, the goal is to try to end the day with a good result.”
Andrea Locatelli – P17
“It was a bit complicated today, especially in FP2. We were ready to work and do a long run on the standard set-up with the new development tyre, but unfortunately, I crashed after three laps so we lost time to repair the bike and overall the feeling was not the best. While we lost that time to understand the bike better in these conditions, at the same time we know where we need to be working so this is a good point. We have now info and data and I believe we can make a big step forward, because we are not so far away. The time schedule and the track conditions compared to the test is very different but we are looking forward to prepare for tomorrow, focus on making a big step in FP3 and then a good Superpole position so we can fight again in the race.”
Remy Gardner – P18
“It was a complicated day, but we’ll bounce back tomorrow. The feeling in the morning was not amazing, but we were confident we could improve in the afternoon. Unfortunately we missed some valuable track time due to a technical issue, but let’s stay positive and tomorrow it’ll be another day. Anyway, it’s always fun to ride in Portimao and I cannot wait to be back on track.”
WorldSBK Friday Report
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) set the pace on Friday at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as he set a 1’40.681s on a dramatic day of action during the Pirelli Portuguese Round. ‘Petrux’ was just 0.023s clear of his rivals as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished in second despite a crash and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed third after a technical issue in FP2 stunted his progress.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) bounced back from very limited running in FP1 to take fourth overall. Ducati opted to change the #11’s engine after his FP1 issues.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) had a strong day as he claimed tenth, while Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and wildcard Hafizh Syahrin (JDT Racing Team) the final two of the Ducati riders in 15th and 21st respectively.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) lost some track time in FP1 after a Turn 13 crash, but bounced back to claim seventh overall on Friday, with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claiming eighth overall and second in FP2; the American had a tech issue in FP2. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) was the only BMW rider outside of the top ten.
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) were closely matched on Friday, with Vierge leading his team-mate by just 0.007s.
Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) had a strong showing on Friday as he claimed top Yamaha honours in fifth place, finishing a tenth ahead of six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in sixth.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) crashed at Turn 5 during FP2 which cost him some track time, but he did return to the track and finished in 17th place, leading Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) by two-tenths. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 19th with Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) in 20th.
As has been the case for the majority of this season, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led Kawasaki’s charge, finishing third in FP2 with a 1’41.073s, giving him ninth overall. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was quick out of the blocks in the evening Free Practice 2 outing to run in 14th in the combined classification.
WorldSBK Friday Combined Practice Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | D Petrucci | Duc | 1m40.681 |
| 2 | A Bautista | Duc | +0.023 |
| 3 | T Razgatlioglu | BMW | +0.096 |
| 4 | N Bulega | Duc | +0.130 |
| 5 | D Aegerter | Yam | +0.140 |
| 6 | J Rea | Yam | +0.255 |
| 7 | M Van Der Mark | BMW | +0.314 |
| 8 | G Gerloff | BMW | +0.389 |
| 9 | A Lowes | Kaw | +0.392 |
| 10 | M Rinaldi | Duc | +0.418 |
| 11 | X Vierge | Hon | +0.431 |
| 12 | I Lecuona | Hon | +0.438 |
| 13 | S Redding | BMW | +0.587 |
| 14 | A Bassani | Kaw | +0.710 |
| 15 | A Iannone | Duc | +0.726 |
| 16 | T Rabat | Kaw | +0.743 |
| 17 | A Locatelli | Yam | +0.757 |
| 18 | R Gardner | Yam | +0.963 |
| 19 | B Ray | Yam | +1.152 |
| 20 | P Oettl | Yam | +2.371 |
| 21 | H Syahrin | Duc | +2.451 |
| 22 | I Lopes | Hon | +2.829 |
| 23 | A Norrodin | Hon | +3.277 |
WorldSBK Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | T Razgatlioglu | 303 |
| 2 | N Bulega | 239 |
| 3 | A Bautista | 199 |
| 4 | A Lowes | 179 |
| 5 | A Locatelli | 145 |
| 6 | A Iannone | 115 |
| 7 | R Gardner | 112 |
| 8 | D Petrucci | 111 |
| 9 | M Mark | 96 |
| 10 | J Rea | 75 |
| 11 | D Aegerter | 64 |
| 12 | A Bassani | 50 |
| 13 | G Gerloff | 50 |
| 14 | S Redding | 46 |
| 15 | S Lowes | 40 |
| 16 | M Rinaldi | 38 |
| 17 | X Vierge | 33 |
| 18 | I Lecuona | 30 |
| 19 | N Spinelli | 25 |
| 20 | T Mackenzie | 7 |
| 21 | T Rabat | 6 |
| 22 | P Oettl | 5 |
| 23 | M Pirro | 3 |
| 24 | B Ray | 3 |
WorldSSP
Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) stormed to claim pole position after a thrilling session at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. The Spaniard set a magnificent 1’43.352 to finish Superpole 0.240s clear of his rivals.
Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was quickest in the early of the session, setting a 1’44.825 before there was drama for Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), with the #54 losing the front and crashing at Turn 9. This incident brought out the red flag in the first five minutes of the session. Following the crash, Sofuoglu was transferred to the hospital and declared unfit due to concussion.
Once the session resumed, Huertas took the top stop briefly and would later improve – setting a strong 1’43.858. That time was soon beating as the top spot continued to change hands, with the fight for pole position entering the final 10 minutes. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Huertas battled for pole with the #99 reigning supreme as the clock hit zero, leaving Montella to settle for second position. Behind the front two and rounding off the front row was Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), who continued to look strong at Portimao.
It was a tight second row of the grid as Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) took the fourth spot at the end of Friday – heading the second row of the grid. The #64 was 0.065s adrift from the front row, continuing to show a strong pace, finishing ahead of Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura), who after topping Free Practice could only manage fifth. Behind the Spaniard was Oncu, who further improved on his time late in Superpole to round off the second row in sixth position.
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) will head the third row of the grid after a strong Superpole from the #94 in seventh. The Frenchman will start alongside compatriot Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), who took eighth ahead of Marcel Schrotter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team), who took the final spots inside the top 10.
Further back, it would be a dramatic session for Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team), with the Italian suffering a crash at Turn 13, ending Superpole down in 12th behind Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing).
Oli Bayliss was the quickest of the Aussies in 13th place while countrymen Tom Edwards and Luke Power are searching for more speed come Saturday.
WorldSSP Superpole Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | A Huertas | Duc | 1m43.352 |
| 2 | Y Monetella | Duc | +0.240 |
| 3 | S Manzi | Yam | +0.739 |
| 4 | F Caricasulo | MV | +0.804 |
| 5 | J Navarro | Duc | +0.831 |
| 6 | C Oncu | Kaw | +1.013 |
| 7 | L Mahias | Yam | +1.053 |
| 8 | V Debise | Yam | +1.070 |
| 9 | M Schroetter | MV | +1.133 |
| 10 | N Tuuli | Duc | +1.363 |
| 11 | G Van Straalen | Yam | +1.379 |
| 12 | N Antonelli | Duc | +1.679 |
| 13 | O Bayliss | Duc | +1.759 |
| 14 | T Booth-Amos | Tri | +1.786 |
| 15 | J McPhee | Tri | +1.805 |
| 16 | K Toba | Hon | +1.900 |
| 17 | S Corsi | Duc | +2.013 |
| 18 | L Baldassarri | Tri | +2.040 |
| 19 | L Dalla Porta | Yam | +2.106 |
| 20 | P Biesiekirski | Duc | +2.249 |
| 21 | F Fuleigni | Duc | +2.327 |
| 22 | A Sarmoon | Yam | +2.361 |
| 23 | K Bin Pawi | Hon | +2.370 |
| 24 | R De Rosa | QJM | +2.390 |
| 25 | O Vostatek | Tri | +2.439 |
| 26 | L Power | MV | +2.770 |
| 27 | M Brenner | Kaw | +2.772 |
| 28 | T Edwards | Duc | +2.833 |
| 29 | S Minamimoto | Yam | +3.738 |
| Not Classified | |||
| NQ | G Giannini | Kaw | 5.904 |
| NQ | B Sofuoglu | MV | / |
