2024 World Superbike Misano, Italy – Free Practice 1 Results
The Misano phase of the 2024 World Superbike Championship kicked off with intense on-track activity, marking the start of the fourth round of the season. The first free practice session brought surprises and challenges for teams and drivers, creating a competitive pace that promises excitement for the rest of the weekend.
Nicolo Bulega, from Team Aruba.it (Ducati), led the session, setting the fastest time of 1:33.511 seconds. Bulega showed a consistent performance, outscoring his opponents and securing the lead at the end of the session. Alongside him, teammate Álvaro Bautista, reigning champion and championship leader, came in second, just 0.402 seconds behind Bulega, demonstrating Ducati’s strength at the Misano circuit.
GYTR GRT The Yamaha team’s Remy Gardner took third, closely followed by GoEleven Ducati’s Andrea Iannone, who put in an impressive performance on her return to the category. ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team’s Toprak Razgatlioglu got off to a promising start, dominating the morning session with the fastest time of 1:33.448 seconds. However, a crash in the final corner in the afternoon hampered his progress, making it impossible to repair the bike in time to continue training. Despite the setback, Razgatlioglu finished the day in fifth place in the combined standings.
Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona also stood out, securing sixth place, while Kawasaki Racing Team’s Alex Lowes, who recently signed a new contract with Kawasaki for the new Bimota era, finished seventh after a solid performance in the morning.
Alex’s twin brother Sam Lowes, representing Team ELF Marc VDS Racing, finished eighth, followed by the GYTR GRT Yamaha Team’s Dominique Aegerter and Team Motocorsa Ducati’s Michael Rinaldi, who completed the top ten.
The day was also marked by several notable incidents. GMT94 Yamaha’s Philipp Oettl suffered a spectacular engine failure on his Yamaha R1 at the exit of turn six, bringing out a red flag and temporarily halting the session. Additionally, Razgatlioglu’s teammate Michael Van Der Mark suffered a crash at turn four but managed to return to the track to finish the session.
Danilo Petrucci, of the Barni Spark Racing Team, chose to rest his recent injuries and only took to the track in the second half of practice, clocking the 12th best time. Pata Prometeon Yamaha’s Jonathan Rea had a tough session, finishing 13th.
With the pace set in the first free practice, expectations are high for the upcoming sessions and the race. The competitiveness and challenges facing the riders at Misano mean that the weekend will be full of fierce odds and surprises, keeping Superbike fans eager for the action to unfold.
Free Practice Results 1
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) ROKIT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: 1:33.448s
2. Alex Lowes (GBR) Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK: +0.560s
3. Nicolo Bulega (ITA) Aruba.It Racing Ducati – +0.581s
4. Axel Bassani (ITA) Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK: +0.797s
5. Andrea Iannone (ITA) GoEleven Ducati – +0.872s
