Aruba.it Ducati started the Portimão round of the Superbike World Championship in the best way, occupying the top two positions in the first free practice. Toprak Razgatlioglu experienced bike issues that forced him to stay in the garage.
After the first flying laps, Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) was already leading, strengthening his position before being beaten by Alex Lowes. The Briton from bimota by KLRT was only in front for a few seconds before being overtaken by Álvaro Bautista.
The two-time world champion also did not hold onto the lead for long: immediately after, Bulega set the fastest time of the session at 1m40.977s. The Italian was not beaten again, finishing 0.019s ahead of Bautista. Axel Bassani (bimota by KRT) reached third place, just 0.069s off the top.
The top four were within less than a tenth of a second, also including Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW), while rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati) secured fifth place as the best independent rider.
As for Razgatlioglu, the Turkish rider from ROKiT BMW completed a lap but ran wide at Turn 1 and returned to the pits. When he attempted to rejoin the session, he ended up stuck in the pit lane due to a technical issue.
Timesheets:
#WorldSBK Free Practice 1 FINAL RESULTS
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