PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
Voltcom Crescent Suzuki’s Alex Lowes put in a strong lap on qualifying tires to go fastest of all the regular World Superbike riders on the second day of Jerez private testing. The former British Superbike Champion’s fast time of 1:40.730 was set late in the day, but Lowes was more pleased to have also set a 1:40.9 on a race tire.
“I did a 1:40.9 which was as fast as I have even been round here, so I was happy,” said Lowes. “Then we always wanted to try a qualifier because six or seven times this year I went slower on a qualifier than a race tire – because we seem to struggle when I have grip. But the bike changed a bit and I tried to ride it a bit different.”
After another morning spent waiting for the track to dry World Superbike regulars (plus two Suzuki and two Aprilia MotoGP bikes) took to the track at Jerez and were finally treated to a dry track and warm temperatures.
Kenan Sofuoglu was also out on his World Supersport Puccetti Racing Kawasaki.
Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes used a Q tire to set the second best Superbike time, but had contact with another rider on one of his fastest laps.
Red Devils Aprilia’s Leon Haslam completed a British clean sweep of the phony podium positions after leading day one. He was also reported to have used a Q tire near the end.
MotoGP Aprilia rider Alvaro Bautista was fourth on his Aprilia. His teammate Marco Melandri was eighth as he gets used to Bridgestone tires after his switch from World Superbike to MotoGP. Both went slower than the Suzuki MotoGP riders, according to Suzuki’s stopwatches.
Jonathan Rea continues his learning curve in an upward direction for Kawasaki with the fifth best time, one place ahead of Michel Fabrizio, Haslam’s teammate for these tests.
New world champion Sylvain Guintoli had his first real dry weather outing on his new Pata Honda and took his CBR to within less than a second of the fastest Superbike times.
Suzuki was on site with its pair of MotoGP machines for Maverick Vinales and Alex Espargaro, but there were two mechanical failures on the GSX-RRs during the day, with smoke emanating from the new MotoGP entries.
Barni Racing Ducati rider Leandro Mercado had a crash that broke his left wrist, sending him back to Modena in Italy to have it examined and operated on, as he also suffered a suspected dislocation of the wrist joint.
World Superbike/MotoGP Jerez Winter Test
Tuesday Transponder Times:
1. Alex Lowes (Suzuki) WSBK – 1:40.730 Q
2. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) WSBK – 1:40.853 Q
3. Leon Haslam (Aprilia) WSBK – 1:40.865 Q
4. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) MotoGP – 1:41.100
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) WSBK – 1:41.127
6. Michel Fabrizio (Aprilia) WSBK – 1:41.384
7. Sylvain Guintoli (Honda) WSBK – 1:41.639
8. Marco Melandri (Aprilia) MotoGP – 1:41.682
9. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati) WSBK – 1:42.0
10. Michael van der Mark (Honda) WSBK – 1:42.651
11. Randy de Puniet (Suzuki) WSBK – 1:42.938
12. Leandro Mercado (Ducati) WSBK – 1:43.0
13. Nico Terol (Ducati) WSBK – 1:43.4
14. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) WSS – 1:43.730
15. Raffaele De Rosa (Ducati) STK – 1:44.920
16. Luca Savadori (Ducati) STK – 1:45.985
MotoGP Suzuki (no transponders)
Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki) MotoGP 1:40.1
Maverick Viñales (Suzuki) Suzuki MotoGP 1:40.7
