The seventh WorldSBK round got underway today in hot and sunny conditions at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal.
Due to the high temperatures, the weekend’s schedule has been modified with Friday’s FP2 and the races on Saturday and Sunday taking place in the late afternoon.
The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team rider, Brit Bradley Ray, was on track for the day’s two practice sessions. In the first, Ray stopped the clocks on 1’42”176, finishing a promising P14.
In the second session, which got underway in the early evening, Bradley improved on his best time, setting a 1’41”833 to place nineteenth in the day’s combined standings, a little over a second from provisional pole. Tomorrow Ray will head back out for Superpole and Race 1.
“We’ve finished day one in nineteenth place but are just 1.1 seconds from provisional pole, which augers well for tomorrow’s qualifying and race.”
“I’m quite pleased with my first day here at Portimao. Finishing only 1.1 seconds from the top is not so bad. Before FP2 we made some changes to the bike, but I think we can still improve certain areas of the bike. I can’t wait for tomorrow, because I feel comfortable on the bike and I know we’re working in the right direction.”
