Catalunya WorldSBK, FP1 | Razgatlioglu leads ROKiT BMW 1-2 in FP1, Rea back on form

Toprak Razgatlioglu began Round 2 of the 2024 WorldSBK Championship as he intends to go on as he led a ROKiT BMW 1-2 on the timesheets during first free practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Little more than a month on from raising the curtain on the new season in Australia, the Barcelona venue heralds the first of the year’s events in Europe, the continent where WorldSBK will remain right to the end of the twelve-round season.

It was Razgatlioglu starting Round 2 more positively than he concluded Round 1, the Turk suffering a major technical issue at the end of his first weekend as a BMW rider.

In Spain, however, the Turkish rider was right back up to speed, pumping in a head-turning 1m 41.199secs lap just minutes into the session. It was a benchmark that would prove too lofty for his rivals, the 2021 WorldSBK Champion holding firm in first come the chequered flag.

It was a close run thing in the closing stages though as Michael van der Mark scythed up the timesheets in the final minutes to give BMW an early boost with the second fastest time, just +0.046s shy of his team-mate.

In third, Jonathan Rea looked more his familiar self with a promising run to third quickest on the Pata PROMETEON Yamaha R1. Steadfast in the top ten throughout the session, a late improvement would be lift Rea into the upper echelons, two tenths adrift of Yamaha predecessor Razgatlioglu.

Nicolo Bulega headed up the Ducati offensive in fourth on the factory Aruba.it Racing machine, with fellow Italians Andrea Locatelli (Pata PROMETEON Yamaha) and Andrea Iannone (Team Go Eleven) completing the top six.

Remy Gardner made it three Yamahas well inside the top ten in seventh, ahead of Phillip Island podium sitter Danilo Petrucci and fellow satellite Ducati counterpart Sam Lowes in eighth and ninth respectively. Garrett Gerloff completed the top ten on the best of the Bonovo Action BMWs.

Elsewhere, it was a modest start to the weekend for WorldSBK points’ leader Alex Lowes, the double Phillip Island race winner maintaining a low profile in 14th, just behind Kawasaki Racing Team counterpart Axel Bassani.

Similarly, it was a surprisingly subdued start to the day for last year’s dominant triple race winner Alvaro Bautista, the defending champion just outside the top ten in 11th place, some +0.8s adrift of the top spot.

🇪🇸 ⏱️ 2024 Catalunya WorldSBK | Free Practice 1 Results

Friday | Conditions – Dry, Sunny