Three hat-tricks and an undisputed domination: from where we left off in Most, we expected Toprak Razgatlioglu to start again, instead Portimao speaks… Ternano. Yes, because on Friday of the Portuguese round it was Danilo Petrucci who routs the competition by taking the best time in the late afternoon session and taking the lead in the combined standings.
The Barni team rider follows the positive feelings of the previous events and proves that he can be an opponent to take into consideration after stopping the clock at 1’40”681. Petruxhowever he does not inflict an excessive gap on his opponents, who are all very close: the first of these is Alvaro Bautista, who closes Friday in second position.
The reigning world champion started the weekend with some difficulty, remaining half a second from the top in the first session, but he made up for it in the second session, finishing in second place, just 23 thousandths behind his brand teammate. Not even a fall stopped the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider, who suffered a small abrasion to his right arm, but also moved ahead of his rival in the championship.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was less explosive, stopping in third place at the end of Friday’s free practice. On the first day of the Portimao round he “settled” for third in the combined time, finishing 96 thousandths behind Petrucci after dominating the first session. However, the championship leader was the favorite and remains so: only a technical problem at the end of the afternoon session stopped his run towards the top of the standings.
Nicolò Bulega is fourth at the end of Friday and limits the damage of a complicated day: the Ducati rider was betrayed by his Panigale V4R in the early stages of the first session, remaining in the pits for most of the session. He then climbs back up in the afternoon, coming close to the top 3 and showing up for Saturday’s qualifying in fourth position, 130 thousandths behind Petrucci.
The one who can smile after the two free practice sessions is Dominique Aegerter, best of the Yamaha riders and fifth in the combined standings. The Swiss precedes Jonathan Rea, sixth with the other M1 of the factory team. Only two and a half tenths separate the Northern Irishman from the top, a sign that the first riders are all very close to each other. BMW also starts the weekend on the right foot, placing three riders in the top 10: Michael van der Mark is seventh ahead of Garrett Gerloff, eighth.
The first of the Kawasaki riders is Alex Lowes, who does not go beyond ninth position in the combined and precedes Michael Ruben Rinaldi, author of a flash in the final of the second session and tenth, four tenths behind the leader Petrucci. There is also room for smiles in the Honda box, which throughout the day has seen the official riders travel close to the top 10: Xavi Vierge ends Friday in 11th position, remaining immediately ahead of his teammate Iker Lecuona, 12th.
Difficult start to the weekend for Axel Bassani and Andrea Iannone. The Kawasaki rider is only 14th while the Goeleven rider is 15th. The Vasto rider is also the protagonist of a fall in the first session, fortunately without consequences.
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