Team HRC back in action at Jerez for round 2 free practice
The long-awaited second round of the 2020 Superbike World Championship opened today at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain and, with factory riders Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam, Team HRC has completed the weekend’s opening free practice sessions with promising results.
The morning’s first practice, which took place in warm and sunny conditions (air 27°C, track 36°C), saw Bautista and Haslam working with their respective teams to identity the best set-up solution for their CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP bikes.
Temperatures continued to rise throughout the day, meaning that most of the WorldSBK field set their quickest times earlier on while the track offered better grip. By the end of this opening day of action, Bautista had set a best of 1’40.392 to position fourth in the combined standings just 0.143 tenths off first place, while Haslam’s best time of 1’40.603 sees him place ninth, 0.354 tenths down on the frontrunner.
Team HRC will return to the track tomorrow for the final free practice, followed later in the day by the Superpole qualifying session and Race 1.
Alvaro Bautista 19
“My feeling with the bike is much better than it was in Australia. Conditions were tough today with a slippery track and very high temperatures. I’m happy though because we tested many things, especially in terms of the tyres, to understand the range available and see what might work in the hot conditions here; consumption will be key. I think we’ve taken a step forward and now need to continue in this direction, making small adjustments to build our confidence. Our rhythm is not bad, and I think we need to focus on being constant in this weekend’s races, considering the track conditions. We still have some small changes to make tomorrow of course but, all in all, an encouraging first day’s work.”
Leon Haslam 91
“Today’s been tough to be honest. The lap times were coming easily during our first exit but then we tried a few things and perhaps went in the wrong direction with a few items. It was tricky in the afternoon and although we tested something else, we ended up going back to the morning setting, with which we got closer in terms of the lap times. We tried many of the tyre options and I’m clear as far as that’s concerned, but we still have more to understand and also need to do a long-run. So, we still have work to do but I don’t think we’re far off though and today has definitely had its positives, which we’ll take into Saturday.”
Free Practices Combined Results after FP2
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Baz Loris | 76 | FRA | Ten Kate Racing - Yamaha | Yamaha | 1'40.249 |
2 | Rea Jonathan | 1 | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki | 0.062 |
3 | Rinaldi Michael Ruben | 21 | ITA | Team Goeleven | Ducati | 0.076 |
4 | Bautista Alvaro | 19 | SPA | Team HRC | Honda | 0.143 |
5 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati | 0.193 |
6 | Davies Chaz | 7 | GBR | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati | 0.223 |
7 | Razgatlioglu Toprak | 54 | TUR | Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha | 0.258 |
8 | van der Mark Michael | 60 | NDL | Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha | 0.316 |
9 | Haslam Leon | 91 | GBR | Team HRC | Honda | 0.354 |
10 | Lowes Alex | 22 | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki | 0.357 |
11 | Gerloff Garrett | 31 | USA | GRT Yamaha | Yamaha | 0.484 |
12 | Caricasulo Federico | 64 | ITA | GRT Yamaha | Yamaha | 0.722 |
13 | Sykes Tom | 66 | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW | 0.885 |
14 | Melandri Marco | 33 | ITA | BARNI Racing Team | Ducati | 0.893 |
15 | Laverty Eugene | 50 | IRE | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW | 0.952 |
16 | Scheib Maximilian | 77 | CHI | Orelac Racing VerdNatura | Kawasaki | 0.981 |
17 | Mercado Leandro | 38 | ARG | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati | 1.047 |
18 | Fores Xavi | 12 | SPA | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing | Kawasaki | 1.455 |
19 | Cortese Sandro | 11 | GER | OUTDO Kawasaki TPR | Kawasaki | 1.772 |
20 | Ponsson Christophe | 23 | FRA | Nuova M2 Racing | Aprilia | 1.777 |
21 | Takahashi Takumi | 13 | JPN | MIE Racing Althea Honda Team | Honda | 2.334 |
22 | Gabellini Lorenzo | 63 | ITA | MIE Racing Althea Honda Team | Honda | 2.702 |
23 | Barrier Sylvain | 20 | FRA | BRIXX Ducati | Ducati | 3.188 |
Location Information
Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto Carretera Jerez-Arcos, km 10 – Apdo de Correos 35 11592 Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) – Spain circuitodejerez.com
POLE POSITION | RIGHT |
LENGTH | 4.423 Km |
CORNERS | 13 |
RIGHT CORNERS | 8 |
LEFT CORNERS | 5 |
Records
Pole Record | 1'37.596 (163,150 Km/h) N.Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R, 2024) |
Race Record | 1'38.528 (161,607 Km/h) N.Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R, SPRC, 2024) |
All Time Record | 1'37.596 (163,150 Km/h) N.Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R, 2024) |
2024 Race 1 Winner | N.Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
2024 Superpole Race Winner | N.Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
2024 Race 2 Winner | T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |