Comprehensive Friday recap from Most covering WorldSBK, WorldSSP and also WorldSSP300 (2024)

WorldSBK 2024 – Round Six
Most – Friday

WorldSBK Rider Quotes

Toprak Razgatlioglu – P1

“My weekend started well on Friday. It looks like we are strong again. I’m very happy to be back at Most because it’s a very nice circuit. We are using the SC1 rear tyre but it;s a bit difficult because . it doesn’t have the same grip as the SC0. We made some adjustments to the bike and we’re very happy. We also tested the SC1 and SC2 front tyres and I did a race simulation. Our pace is very strong. In FP1, I tried the standard SC1 rear tyre and in FP2 I tried the new SC1 rear tyre. These two tyres are very similar, and I haven’t decided yet which is better for the race. But overall, I’m happy with today.”

Alvaro Bautista – P2

“I am very happy with this Friday. After Donington, we worked a lot on the bike’s setup and I can say I found that feeling I had been looking for since the beginning of the season. This is the most important thing, even more than the position in the standings. I feel that we have found the right path and we have to continue in this direction.”

Jonathan Rea – P3

“We didn’t have any issues today, I was able to go out this morning and really find my feet with the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK here. It was probably the best Friday I’ve had with Pata Prometeon Yamaha – we didn’t change the bike very much, we just kept working through the plan and I enjoy riding the track here! It was a solid day, we just need to keep working on our long-run pace, as Pirelli have brought a new prototype SC1 rear. I did quite a few laps on one option but not so many on the other, so we just need to understand which is best – but we still have some margin to improve. For me the target is clear again – I want to keep improving my feeling and be more competitive. I’m starting to really understand how the Yamaha R1 works and I’m working hard to exploit its positive points.”

Alex Lowes – P4

“The bike felt quite good today, although Toprak was very fast again. This has not been the easiest track for me on the Kawasaki but in some parts, the twister sections, the bike was working really well and I feel good on it. There are some things to improve, like through sector one and to stop a bit better. Overall I am quite satisfied. I did plenty of laps, the pace was quite good, so it was a solid day’s work.”

Nicolò Bulega – P5

“Considering that today was the first time for me on this circuit with the Panigale V4R, I can say that I am satisfied. In addition, the sensations were better than the ones on Friday at Donington. It is clear that there is still a lot of work to be done but I am confident.”

Danilo Petrucci – P6

“After Donington, I didn’t have time to recover and today I suffered physically with severe shoulder and back pain. The first day was very complicated at both Misano and Donington, but overall, I’m quite happy with the pace we had both this morning and this afternoon. Apart from Toprak, we are all very close, and I believe we can fight for the podium.”

Remy Gardner – P7

“Overall it was a decent day, in the morning the feeling was good and in the afternoon we focused more on race distance and trying to have everything ready for the races. There’s still margin to improve and we’ll work hard to be faster, with the goal of having a good Superpole qualifier in order to build good races.”

Andrea Locatelli – P10

“It was a strange day! We are not so far from the top, so this is a good point – but we just need to understand where we miss something. My confidence is not so bad – I was pushing hard today but the feeling was not the best on the front end for this track, and I had a small crash on Turn 2, but we can continue working for tomorrow. We are not so far, so with a small step forward we can improve a little bit and we can push for a good result! Let’s see what we can do, I think we can do well in the race.”

Andrea Iannone – P11

“It’s the first time I’ve ridden here in Most, the track doesn’t seem bad to me but we still have to work on the bike. I’m not particularly satisfied, but I know that having no previous experience with this track, it could have been much more difficult than how the day went. At the moment there is one step to improve the feeling. I feel like I have little stability when entering corners so I am unable, in the first part of braking when changing direction, to use the brake to slow down properly. With the Team we will try to make progress in view of tomorrow.”

Sam Lowes – P12

“Today has been positive because it is never easy coming to a new track for the first time, but I feel the team have done a good job to help me get up to speed quickly. This morning, I just decided to ride steady and make sure I didn’t make mistakes so that I could really focus on learning the track. But this afternoon I felt some of the changes we made really helped me get down to some decent times and overall we have to be happy. We’ve taken a slightly different direction with the set-up of the bike this weekend and I’m feeling good, so hopefully we can continue this way and move further up the standings again tomorrow.”

