Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Beat the Heat in Tropical Indonesian Free Practice
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu topped Free Practice 1 and finished second in the overall standings, with teammate Andrea Locatelli in P7 on the opening day of the penultimate round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship in Indonesia today.
With a brand new surface at Mandalika International Street Circuit, the riders had a tough day on track to assess tyre life and race set-up during just two 45-minute sessions. A lack of grip and work to scrub or “clean” the optimum race line on the new asphalt meant early lap times were a far cry from the lap record set during WorldSBK’s first visit to the island of Lombok last November.
But, as always, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK got to work to complete as many laps as possible to give both riders the best chance of success during the weekend. Free Practice 2 was the hottest session of the day with track temperatures of more than 61 degrees Celsius – making it hard work for both rider and machine alike – while a series of red flags also interrupted the flow of many of the field’s “race simulations” during this afternoon’s representative conditions.
Indonesia’s special condensed race schedule will continue tomorrow with Free Practice 3 starting at the earlier time of 8:30 (UTC+8) followed by Superpole qualifying from 10:40-10:55 and lights out for Race 1 at 13:30.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: P2 – 1’34.088
“This morning, we started with a dirty track but in the afternoon feeling much better. The feeling with the bike is very good and I am ready to race. We tried some different setups for the race and also did some good work – I’m very happy with the race simulation. I’m looking now to tomorrow because it will be an important day for me. Now, there is just one clean line but not completely clean. But in the race, not easy to pass because outside the line very dirty. I hope it doesn’t start to rain tonight because like this I think tomorrow will start like today. Not easy for all riders, also for the tyre life is difficult to manage now, but we will see. Now my plan is good qualifying and a good race, I hope to fight for the win. My goal this weekend is three wins, but the weather is always changing so we try our best.”
Andrea Locatelli: P7 – 1’34.941
“The feeling on the bike was not so bad this morning and also in the afternoon. The track condition for sure has not helped us to take a good rhythm. I think the track will improve more tomorrow, we worked a lot today to understand what we need to improve for the races. In general, I’m not super happy but I think we are ready to fight this weekend to try to get good results. We try to get the best possible position, this is the objective, and we hope to close the gap to the front as much as possible in FP3, Superpole and Race 1 tomorrow
