PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it – Ducati Racing WSB) scored an early advantage at Imola, a circuit located close to the point of origin of the Panigale machines they rode to a 1-2 in the first practice session in the WSBK class.
In his comeback ride after suffering vertebrae injures in testing for the Aussie WSBK round back in February Italian rider Giugliano took no time at all to show his pace, finishing just 0.219 seconds from leader Davies. Chaz set a 1.48.056 lap after only one sunny session at the classic 4.936km Imola circuit.
KRT riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea were third and fourth fastest, Sykes continuing his good form at Imola as he builds his way back to full competitiveness in a season his team-mate has been dominating so far.
Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Red Devils) continued his run at the sharp end by being fifth fastest, but he was fully 0.7 seconds from the fastest rider.
A strong showing from David Salom, the 2014 EVO Champion, put his Kawasaki Team Pedercini Ninja in sixth place from 21-starters, with the best BMW rider being relatively new BMW Motorrad Italia signing Ayrton Badovini, seventh.
A positive early showing from Leon Camier and his MV Agusta Reparto Corse F4 placed him eighth, if 1.7 seconds from the best lap.
Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda) slotted in ninth and with his brother Sam watching from his pit-garage, Alex Lowes battled to tenth.
After a halted and restarted second FIM Supersport World Championship practice session at Imola Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) left it late to take the advantage going into day two, with his lap time of 1’51.552.
Long-time fastest rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) almost scored the best time of the opening day but his late charge to try and overtake Cluzel did not quite come off.
Sofuoglu’s almost-team-mate Marco Faccani (San Carlo Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) used all his local knowledge in his full rookie WSS season to go third fastest.
PJ Jacobsen (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres) was fourth and the third Kawasaki rider in the top four after day one. Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) piled on the pressure for MV Agusta at their home event, in fifth place. A very late charge from the winner of the Thai WSS race, Ratthapark Wilairot (Core” Motorsport Thailand) saw him move to sixth and be top Honda rider. Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK25 MV Agusta) secured seventh place on his three-cylinder machine, with Gino Rea (CIA Landlords Insurance) and Kyle Smith (Pata Honda) eighth and ninth respectively on their Hondas.