Dominique Aegerter – P14

“Our morning wasn’t too good, I wasn’t able to find the limit and struggled a bit too much. Anyway, we worked very hard and we bounced back in the afternoon and in the Free Practice 2 I felt immediately better on the bike. I was able to improve my lap time by over a second, that was good. Unfortunately, I crashed out, as I felt we could improve even more. I would like to thank the crew who repaired the bike quickly and this allowed me to come back for the practice start. We’ll keep working hard to improve our performance tomorrow.”

Axel Bassani – P15

“First day at Most and we worked a lot to try and understand some things. We did all of FP1 with a front tyre that was not my preference, due to the allocation for this round. In FP2 we started to work with the right tyre option. The feeling was not bad, even from the first pitlane exit. We are only one second from first place but the position in the timesheets is 15th. So, for sure, we will have to work to do on Saturday.”

Iker Lecuona – P16

“We didn’t make a bad start this morning, to be honest, but then we struggled a lot in the afternoon. We changed something on the bike, and even though it was nothing big, the bike did not react well at all. Not only were we unable to improve our feeling and performance, but we were also much slower than we had been during the morning. I guess we have some answers now, and with the data collected, we will see what to do for tomorrow ahead of qualifying and the race.”

Xavi Vierge – P20

“Despite our overall position, it has been a positive first day here at Most. The feeling with the bike this morning was not so bad right from the outset. Then we made a small adjustment to the bike’s setup between FP1 and FP2 that improved my feeling and allowed me to maintain good pace during a long run with the used tyres from the morning. It was a pity we had a little problem with the bike during our second exit, which prevented me from rejoining the session and using a soft tyre to go for a fast lap. That’s why we didn’t improve on our morning lap time. Anyway, we will take the positive, which is our race pace, and will see tomorrow when we have the chance to fit a new tyre. That will show us our level. As I said, a solid first day.”

Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado – P22

“Honestly, I achieved what I set out to do, which was to adapt to the bike and improve with every exit. We took a step in FP2 but there is more to do of course. I want to improve my feeling particularly on corner entry and with the rear grip, but we’re working hard and hopefully we can make another step tomorrow that allows us to lap consistently in tomorrow’s race. It’s a very different bike to what I’m used to and so I need to adapt to it and set it up to suit my characteristics. We’ve only had two sessions but hopefully we can continue in a positive way tomorrow.”

Hayden Gillim – P23

“Today was a great day. I’ve really enjoyed riding a WorldSBK spec bike for the first time, working with the team, and learning the Most track. It’s a tough one, where it’s important to get your lines right, but we’ve made big improvements every time we have gone out. I have some things to work on so that I can ride the bike better and the crew is working hard to make me more comfortable. Thanks to the team and all the fans for the support; I’m already looking forward to getting back to work in the morning.”

WorldSBK Friday Report

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was once again the rider to beat on Friday, pipping Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) by a tenth at the Autodrom Most. Razgatlioglu and Bautista were the only two riders inside the 1m31s bracket on the first day of the Czech Round.

Razgatlioglu continued exactly how he started the weekend by posting an uncatchable lap time in FP2, posting a 1m31.519s, almost four-tenths quicker than he went in the morning and once again leading BMW’s charge. Team-mate Michael van der Mark was one of two more BMW riders inside the top ten as he claimed eighth, just ahead of Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) in ninth with only 0.030s separating the pair. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) improved on his final lap to move into 13th place.

Reigning Champion Bautista claimed second place after posting a 1m31.622s while team-mate Nicolo Bulega (was fifth, half-a-second down on Razgatlioglu and four-tenths away from Bautista. Independent star Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) made it three Ducatis in the top six as he claimed sixth with a 1m32.110s, just a tenth away from Bulega ahead. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) had a difficult Friday morning with several off-track excursions, but he bounced back in the afternoon for P10, just a couple of hundredths ahead of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in 11th in FP2 and 12th overall. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) had a really challenging Friday afternoon with the #21 not setting a lap time with his bike only running on two cylinders. However, his FP1 time of 1m32.800s was good enough for 10th in that session and 17th overall.

