A crash-filled start to the Superbike World Championship at Estoril – Toprak Razgatlioglu takes the lead in FT1 – All five manufacturers represented in the top five
BMW factory rider Toprak Razgatlioglu secured the best time in the first free practice session at the Superbike World Championship in Estoril, Portugal. Razgatlioglu only completed six laps on a wet track. The session was overshadowed by numerous crashes. Championship contender Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) also crashed.
When the training started at 10:20 a.m. local time (11:20 a.m. CEST), the 24 pilots found conditions to be anything but ideal. The gloomy forecast came true: the track was completely wet during the first free practice session. In addition, a strong wind was blowing. Since rain is also forecast for the following sessions, the majority of the drivers used the training from the first minute.
However, some riders waited patiently. Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu was one of the riders who watched the action from the pits at the start. His direct championship rivals, Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista, were already on the track with their factory Ducatis when Razgatlioglu got on his factory BMW after ten minutes.
Razgatlioglu had to return to the pits immediately during his first stint, however, because the organizers decided to interrupt the session after eleven minutes for safety reasons. After a short break, the session was continued.
Immediately fast: Toprak Razgatlioglu takes the lead
Kawasaki rider Alex Lowes led the standings with half an hour of practice time left. Toprak Razgatlioglu took the lead with his first flying lap, demonstrating that he has no problems adapting to wet conditions.
WM challenger Nicolo Bulega was the first casualty of the session. The Italian landed in the gravel trap at turn 6 after 22 minutes of training time. This meant that the FT1 was over for the WSBK rookie after only six laps.
A little later, Toprak Razgatlioglu also experienced a moment of shock. The Turk caught a wild slide. The conditions were very difficult as the rain increased.
It’s tricky out there!LokaNotOnX EstorilWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/BZIkHid9w5
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) October 11, 2024
Crazy last moments of the session as both @JonathanRea and Alex Lowes are downEstorilWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/DqbvNgUHfy
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) October 11, 2024
Although the conditions were difficult, some sector best times were seen in the final phase. The yellow flags caused many deleted lap times. Toprak Razgatlioglu’s best time was not beaten. The championship leader finished the FT1 with his 1:52.344 lap in P1.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni-Ducati) moved up to second position in the final phase. “Petrux” came within 0.306 seconds of Razgatlioglu’s time. Alex Lowes completed the top three. Tarran Mackenzie (MIE-Honda) put in a strong performance and was ranked P4. Jonathan Rea finished in P5 despite crashing. t all five manufacturers were represented in the top five.
World Champion Alvaro Bautista completed 16 laps and was one of the busiest riders. The Spaniard finished 0.903 seconds behind in P6. Teammate Nicolo Bulega slipped to P7. Andrea Locatelli, Michael Rinaldi and Xavi Vierge (Honda) completed the top 10.