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LIVE UPDATES: minute-by-minute Portimao WorldSBK test coverage, 30 minutes to go

Monday, 29 January 2024 10:00 GMT

The second test in a week is underway over the border in Portugal, as WorldSBK stars hit the track to continue their refinements

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship takes to the track once more as testing duties continue, this time at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, with all teams present for what is a super important two days of action. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) comes into the test as the rider to beat after a stunning Jerez test a few days ago, whilst reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista will seek to either confirm to those that say he was sandbagging at Jerez or maintain that he was genuinely struggling. Get a full look at what happened at Jerez here with highlights, whilst the full report is here. All times below are local (GMT +0). You can follow the Live Timing from the test here.

17:05 - That's a wrap! Toprak on top ahead of Bulega, Alex Lowes and Remy Gardner! Four manufacturers inside the top four, Australia next!

17:00 - We've just had confirmation that the session has been extended by five minutes.

16:58 - STUNNER FROM TOPRAK! A 1'39.189 sees him improve again, this time on an SCQ tyre!

16:56 - Axel Bassani just went to P11, the best we've seen from him in testing.

16:55 - Final flying laps are incoming!

16:53 - Razgatlioglu and van der Mark have headed out on track together; Scott Redding is likewise on an outlap - this ended in a drama last week...

16:48 - Old rivals Axel Bassani and Michael Ruben Rinaldi improved their lap times but remain out of the top ten. Meanwhile, fellow Italian Locatelli is on an outlap.

16:43 - Iker Lecuona improves his lap time, whilst teammate Vierge remains top Honda. Both are looking at bumping themselves up the order and into the top ten.

16:16 - Alex Lowes goes to third, making it four manufacturers inside the top four, just like at the start of the day.

16:15 - The last 45 minutes of Portimao testing are upon us; expect to see SCX tyres!

15:32 - Fast lap from Gardner elevates him to P3, the fifth rider with a 1'39.

15:20 - Another red flag for debris on the track but it's only brief and soon enough, track action resumes.

14:58 - Green flag again!

14:41 - Second red flag of the day, this time for Franco Morbidelli. Morbidelli is on-track with a street version Ducati Panigale V4S, along with Francesco Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Celestino Vietti and Andrea Migno. Marc Marquez and brother Alex are also at Portimao but without transponders.

14:25 - Remy Gardner is one of the first riders back out - must have been a snack instead of a lunch for the Australian! He's currently eighth with 56 laps done, more than anyone else inside the top ten. 

14:14 - Lunch time! All WorldSBK riders are back in the pits, heading for a break and will be back out soon!

13:40 - The top ten as we close in on lunch time is currently: Razgatlioglu, Bulega, Locatelli, Petrucci, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), Alex Lowes, van der Mark, Gardner, Rea and Bautista. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) is next up in P11, ahead of rookies Sam Lowes and Andrea Iannone.

13:31 - Long run done for Toprak with the SC0 tyre, every lap in the 1'40s and the first ones close to the 1'39 bracket. The SC0 is a harder compound than the SCX tyre.

13:12 - Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) is a big mover to go up into P4 and is the fourth rider in the 1'39s. That's 1.5 seconds quicker than he managed in last year's January Portimao test as a rookie, where he finished day two in 20th.

12:27 - RAZGATLIOGLU RESPONDS: a 1'39.225 sees Toprak edge ahead! He was ony two tenths slower on his next lap too. It's been confirmed from pitlane that he used an SCX tyre, compared to Bulega who used the SCQ.

12:13 - Bulega SMASHES the lap record! A 1'39.275 puts him more than half a second quicker than Razgatlioglu in P2 - although the unofficial WorldSBK lap record from testing last year is a 1'39.035 set by Bautista.

12:00 - The top five after two hours of day two are Locatelli, Bulega, Razgatlioglu, Alex Lowes and Gardner. That's four manufacturers inside the top four. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) is tenth for Honda.

11:55 - After a period in pitlane following his Turn 7 crash, Iker Lecuona has returned to the circuit.

11:30 - Six-time World Champion Rea heads back out after 40 or so minutes away from the track.

10:51 - Rea is back in the box. He's been greeted by a group of fans who he's taking pictures with.

10:47 - Our first red flag of the test and it's for Jonathan Rea, who seems to have suffered a technical issue.

10:34 - The garage doors are down on Iker Lecuona's (Team HRC) side of the Honda garage. He had a crash at Turn 7, the bike is now being rebuilt.

10:31 - Andrea Locatelli is fastest so far with the second 1'39 lap time of the test, albeit fractionally slower than Bulega on day one. 'Loka' has set a 1'39.953 after day spent doing race simulations. He's spending Day 2 refining smaller details. 

10:10 - Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) attempts to leave pitlane but his Honda wouldn't start. Bike back in the box and all seems to be OK now. He's just left pitlane with teammate Adam Norrodin; both missed Day 1.

10:06 - Jonathan Rea and Philipp Oettl are out on track as the first riders.

10:00 - The green lights are on and riders are out on track! A reminder; Bulega led Razgatlioglu and Rea on day one with the only 1'39 lap time! Catch up on more information with the day one report here!


DAY 1 UPDATES BELOW:

17:00 - The chequered flag is out! Day 1 action concludes with Bulega, Razgatlioglu and Rea as the top three - a new titanic trio? Fourth place is Remy Gardner, whilst Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was top Honda in P9 and just over eight tenths from Bulega, whilst the best Kawasaki was Alex Lowes one place behind and the last rider within a second of Bulega's time.

16:57 - The last flying laps are coming in! Rea just went to P3, teammate Locatelli to P5!

16:37 - Drama for the other Lowes now; Sam Lowes has crashed, thankfully he's alright!

16:32 - Michael van der Mark is on track with the new BMW swingarm; he is currently P6.

16:10 - TIME ATTACK MODE ENGAGED: Gardner improves to P3 as Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) hits the top four!

15:30 - No change at the top with 90 mins remaining on the clock, most riders remain in pitlane!

14:35 - Most riders are off having lunch but two big names who are still on track are Alex Lowes (back out after his techincal issue) and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven).

14:00 - As hour number four is completed, tech issues have struck Alex Lowes. The bike is back in the paddock with the rider, who will seek a return to the track quickly!

13:20 - He's at it again! 'Bulegas' goes top with the first 1'39 of the test - 1'39.932 - 0.075s ahead of BMW's Razgatlioglu!

12:39 - A flurry of lap times have come in and the top three is all change! Rea leads on a 1'40.595, whilst van der Mark and Bautista are less than a tenth behind.

12:00 - Two hours ticked off, Toprak leads still and this time with a 1'40.690.

11:35 - Phillip Oettl suffers a small crash but is up and OK.

11:20 - Garage door shut for Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) but that's for a change to a new swingarm. 

11:00 - 1 hour down, plenty more to go! Toprak Razgatliolgu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) lead a BMW 1-2 ahead of teammate Michael van der Mark with a 1'40.874, although Gardner just went up to P2. The outright WorldSBK lap record at Portimao is a 1'39.610 set by Rea on a Kawasaki in Tissot Superpole in 2022.

10:45 - After the first 45 minutes, Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) leads the way ahead of Remy Gardner, with Alvaro Bautista in third. Rea's teammate Andrea Locatelli is in P4, ahead of Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW). Bulega is currently P7; the top seven are all covered by 0.269s.

10:06 - The first track activity! Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was the first one out, followed by Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Motocorsa Racing), Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GT Yamaha WorldSBK Team).

10:00 - GREEN FLAG: the track is officially open as WorldSBK testing continues!

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