The first Italian weekend of the World Superbike Championship kicks off: Bulega dominates, followed by Petrucci and Razgatlioglu. Here’s a recap of the session.
The sun is shining over Cremona as the WorldSBK riders hit the track for FP1—a crucial session to rack up laps and build confidence on a relatively new circuit in the calendar.
The track conditions weren’t ideal at the start of the session, and Ducati ran into trouble with both Iannone and Bautista: both riders lost the front and ended up in the gravel. A major setback for the Spaniard, while the Go Eleven Team rider managed to get back on track after just a few minutes.
Sticking with Ducati, it was a head-to-head between Bulega and Petrucci for the top spot. However, with 15 minutes remaining, as the #9 from Team Barni tackled Turn 2, he first lost the rear, then the front. Nothing doing for the former winner at Cremona Circuit, who was forced to end his session early.
That cleared the way for the current championship leader, who easily clocked the fastest time of the morning. Razgatlioglu, hindered by his lack of experience at Cremona, couldn’t do better than third, while the second-best time went to the Barni Team rider.
Strong start also for Lecuona (4th), and the Lowes twins, with Sam finishing fifth and Alex sixth.
The next session of the weekend is this afternoon at 3:00 PM with FP2 (you can find the full weekend schedule here).
Photo: Nicolò Bulega, Danilo Petrucci