Sykes domine la première journée du WorldSBK à Jerez / Spanish temperatures hamper further improvements at the top in FP2

Les chronos ont été un petit peu plus lents l’après-midi en raison de hautes températures.

Suite à une seconde séance d’essais lors de laquelle seuls deux pilotes du Top 10 ont amélioré leurs chronos, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) conserve l’avantage sur le classement combiné et devance son coéquipier Jonathan Rea, qui n’aura besoin que de six points pour être sacré Champion du Monde ce week-end, de 0.024s. 

Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) a de son côté réussi à gagner en rythme lors de la seconde séance pour se hisser à la troisième position devant Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team), qui demeurait à 0.099s de la première place.

Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing) complétait le Top 5 devant Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils), l’un des rares pilotes à avoir progressé l’après-midi, malgré être à nouveau tombé, dans le virage n°2, à quelques mètres de là où il avait chuté le matin.

Son coéquipier Leon Haslam, Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing), Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team), Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing), Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) et Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) complétaient quant à eux le Top 15 de la journée.

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Hotter temperatures prevent any of the leading riders improving this afternoon.

A single FP3 session tomorrow morning will decide which of the WorldSBK riders make it into Tissot-Superpole as an increase in track temperature this afternoon prevented many of the leading riders from improving. This means the current running order is mostly unchanged with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) heading team-mate and 2015 World Champion elect Jonathan Rea by 0.024s, the pair a fraction ahead of Alex Lowes. The Voltcom Crescent Suzuki rider elevated himself into the top ten with a time of 1.42.730s which despite a mid-session tumble bodes well for FP3 which will take place tomorrow at 0945 local time. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team) clung on to 4^th 0.099s behind Sykes after he too also failed to improve.

Niccolo Canepa (Althea Racing) retains his 5^th position thanks to his efforts this morning while Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) did improve this afternoon, the Spaniard ending the day 6^th  after falling for the second time in two sessions, losing the front at turn 2, a few metres up the track from where he fell in FP1.

Torres’s team-mate Leon Haslam was 7^th ahead of Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing), Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati SBK Team), and Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda World Superbike Team).

11^th to 15^th positions were the most altered -  Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) will head into tomorrow 11^thahead of Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia), Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing), Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

All of the action as it happens can be followed via Twitter: @WorldSBK