News

AS IT HAPPENED: Full updates from two-day Barcelona test as lap record pace is broken

Thursday, 14 March 2024 09:00 GMT

With the Catalunya Round just around the corner, the Supported Test will be crucial for teams and riders to prepare for racing

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is underway and after an unforgettable season-opener in Australia, attention is now on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a two-day Supported Test. Every rider is present, along with several test riders, as teams and manufacturers look to maximise their data collection and prepare for the round in perfect fashion. Read a full preview of the test HERE. All times are Local Time (UTC+1).

Day 2:

18:00: The chequered flag is out, with Bulega leading Razgatlioglu and both were under the lap record pace! Full report here.

17:10: Nicolo Bulega has bounced back from his Turn 1 crash and set a 1'40.172 - a new lap record for WorldSBK in Barcelona!

17:08: Andrea Locatelli has suffered an issue - unclear if it is technical or a crash - but is back to the pits.

16:56: Sylvain Guintoli suffered a fall at Turn 10, he's already back in pitlane.

16:40: Lots of riders have been out on track with a mix of short and long runs on display. Petrucci still leads the way, with Bulega in P2 and Rea in P3.

16:25: Bulega's had some drama at the Turn 1-2 chicane, but he's headed back into his box. Meanwhile, Alex Lowes' issue earlier was a crash, where he damaged the left handlebars again.

16:08: Alex Lowes has had an issue at Turn 10, but he's taken his ZX-10RR back into pit lane.

 

15:44: Dramatic few moments for Petrucci! He goes fastest using the SCQ - posting a 1'40.601s, before crashing at Turn 10.

15:11: Alex Lowes has headed back out on track following his earlier crash, where he lost the front at Turn 5.

14:35: Danilo Petrucci's tricky day has brightened up as he's now P3.

13:56: Jonathan Rea has moved into P2 and is just 0.058s off top spot, still held by Bulega.

13:50: Championship leader Alex Lowes has crashed at Turn 5; he's arrived back in the paddock on a scooter. The bike has also made it back with a snapped handlebar on the left side. 

13:09: Tito Rabat's just hauled himself into P7 with a 1'41.800s, using the SCQ tyre.

12:50: Bulega has gone top with the first 1'40 of the day; a 1.40.714, seven tenths clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu!

12:32: Danilo Petrucci has returned to the track after a brief technical issue 30 mins before but has come to a halt in sector two. Yellow flags were out but have been withdrawn.

12:20: 'The Maniac' is on top! Andrea Iannone leads the way with a 1'41.485, four tenths faster than on Day 1! He's 0.034s ahead of Bulega in P2 and then it's Remy Gardner in P3.

12:10: It's a Ducati 1-2 right now with Bautista leading ex-teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) by just 0.051s; both are in the 1'41s however, with time to find in comparison to day two.

11:42: A few more riders have headed out now. The fastest rider is Vierge, with a 1'42.929s, with times a couple of seconds away from yesterday's fastest times.

11:16: Although a few minutes later, Nagashima and Alvaro Bautista head out to check the track.

11:13Alex Lowes is still the only rider who's been on track this morning, but he didn't set a lap time. A very quiet start to the action on Day 2...

10:55: Some news from this morning: Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) has a new crew chief, with Mick Shanley now working two roles at the team. Find out more HERE.

10:45: There's a rider on track! Alex Lowes has kindly broken the silence in Barcelona to venture out on his ZX-10RR.

10:00: The green flag is waving to signal the start of the day, but no one has ventured onto track. Pit lane is a little bit damp from overnight rain. To catch up on all the Day 1 action, check out the full report HERE as well as reactions from Rea, Ducati and Razgatlioglu.

Day 1 info below:

18:00: That's it for Day 1! Bulega tops the timesheeps by half-a-tenth over Razgatlioglu, who moved ahead of Bautista in the closing stages. The #1 completes the top three, with Sam Lowes and Rea in the top five. Full report to follow...

