Aegerter again fastest on day two | Morning crash for Khouri

Catalunya World Supersport Test 2021 – Day 2

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Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) battled it out for supremacy at Day 2 of the Catalunya World Supersport Test, however it was once again Aegerter who came away fastest.

Aegerter posted a lap time of 1’44.220s with just a few minutes to go in the session to go quickest overall for the second day, fending off the challenge from Cluzel who had been top throughout the morning session and most of the afternoon session too.

Cluzel’s teammate, Federico Caricasulo, was fourth on the second day despite losing most of the afternoon session following a crash at the final corner of the circuit. Aegerter’s teammate, Galang Hendra Pratama, had a difficult day following a technical issue in the morning session and he finished the day down in 18th place.

Jules Cluzel

“I’m delighted because after a mixed first day, I leave Barcelona with a very good lap time and an excellent race pace. Of course, I would have liked to change to another soft tyre at the end of the day to get the best time of the two days. We also worked a lot in race conditions and we were very good in these conditions. We have a bike that allows us to maintain good tyre life. The asphalt of the Barcelona circuit doesn’t make it easy though. Thanks to the team because we are on the right way to be competitive in the first race.”

Federico Caricasulo

“These two days of testing have been really interesting. After each run we improved our lap time, as well as our pace. I did almost 10 laps in 1’44, and I am able to ride easily in 1’45. We worked really well with the team, even if a crash stopped our test one hour before the end, we can be satisfied with this test. I had two great days with the team.”

2019 World Champion Randy Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team) was fighting for top spots on the timesheets as he adjusted to his new team for the 2021 campaign, posting a time that was around six tenths off Cluzel’s best for the day and third for the day, with Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) saving his best until last to go fifth overall for the day.

Tuuli’s late effort knocked rookie Luca Bernardi out of the top five with the Sammarinese rider in sixth despite a crash at Turn 3 in the afternoon session; the rider losing valuable track time but still putting in impressive performances in the test across both days as he prepares for his rookie campaign.

Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in seventh for the day following a strong afternoon showing, putting in a lap time of 1’45.408s to finished in sixth in the afternoon session and seventh overall for the day, losing ground with Krummenacher leaping up to fourth. Teammate Leonardo Taccini finished in 20th place ahead of his WorldSSP Challenge campaign in 2021.

De Rosa’s former teammate, Federico Fulugni (VFT Racing), finished in eighth place after a strong test for the Italian rider at his new team; one of a handful of riders to be adjusting to new surroundings in 2021. His teammate, Davide Pizolli, was 15th for day two as he returns to WorldSSP for the first time since 2017.

Estonian rider Hannes Soomer was the lead Kallio Racing rider on Tuesday as he finished inside the top ten with new teammate Vertti Takala in 15th place; the pair looking to push on after Kallio Racing’s strong end to the 2020 campaign. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) claimed a top ten finish on the final day of testing as his adjustment to new machinery continues.

It was another impressive day out on track for Swede Christoffer Bergman (Wojick Racing Team) with 11th, fending off the challenge from Marc Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing) and Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) in 12th and 13th respectively. On the other side of the MS Racing box, Pawel Szkopek crashed in sector two not long after the green flag was shown again after Caricasulo’s crash, bringing the session to a halt for a second time, with the Polish rider finishing last in the classification for the second day.

Luigi Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing) was the only rider who took part in both days to not improve their lap time on Tuesday, finishing the day down in 16th place, two tenths clear of the returning Michel Fabrizio (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti) who was 17th. Fabrizio’s teammate, Shogo Kawasaki, was one of three riders who only took part on Monday, with Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) missing out due to injury.

WSSP Days 1 & 2 Combined

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World Supersport 300

The two-day test for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship has come to a close after two days of thrilling action, with reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) ending the second day fastest after his time in the morning was good enough to top the combined classification ahead of new teammate Adrian Huertas.

The duo had finished first and second in the morning two-hour session and both times were good enough to hold on to those places following the afternoon session. They were the two MTM Kawasaki riders on Tuesday as Koen Meuffels did not take part on the second day following a crash he had on the opening day of action.

Samuel di Sora’s (Leader Team Flembbo) impressive test continued with third place overall for the day and a time good enough to be fastest in the afternoon session, which appeared to be a bit slower than the morning session. Teammate Sylvain Markarian also had a strong test, finishing the day in 12th

Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) finished third for the day after a late lap in the afternoon session moved him into third while teammate Margo Gaggi was 20th as he continued to get used to his new surroundings. Ton Kawakami’s (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) strong test continued with fifth place on the second day, finishing two places below his position from the first day.

Team-mate and brother Meikon was seventh place as the duo showed the form they had on occasion throughout 2020. From the same stable of riders, MS Racing’s Unai Orradre was 11th with teammate Miguel Santiago Duarte in 40th.

Victor Rodriguez Nuñez (Accolade Smrz Racing) was another rider who had a strong test with sixth overall as another rider who is adapting to new surroundings, while teammate Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez was close to his teammate but unable to overhaul him.

Machado CAME SBK’s Vicente Perez Selfa secured a top ten finish for the day with his two teammates, Bruno Ieraci and Ruben Bijman further down the order; Bijman one of two riders who created a late Red Flag that curtailed the session.

Italian rider Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) had an eventful test with two crashes across the two days, but he recovered to secure a top ten finish on day two with eighth place while teammate Fillipo Palazzi also had his own incident in the afternoon session in the middle part of the lap, and being unable to set a lap time to move himself up the order.

New outfit Viñales Racing Team secured a top 15 finish in the standings with Dean Berta Viñales, the youngest rider of the Viñales family, finished 12th for the day. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) had another strong day of testing with 13th overall for the day as the sole KTM representative on the grid in 2021.

Harry Khouri (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) brought out the only Red Flag of the morning session when he crashed at Turn 5, a left-hand hairpin corner which descends on exit, joining Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) and Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) in crashing at the same corner.

James McManus (Team# 109 Kawasaki) came off his bike at the right-hander of Turn 9 with around 30 minutes left in the morning session. The session came to a premature finish when Red Flags were shown for separate incidents for Bruno Ieraci (Machado Came SBK) and Alejandro Diez (Kawasaki GP Project).

In the afternoon, Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) came to a halt in the first part of the lap, with the Red Flags shown and the session coming to an end early.

WSSP300 Days 1 & 2 Combined