WorldSSP Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | A Huertas | 236 |
| 2 | Y Montella | 190 |
| 3 | S Manzi | 183 |
| 4 | V Debise | 130 |
| 5 | M Schroetter | 125 |
| 6 | J Navarro | 107 |
| 7 | F Caricasulo | 94 |
| 8 | G Straalen | 83 |
| 9 | B Sofuoglu | 65 |
| 10 | N Tuuli | 64 |
| 11 | L Mahias | 62 |
| 12 | O Bayliss | 53 |
| 13 | T Amos | 41 |
| 14 | C Oncu | 38 |
| 15 | N Antonelli | 28 |
| 16 | J Mcphee | 25 |
| 17 | T Edwards | 24 |
| 18 | S Corsi | 21 |
| 19 | Y Ruiz | 18 |
| 20 | L Baldassarri | 17 |
| 21 | K Toba | 10 |
| 22 | A Sarmoon | 10 |
| 23 | L Ottaviani | 9 |
| 24 | O Vostatek | 9 |
| 25 | T Smits | 6 |
| 26 | L Power | 6 |
| 27 | T Toparis | 6 |
| 28 | P Biesiekirski | 5 |
| 29 | S Odendaal | 4 |
| 30 | F Fuligni | 3 |
| 31 | M Brenner | 3 |
| 32 | L Porta | 3 |
| 33 | G Giannini | 1 |
| 34 | K Pawi | 1 |
WorldSSP300
Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) was over half-a-second clear of team-mate Mirko Gennai in second at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as he repeated his Most success in Superpole. The front row for Race 1 at the Pirelli Portuguese Round will be completed by Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing).
Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) went fastest in the first five minutes as he set a 1’56.712s before he crashed at Turn 5. The red flags were briefly brought out with just under 20 minutes remaining following an incident on the start-finish straight involving Ruben Bijman (Team Flembbo-PL Performances) and Dinis Borges (Speed Master Racing Team) to allow their bikes to be recovered. Borges was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.
When the session resumed, Veneman stormed to the top of the timesheets by setting a 1’55.745s, lapping 0.171s clear of teammate Gennai as they provisionally lined up in an MTM Kawasaki 1-2, before Veneman improved again to a 1’55.550s and increased his gap over Gennai. To tighten his grip on pole, Venema went even faster – with a 1’55.399s – inside the final five minutes to claim his second pole, and his second in two rounds. He’ll be joined on the front row by team-mate Gennai, with Indonesia’s Pratama completing the front row with third; he was 0.563s back from Veneman.
Pratama’s brother, Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse), claimed fourth place as he lapped around a tenth slower than his sibling. Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) will be hoping his luck changes after a difficult start to the year and he claimed fifth in Superpole. 0.011s slower than Mahendra, while Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) rounded out the top six with a 1’56.139s.
Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) crashed at Turn 5 after the session restarted but his team were able to get him back out on track in the final moments to secure a third row start with P7. Team-mate Carter Thompson, who was so impressive in his debut at Most, will line up alongside the #58 from eighth, with David Salvador and Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) rounding out the top ten.
Buis was able to get back out on track after his crash but he could only manage P18, directly ahead of team-mate Phillip Tonn. Giacomo Zannini (Team ProDina Kawasaki) was 29th after he came down late on in the 25-minute session at Turn 13. Borges was 32nd after his incident, while Bjman returned to the track to claim 28th.
WorldSSP300 Superpole Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | L Veneman | Kaw | 1m55.399 |
| 2 | M Gennai | Kaw | +0.517 |
| 3 | G Pratama | Yam | +0.563 |
| 4 | A Mahendra | Yam | +0.673 |
| 5 | M Vannucci | Yam | +0.684 |
| 6 | M Gaggi | Yam | +0.740 |
| 7 | I Iglesias Bravo | Kaw | +0.839 |
| 8 | C Thompson | Kaw | +0.925 |
| 9 | D Salvador | Yam | +0.954 |
| 10 | U Calatayud | Yam | +0.955 |
| 11 | D Mogeda | Kaw | +1.023 |
| 12 | J Garcia Gonzalez | Kov | +1.071 |
| 13 | H Maier | Yam | +1.131 |
| 14 | G Manso | Yam | +1.131 |
| 15 | M Garcia | Kov | +1.148 |
| 16 | J Osuna Saez | Kaw | +1.252 |
| 17 | E Bartolini | Yam | +1.310 |
| 18 | J Buis | KTM | +1.313 |
| 19 | P Tonn | KTM | +1.369 |
| 20 | E Ercolani | Yam | +1.410 |
| 21 | K Fontainha | Yam | +1.544 |
| 22 | B Ieraci | Kaw | +1.574 |
| 23 | S Di Sora | Yam | +1.832 |
| 24 | T Alonso | Kaw | +1.851 |
| 25 | F Seabright | Kaw | +1.898 |
| 26 | R Tragni | Yam | +1.900 |
| 27 | K Sabatucci | Kaw | +1.990 |
| 28 | R Bijman | Kaw | +2.082 |
| 29 | G Zannini | Kaw | +2.418 |
| 30 | M Martella | Kaw | +2.473 |
| 31 | I Bolano Hernandez | Kaw | +2.889 |
| 32 | D Borges | Kaw | +3.752 |
| 33 | C Clark | Kaw | +4.100 |
| 34 | F Novotny | Kaw | +4.378 |
WorldSSP 300 Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | I Bravo | 129 |
| 2 | A Mahendra | 110 |
| 3 | L Veneman | 106 |
| 4 | D Mogeda | 63 |
| 5 | M Garcia | 60 |
| 6 | M Gaggi | 58 |
| 7 | J Buis | 55 |
| 8 | G Pratama | 54 |
| 9 | P Svoboda | 53 |
| 10 | M Gennai | 49 |
| 11 | B Ieraci | 49 |
| 12 | J Saez | 43 |
| 13 | D Salvador | 38 |
| 14 | J Gonzalez | 35 |
| 15 | U Calatayud | 32 |
| 16 | S Sora | 31 |
| 17 | E Bartolini | 29 |
| 18 | R Bijman | 27 |
| 19 | C Thompson | 16 |
| 20 | O Svendsen | 10 |
| 21 | M Vannucci | 10 |
| 22 | E Ercolani | 10 |
| 23 | F Seabright | 10 |
| 24 | H Maier | 9 |
| 25 | G Manso | 8 |
| 26 | P Tonn | 7 |
| 27 | E Cazzaniga | 6 |
| 28 | D Czarkowski | 5 |
| 29 | K Fontainha | 4 |
| 30 | R Tragni | 3 |
| 31 | I Hernandez | 1 |
World WCR
Current WorldWCR championship leader Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) dominated Friday’s Superpole session at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, setting a lap time eight-tenths of a second quicker than her closest rival to secure pole for the second time this season.
27-year old Herrera battled both her rivals and the sweltering conditions to place first ahead of Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) and Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team), who both picked up the pace to set their fastest times in the final moments of the action-packed qualifying phase.
Earning a spot on the second row of the grid, hot on the heels of the top three, are Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Austrian rider Lena Kemmer (Bertl K. Racing Team). South African Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) had originally qualified fifth but will start eighth after received a penalty for irresponsible riding.
Only the first five of the 23-strong field were able to duck under 1’57 in Friday’s challenging track conditions (air temp. 34°C, track temp. 47°C).
