The countdown for the 2022 season has begun, there are now ten days to go until the inaugural appointment of the new year, but the action on the track has already begun: in Barcelona the drivers met for two days of collective tests in which the first real comparisons after the various isolated sessions. Dominating the first of two days of testing is Alvaro Bautista, who seems to be back in good shape aboard the Panigale V4R.
The Spaniard was the only rider to go under the 41 barrier, signing a 1’40 ”824 and climbing to the top of the times table. The Ducati rider confirms, at least on paper, not only the third wheel between Razgatlioglu and Rea, but a serious contender for the title. The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider gets behind his own Jonathan Rea, who on his Kawasaki remains at 238 thousandths, closing the first day of testing in second position.
In the first three positions we find three different manufacturers, with Yamaha occupying the third time behind Bautista and Rea. But the first R1 is not that of the reigning world champion, but the “twin” of the GRT team led by Garrett Gerloff. The American, who fell during the day at Turn 10 fortunately without consequences, managed to move to third position, however, paying well over four tenths from the top. The GRT standard bearer appears reinvigorated after a complicated 2021 and puts the wheels of his bike ahead of those of his most famous brand mate.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is in fact “only” fifth at the end of the first day of testing. The reigning world champion shows up for the first time with the definitive number 1 on his front fairing, after the presentation of the 2022 bike held yesterday on the Catalan track. The Turk pays 699 thousandths from Alvaro Bautista and remains behind Michael Ruben Rinaldi, author of a good start with his Ducati and quarter to half a second behind his teammate and leader of the day.
Scrolling through the times table, we find Alex Lowes’ Kawasaki in sixth position. The Brit precedes his teammate Lucas Mahias, fresh from the Misano tests last week. The Frenchman, riding the ZX-10RR of the Puccetti team, joins the two official bikes, but is still seventh. We also find the Hondas on the track, the first of which is led by Xavi Vierge: the rookie takes the eighth time at the end of the first day of testing, however paying a significant delay, a good nine tenths. The chronometer is certainly not the priority in the test days, but the two HRCs appear to be delayed. Iker Lecuona is 12th well over a second from the top.
The tests start uphill for Andrea Locatelli, protagonist of a highside in the last stages of the day, but fortunately without consequences. The official Yamaha team rider from Bergamo does not go beyond the ninth time trial and is the first rider to go beyond the second behind Bautista. The last of the constructors on the track is BMW, which has Eugene Laverty as the best representative. The Irishman of the Bonovo team closes the top 10 and precedes the official rider Scott Redding. After his first official test on the M1000RR last week at Misano, Redding is back on track in Barcelona, however, setting only the 11th fastest time. The second official BMW was entrusted to Ilya Michalchick, substitute for the injured Michael van der Mark, who however did not go beyond the 17th time, even behind Loris Baz, another BMW Bonovo driver, 15th.
Phillip Oettl confirms himself as the best of the independent team rookies, even if he only signed a 13th fastest time. Between the rider of the Go Eleven team and the Frenchman of BMW is Kohta Nozane, 14th with the last of the Yamahas on the track. The adaptation to Superbike continues for Luca Bernardi, who, riding the Panigale V4R of the Barni team, is unable to go beyond the 16th position and is the last of the Ducati riders. Oliver Konig and Loris Cresson are 17th and 18th respectively, while Hafizh Syahrin closes the group.
Together with the Superbike riders, we also had a little taste of Supersport in the Barcelona tests: Nicolò Bulega confirms himself as the fastest in 1’45 ”442. The Aruba team rider takes the Panigale V2 ahead of all the intermediate class drivers and precedes Raffaele De Rosa and Oli Bayliss, the other two drivers on the track second and third respectively.
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