17:47: Alex Lowes has headed back out on track following his crash.

17:29: The green flag waves again and Iannone and Rinaldi head out on track. Alex Lowes is back in the KRT box.

17:25: Red flag out on track, following an incident for Alex Lowes at Turn 10.

17:16We've had a flurry of quick lap times! Bulega's extended his lead to 0.725s after setting a 1'40.304s, while teammate Alvaro Bautista has moved into P2.

16:33: Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) also briefly brought out yellow flags after a spill at Turn 10, but he's been able to ride his bike back to to the pits.

16:30Gardner's headed back out on track following his earlier crash, while there's been drama for Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The #21 brought out the yellow flags at Turn 5.

16:11: Team HRC's Iker Lecuona's day is over, he's already left the track. A best time of 1'42.795s for the Spaniard on Day 1.

15:50: It's still relatively quiet on track, with just a few riders lapping, with no change in the order. Alex Lowes, Dominique Aegerter and Xavi Vierge - on his other bike from the one that had the technical issue - are on track.

15:23: No change in the top three as it stands, with Bulega 0.171s clear of Razgatlioglu and Rea in P3.

15:00: A lot of riders are still in the box, but some have headed back out. In the unofficial break, there was a bit of drama for Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who had a technical issue on the main straight - he's been back out since - and Gardner, with the Australian crashing at Turn 5.

14:00: Most teams have gone for lunch now, and so are we. Bulega remains on top at the halfway stage, ahead of Rea and Gardner. While everyone enjoys a well-deserved break, read some thoughts from Team HRC's Jose Escamez about Honda's development right here.

13:20: Order update - Bulega leads on a 1'41.372 with Rea, Gardner, Gerloff and Locatelli behind him. Razgatlioglu is in P6 despite his Turn 10 fall. 

13:12: Honda's day just got worse; Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) ran out of fuel. He's back in the box and should be back on track soon.

13:06: After moving up to P4, Garrett Gerloff returns to his garage and looked a little disgruntled; the garage door has come down too.

12:55: It's been confirmed as a technical issue for Vierge who has made it back to the box; Lecuona is also confirmed as a technical issue in the same sector.

12:47: Honda seem to have had a double drama as both Xavi Vierge and teammate Lecuona have had an issue in the second sector. 

12:45: A note on Iker Lecuona (Team HRC); having been declared unfit in Australia, he's on track during this test and currently P15. He's still not fully fit and will decide as the day goes on whether or not he continues.

12:35: Bulega has returned to P3 ahead of his teammate; Bradley Smith has returned to the circuit following Turn 5 off.

12:23: Reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista's (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) moved into P3 now, demoting teammate Bulega into fourth.

12:10: Bradley Smith ran wide at Turn 5, but he's made his way back into pitlane.

12:07Rea and Gardner are having a bit of a battle for P1 at the moment, with the #65 now 0.016s clear of the Australian. Elsewhere, Ducati have revealed why Michele Pirro is testing for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati outfit; read why here.

11:38: Gardner's gone half-a-second quicker than Rea in P1 with a 1'41.732s. He's six tenths clear of Rea in P2.

11:28: Still the same top three as before, but Razgatlioglu's had a crash at Turn 10 which briefly brought out the yellow flags. He's back in his box now.

11:10: Rea's #65 Yamaha still leads the way as he bounces back from a disastrous weekend in Australia, with Razgatlioglu in second and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in third.  

10:48: Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) is now fastest ahead of the #54, with 0.134s separating the duo. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is P3.

10:40: A new name at the top of the timesheets as Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) takes P1; he's the first rider in the 1'42s bracket as the times drop.

10:33: Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) leads the way with a 1'43.543s, a couple of tenths ahead of Scott Reddung and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing).

10:18: Bradley Smith is also on track, as are Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), Tetsuta Nagashima (Team HRC) and Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team),

10:00am: the green flag waves and we're underway in Barcelona. First out is Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) followed by Florian Marino (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), on Alex Lowes' #22 machine, shortly after 10am.