Wet conditions greeted the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field at the Circuito Estoril as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) topped the 15-minute session ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) after the pair traded top spot. The conditions were a stark contrast from those seen earlier on in the Estoril Round with every rider taking to the track to explore the track conditions following overnight rain.

Rea posted a lap time of 1’48.832s to top the session ahead of Bautista with the gap at the end of the session seven tenths, although Bautista and Rea traded fastest laps in the first part of the session. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed third spot with a 1’49.595s as he put BMW inside the top three, around 0.060s behind Bautista.

Rea’s KRT teammate, Alex Lowes, was fourth and more than a second away from Rea’s time after posting a 1’50.070s with Lowes finishing ahead of reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK). Razgatlioglu posted a 1’50.417s for fifth place, less than a tenth ahead of Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in sixth place.

Italian duo Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) were seventh and eighth respectively, with Bassani climbing up the order in the latter stages of the session. Bassani was around three tenths clear of Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in ninth, with Xavi Fores (Team Goeleven), a late replacement for the injured Philipp Oettl, rounding out the top ten.

The top six following WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:

1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’48.832s

2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.708s

3. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.763s

4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.238s

5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +1.585s

6. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +1.663s

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