Friday morning’s free practice saw the same four Spanish riders rise to the top of the standings, with Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) and Howden rounding out the top six.
Australia’s Tayla Relph finished the opening day inside the top ten, just under three-seconds behind Herrera’s stunning lap that put the 27-year-old Spaniard on top.
María Herrera – P1
“Another good day for us. I think we started strong in free practice, and then I felt comfortable right from the start of Superpole. I was able to be relaxed in my riding and I’m pleased with the way we’re working as a team in preparation for the races. We’re strong over the flying lap but the race might be a different matter; the girls are fast and so I think tomorrow will be tough. My strategy will be to try and push hard in the early stages of the race, as I did at Donington, but we’ll have to wait and see what’s possible at this track and in these conditions.”
Ana Carrasco – P2
“I’m honestly happy with my performance today, because the others had a training day here a couple of weeks ago while I’ve not ridden here for over a year, so I thought I might be a little further off the pace. The lap times came quite easily already this morning and then I improved a lot in the afternoon’s session, despite the hot conditions and the wind along the main straight, which prevented me from even using sixth gear! We still have things to work on but I’m on the front row, which is always important, and if we can improve these aspects tomorrow then I think we can battle for victory.”
Sara Sanchez – P3
“We had a few problems this morning and I wasn’t totally convinced with the setting. We took a step for the Superpole but we still have a few small issues to resolve for tomorrow. We’re on the front row anyway, which is already an improvement on this morning and positive, so now we just need to focus on finding a solution that will allow us to be up there with the group in tomorrow’s race.”
World WCR Superpole
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | M Herrera | Yam | 1m54.609 |
| 2 | A Carrasco | Yam | +0.834 |
| 3 | S Sanchez | Yam | +1.031 |
| 4 | B Neila | Yam | +1.524 |
| 5 | J Howden | Yam | +2.248 |
| 6 | R Ponziani | Yam | +2.587 |
| 7 | L Kemmer | Yam | +2.767 |
| 8 | A Madrigal | Yam | +2.775 |
| 9 | T Relph | Yam | +2.964 |
| 10 | P Ruiz | Yam | +3.043 |
| 11 | N Van Aswegen | Yam | +3.993 |
| 12 | A Ourednickova | Yam | +4.475 |
| 13 | C Liu | Yam | +4.518 |
| 14 | J J Hanks-Elliott | Yam | +4.900 |
| 15 | M Dobbs | Yam | +4.942 |
| 16 | I Nadieieva | Yam | +4.971 |
| 17 | A Sibaja | Yam | +5.254 |
| 18 | E Bondi | Yam | +5.416 |
| 19 | S Varon | Yam | +6.265 |
| 20 | R Yochay | Yam | +6.410 |
| 21 | O Ongaro | Yam | +6.835 |
| 22 | L Michel | Yam | +6.985 |
| 23 | L Hirano | Yam | +7.040 |
World WCR Points
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Maria Herrera | 88 |
| 2 | Ana Carrasco | 81 |
| 3 | Sara Sanchez | 68 |
| 4 | Beatriz Neila | 57 |
| 5 | Ran Yochay | 37 |
| 6 | Roberta Ponziani | 35 |
| 7 | Pakita Ruiz | 29 |
| 8 | Lucy Michel | 23 |
| 9 | Tayla Relph | 21 |
| 10 | Isis Carreno | 20 |
| 11 | Ornella Ongaro | 18 |
| 12 | Adela Ourednickova | 16 |
| 13 | Chun Mei Liu | 15 |
| 14 | Lena Kemmer | 13 |
| 15 | Luna Hirano | 11 |
| 16 | Nicole Van Aswegen | 10 |
| 17 | Astrid Madrigal | 10 |
| 18 | Emily Bondi | 6 |
| 19 | Krystal Silfa | 1 |
| 20 | Mallory Dobbs | 1 |
