The eleventh WorldSBK round continued at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal, an event in which the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK is fielding two riders, with Bradley Ray joined by wildcard Luca Bernardi.
Yesterday the duo was on track for free practice sessions that were conditioned by rain. In the day’s combined standings, Ray (1’39”463) placed eighteenth and Bernardi (1'42.754) twenty-fourth.
Today, in the late morning, the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK riders were back on track for the Superpole, which establishes grid positions for Race 1. On a wet track, the British rider set a best of 1’57”941, which meant twenty-first on the grid, behind Luca Bernardi who, with a time of 1’57”623, finished twentieth. These results saw both riders lining up on the seventh row of the grid for the afternoon’s race.
In race 1, Ray maintained a consistent pace that allowed him to conclude in sixteenth position, just outside the points zone. Bernardi’s race was complicated by a few setup issues that forced him to make a pitstop. He then returned to the track to finish the race P20.
Tomorrow the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team will be back out for the Superpole Race and Race 2.
Carusi Sandro - Team Principal
“I’m not fully satisfied with Bradley’s race because with a little more conviction he could have reached the points zone. With Luca not yet fully sorted with the setup of his bike, we preferred to use the race to collect data that could help with that. I’m nevertheless pleased with his lap times.”
Bradley Ray - Rider
“It was a tough Saturday. I’m having traction issues, and this hinders my performance in both the wet and the dry. We hope to make a step forward tomorrow and be closer to the group ahead so that we can reach the points zone, which remains the goal.”
Bernardi Luca - Rider
“Today’s race was my first opportunity to lap in the dry and so we didn’t have the right set-up. I had some problems that forced me back to the garage, after which I returned to the track to gain experience and test some new solutions that might help us in tomorrow’s races. I want to thank the team for their support.”