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) seems to have been able to continue with the momentum he built at Donington as he finished third on Friday after setting a 1m32.033s to be the lead Yamaha rider once again, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in seventh. Gardner was one of a handful of riders unable to improve in the afternoon’s warmer conditions but his 1m32.233s from FP1 still secured a spot in the top seven. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) completed the top ten after ‘Loka’ had a crash at Turn 2 in FP2, but he was able to post a 1m32.369s to secure a top ten spot. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 14th, Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 19th and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) 21st.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was the lead Kawasaki rider once again as he secured fourth place with a 1m32.052s, just a couple of hundredths away from Rea in front. Alex’s P4 means four different manufacturers secured a place in the top four. Team-mate Axel Bassani was quick out of the blocks in FP1 and FP2 but fell down the order to 15th, while Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completed the Kawasaki runners with 18th place.

Honda had a good Friday morning but neither Team HRC could improve in the afternoon. Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge were, as always, closely matched with just half-a-tenth between the two Spaniards. Vierge’s day was disrupted by a technical issue in FP2. Leandro Mercado (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was the fastest of the MIE Honda riders after setting a 1m34.344s, finishing around four-tenths clear of team-mate Hayden Gillim, who, on his first visit to Most, had a solid start to his debut WorldSBK weekend.

WorldSBK Friday Combined Practice Times

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP

The FIM Supersport World Championship hit the track for a thrilling Tissot Superpole session, which was topped by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who significantly improved on his time from Friday morning. The #55 will start from pole position after destroying the lap record, setting a magnificent 1’34.126.

The times began to heat up towards the end of Superpole, and it was a two-way fight for pole position, with the #55 ending Friday 0.155s clear of the field. Montella was ahead of title rival, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), who spent most of the session at the top of the timesheets, only to get pipped in the last five minutes. Meanwhile, Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), continued a consistent start to the weekend in third position and as the top Yamaha.

Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) will head the second row of the grid after a great session in fourth place. Meanwhile, the battle for the final spot inside the top five couldn’t get any closer, with Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) setting identical times in Superpole, with Caricasulo setting a better second-best time – clinching P5. However, it was a tough session for Sofuoglu, who suffered an early crash at Turn 18, before returning to track later on and finishing in sixth.

Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) took seventh at the end of Friday, heading from the third row of the grid alongside Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in P8.

Behind Schroetter will be D34G Racing WorldSSP Team’s Tom Edwards, who had a brilliant Superpole session to finish in ninth. Edwards was ahead of Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha), who took the final spot inside the top 10. However, Mahias would also suffer a crash early in Superpole, crashing at Turn 10.

There was also a crash later in the session for Soichiro Minamimoto (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team), falling at Turn 21 – bringing an early end to his day. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) later stopped at Turn 21 after a technical issue – finishing Superpole in 12th place.

Oli Bayliss finished the opening day in 16th place while countryman Luke Power was 24th on the time-sheets.

WorldSSP Superpole

WorldSSP Championship Points

WorldSSP300

It was a hectic Tissot Superpole session for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship which had everything, with Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) storming to an impressive maiden pole position at the Autodrom Most. The #7 set an impressive 1’46.137, which was good enough to hold onto P1 in the latter stages of the red-flagged Superpole session.

It was a frantic start to the session with lap times dropping and Veneman leading in the early stages, consistently improving throughout Superpole. Veneman had a 0.186s advantage over the field and will start alongside replacement rider, Australian Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki), who continues to impress the field after finishing in second position.

Meanwhile, rounding off the front row was Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse), who starts Race 1 as the top Yamaha after an eventful session.

Heading the second row was Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki), continuing to look strong at Most, finishing ahead of the Fenton Seabright. The #47 was one of the few riders who improved their time on the final lap after the red flag. Joining them to round off the second row of the grid was Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), who was less than fourth-tenth adrift from pole position.

Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) took seventh, heading the third row of the grid ahead of Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing), who also suffered a crash late in Superpole. The #56 was ahead of Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) in ninth and Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing), who took the final spot inside the top 10 after an earlier crash on the entry to Turn 1 with Team BrCorse’s Aldi Mahendra, who starts from P12.

It was a Superpole full of drama with Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) suffering from technical issues early on, stopping at the side of the circuit with less than 20 minutes to go. Later in the session, there would be a crash at Turn 15 involving David Salvador (MS Racing), Kevin Fontainha (Yamaha AD78 FIM LA by MS Racing), Ivan Bolano (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team), Gaggi and Pratama – bringing out a brief red flag. The session would be restarted with over 2 minutes left on the clock.

WorldSSP300 Superpole

WorldSSP 300 Championship Points

2024 WorldSBK Calendar