Day one of the eleventh WorldSBK round at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal were characterized by significant cloud and heavy rain.
On track with Bradley Ray as well as wildcard Luca Bernardi, the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team headed out for the first free practice, which began late due to the wet track conditions. Ray was able to adapt fast to the track and set the fifteenth time (1’54”554), while Bernardi, who has never competed with the YZF-R1 before, placed twenty-fourth (1’58”425).
In the afternoon’s FP2, the track was not completely dry but both riders were at least able to improve on their best of the morning. The British rider put in a fastest time of 1’39”463 to conclude eighteenth, while the Italian rounded out the day in twenty-fourth place with a 1’42”754.
Tomorrow the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team will be back on track for the Superpole and subsequent Race 1.
Carusi Sandro - Team Principal
“Bad weather seriously compromised today’s practices. Bradley confirmed the solid results we’ve seen in recent races, while Luca had trouble on his first outing with the R1. We hope the weather improves for tomorrow, so we can really understand where our riders are.”
Bradley Ray - Rider
“A difficult but interesting day. The morning’s FP1 ran in the wet and didn’t go badly, though we still need to improve in certain sectors. FP2 started on a dry track and I struggled with rear grip. We were working on that and made a change, but then it started raining again. We go again tomorrow.”
Bernardi Luca - Rider
“It was definitely a tough day because the first session ran in the wet and the next in the dry, but on a still damp track. In FP1, I started to build confidence with the bike and the wet track, while in the second I was just getting used to the altered conditions when the rain returned. It’s extremely hard to work in these conditions, especially for me as I need to build confidence with a totally new bike. We’ll continue to do our best tomorrow and try to adapt to the situation on track.”
