Source: Supplied.

World champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) finished up in familiar territory at the top of the combined practice time-sheets on day one of the Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

The Northern Irishman set down a 1m34.901s marker in the afternoon’s FP2 session, putting him just 0.03s ahead of the day’s second fastest rider Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) third best.

Sykes had been the quickest rider in FP1, followed by Rea and Melandri in the morning top three, but the Yorkshireman ended day with an uncharacteristic crash at the end of FP2. Melandri finished his day a quarter of a second behind pace setter Rea and just under a tenth of a second ahead of Friday’s fourth fastest, his teammate Chaz Davies.

Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) made it four Britons in the top five, with Spaniards Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) and Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) in sixth and seventh respectively.

The top 10 also featured Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), with Lowes suffering two crashes in FP1.

World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was Friday’s sharpest rider in the WorldSSP class as he posted a 1m39.102s in the afternoon FP2 session. Gino Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) and PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) were also in the top three.

Australian Anthony West (EAB West Racing Yamaha) was 10th fastest overall after securing the funding to race-on in the world championship for another round, with Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) 29th and Giuseppe Scarcella (Team Lorini Honda) rounding out the field in 35th.

Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) took his Yamaha YZF-R3 to the fastest time in WorldSSP300, leading Honda-mounted Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays) and Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) on the time-sheets.

In STK1000, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) got off to a good start at home, while Australian teammate Mike Jones rode his Panigale to 11th. Glenn Scott (Agro On-Benjan Kawasaki) completed Friday in 34th position.