The Supported Test for the FIM Supersport World Championship started with a rookie stealing the limelight as Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) went straight to the top of the timesheets as he immediately started lapping the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya faster than the race lap record set by 2020 Champion Andrea Locatelli with the session disrupted by three Red Flag periods.

Aegerter had come into the test with the aim of understanding the bike and tyres a bit more as he prepares for his rookie WorldSSP campaign, as well as get a consistent feel with the rear tyres while the team have lots of new items to try throughout the test. Aegerter topped the timesheets with a 1’45.385s, half-a-second clear of Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) and Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team).

Returning to WorldSSP for 2021, Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) was immediately up to speed as he finished second in the morning session as he looks to adjust back to WorldSSP machinery following a year competing in WorldSBK. South African rider Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was third fastest as he focused on securing the best possible base setting.

Frenchman Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) finished the two-hour session in fourth place as he looked to work on engine braking settings for the upcoming season. WorldSSP Challenge competitor Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) was sixth fastest with the Italian looking to build on a points-scoring campaign in 2020, finished ahead of 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team), who is returning to the Championship after missing most of 2020.

Raffale De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was the highest-placed Kawasaki runner in seventh place as the Italian switched teams for the 2021 campaign. Christoffer Bergman (Wojcik Racing Team) impressed in the morning session with eighth place, finishing ahead of Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) as the Spaniard adjusts to the Yamaha YZF R6 machinery having spent 2020 on the Kawasaki ZX-6R. Rookie Luca Bernardi (CM Racing) rounded out the top ten on one of his first outings for CM Racing.

Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) brought out the first Red Flag with around ten minutes gone in the session, the Estonian stopping in the final part of the lap. The second Red Flag was due to Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) who crashed between Turns 5 and 6, coming out of the slow left-hander at the top of the hill and down into a left-hand corner riders accelerate through, with Webb taken to the medical centre following the accident. The British rider will go to hospital for further assessments following the crash. The final Red Flag was shown with under ten minutes to go in the session when Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) and Pawel Szkopek (Yamaha MS Racing) both stopped in the second sector of the lap.

The top six following the morning WorldSSP session, full results here:

1.) Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 1’45.385s

2.) Federico Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.507s

3.) Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.508s

4.) Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.532s

5.) Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) +1.472s

6.) Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) +1.498s

Follow action from WorldSSP throughout 2021 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!