Cycle News Staff | January 26, 2011
Jakub Smrz upset the established order by slotting his Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R into the top spot after the first of three days of World Superbike testing at the Portimao circuit in Portugal.The Czech privateer lapped the 2.85-mile circuit in 1:43.503 in the afternoon session. Smrz had been second fastest to Castrol Honda’s Johnny Rea in the first session, then finished .173 of a second in front of him on the day. Both completed 56 laps.As did the third fastest rider, new Yamaha World Superbike team member Eugene Laverty. The Irishman finished the day with a best lap of 1:43.707 mins., just .031 of a second slower than Rea in what was a typically packed field at the top. Second through ninth places were covered by .770 of a second.The circuit best lap is 1:42.092 set by Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow last year.Brit Tom Sykes put the first of the three factory Kawasakis into fourth, narrowly ahead of Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) and World Champion Max Biaggi on the Aprilia Alitalia RSV4 Factory. Spaniard Joan Lascorz was 10th on the second Kawasaki, with Chris Vermeulen sitting out the test to recover from recent surgery.Team Suzuki Alstare’s Michel Fabrizio was seventh in front of the second Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati of Sylvain Guintoli.Biaggi’s teammate Leon Camier was ninth in front of Lasorz.Sixteen World Superbike riders took part in the test. Noticeably absent was the BMW factory team of Troy Corser and Leon Haslam. The top placing BMW on the day was James Toseland in his debut on the BMW Motorrad SBK Team S1000 RR.
Results:
1. Jakub Smrz (Ducati) 1:43.503
2. Johnathan Rea (Honda) 1:43.676
3. Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) 1:43.707
4. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 1:43.770
5. Carlos Checa (Ducati) 1:43.789
6. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) 1:43.840
7. Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki) 1:43.789
8. Sylvain Guintoli (Ducati) 1:44.369
9. Leon Camier (Aprilia) 1:44.446
10. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki) 1:44.752.678
