2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Seven – Imola
Friday Practice
WorldSBK action got underway at Imola overnight and there was action aplenty. There were three brief red flags but with all riders okay; firstly for an incident at the final corner for Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing), secondly for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the same place, whilst Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) replicated the same incident as Rea.
Going into tomorrow as the rider to beat is Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who went top with his final flying lap. Day one saw none of the top four in the World Championship standings inside the top four.
Coming back from injury, Rinaldi rocketed to the top on his final flying lap right at the end of the session, as he seeks to silence critics at his second home round of the year.
Michael Rinaldi – P1
“It was a special day, different from others, not only because we haven’t raced at Imola for a few years but also because the days following the Donington incident have been challenging. Besides the high temperature and ankle pain that put me to the test during FP1, we were still fast and improved in FP2. I still need to work on the final sector where there is room for improvement, but overall, it has been positive.”
Alvaro Bautista was also fast right throughout the opening day of action, although in the end, he didn’t improve on his FP1 time. A solid first day from the #1, but it left the reigning World Champion and current Championship leader eighth on the combined times, with a little bit more work to do, given that he’s half a second from his team-mate who led the way.
Alvaro Bautista – P8
“I used this Friday to get familiar with a track where I have raced only once in 2019. The feeling with the bike wasn’t at the highest level as it has been on many occasions this season, but it’s normal, especially considering the extremely high temperature. We weren’t chasing lap times, and in fact, we didn’t change tyres during the sessions. There are still several details to work on, but I’m confident we’ll improve the feeling tomorrow.”
There was drama for Jonathan Rea with his crash at the final corner, but he got back out for a good 15 laps in total. However, it was his team-mate who stole the show on what has been a weekend where ‘Lowes’ was the name on everyone’s lips. This time, it was the Lowes of the Alex variety, as he launched in a fantastic time just before the third red flag to go top. However, a late charge elsewhere saw Lowes relegated to second position whilst Rea was seventh overall, but nonetheless it was a solid start in the high heat on Friday for the ZX-10RR riders.
Alex Lowes – P2
“This morning in FP1 I was on the hard tyres on the front and it was sliding a lot. It’s a few years since I have been here and this is my first time here on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR. The bike set-up didn’t feel too bad, to be honest, even in FP1. In FP2 I felt quite good straight away. My plan was to do 15 laps in succession and then a shorter run near the end. With the red flags I did not get to put consistent laps in, but even with the 15 laps I did on the same tyre I was still able to do a good time. I think it is going to be a hot race – and a long race – on Saturday, but I feel like I was pretty competitive today.”
Jonathan Rea – P7
“I love this track it has a nice feeling. You can forget after so long since we have been here that to go fast at Imola you have to be 100% committed. So it just takes some time to get your confidence and then when you are fast and committed, the lap time starts coming. In the afternoon session there were a lot of red flags. My rhythm was really good in the beginning of the session, when everyone used the race option tyres. Then at the end, as the soft option tyres were going in, I didn’t feel so good. I crashed when I changed front tyre and I didn’t feel good with that option, and also the electronics were not so good in the final chicane. I lost a bit of confidence but at the end we put in an SCX rear tyre and was able to improve a little bit. We started this weekend with the bike set-up from 2019, in terms of chassis balance, but of course the bike has evolved. On Saturday we are going to go to more of a 2023 set-up. We will try again to fine tune the electronics and make a step, especially in the engine braking side, as stopping for the chicanes is very important here. I just want to give myself that little bit more confidence for Saturday.”
There was early drama for Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and team-mate Loris Baz. Going down to Rivazza on their out-lap, Gerloff lost control of his M 1000 RR and couldn’t avoid the back of his team-mate at the apex, leaving both tumbling through the gravel. Thankfully, both were relatively OK and soon got back out, with Baz going straight into the top ten on his first flying lap, whilst Gerloff went P12 on his return to the track. However, it was the American’s last lap time attack which really caused a stir, as he went third and like in FP1, was top BMW, albeit with the SCQ tyre. Baz finished in 12th.
One of the major headlines on day one, Bassani’s sensational afternoon pace, with the charismatic Italian at what is his true home-round. Setting consistently fast lap times in FP2 and was the rider to beat for most of the session. It’s an impressive step by the rider from Feltre, who admits that he himself hasn’t normally been strong on a Friday. Finishing in fourth but with a strong race pace, if this is the form he can demonstrate on Friday, can Bassani be a contender for a long-awaited first win in WorldSBK?
Also looking for a first win in WorldSBK after a maiden rostrum last time out, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) took ninth overall but was a feature at times at the pointy end of the timing screens.
Danilo Petrucci – P9
“We’ve had a good first day and I’m pleased to be back here at Imola. It’s quite a tough track with a lot of potholes and a slippery surface, but I’m pleased with the feeling I have with the bike. It was a pity about all the red flags just as I was improving on my time, but it’s still only day one and the important thing is to do well tomorrow, first in qualifying and then in race one.”
Andrea Locatelli was seventh in the morning and found a step in the second half of FP2, as he gets used to Imola for the first time in WorldSBK. He ended up as top Yamaha and was less than half a second from Rinaldi’s top time, whilst it was a strong opening day for team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu, who topped FP1 by just 0.003s. He was back on the pace in the afternoon session too, consistently up inside the top six but unable to improve his time from FP1. The 2021 World Champion will hope he can re-assert himself as top Yamaha come Saturday and Sunday race days.
Andrea Locatelli – P5
“It’s a good track for me, I have good memories and the feeling today was great. We started in a really good way from FP1, we found a good base set-up and just tried to ride a lot and do some fine tuning around my R1 – because the feeling is really good. I think we can be fast on this track – we just need to work on generating rear grip, especially for this temperature. If we can find a little bit more grip, something to help me be more relaxed on the bike, I think we can be really competitive. I’m feeling strong and now it’s important to continue like this. We know the rider that finished at the front was on the Q tyre, and we didn’t use it. So to finish the first day like this is a good Friday for us! Every weekend the objective is to try for the podium, but also to stay in the top five and take points for championship.”
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P6
“For me, it was not a bad day just I am feeling less grip with the rear tyre. I hope we are improving for tomorrow, but in general we did a good job – it looks like just Bautista and I tried a race simulation today with many laps. I did 14, 15 laps – even with the red flags and good lap times. Just two or three of my laps cancelled! Also my best lap was cancelled because I think I touched the green on Turn 22. But, I am happy – we just need to improve the rear grip and we will see what is possible. I am just thinking about the race now, 19 laps and you need good pace! It looks like we are strong, but for me it is not quite enough – with more rear grip we can ride more relaxed and ready to fight.”
On his Imola debut, Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was tenth and improved his time by nearly a second compared to FP1, even if overall lap times are slightly behind where they were, meaning the pace is still to drop further. He was one place ahead of fellow countryman Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), who was having a fine Imola debut and as high as fourth in the afternoon. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) took P13, one place higher than Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), but was just over a second and a half away from Rinaldi at the top.
Remy Gardner – P14
“It was a difficult day but in the end I think I’ve learned the track quite well. I arrived in Imola feeling a little sick, but day by day I’m getting better and I’m confident about being in good shape tomorrow. In the Free Practice 2 I had more confidence with the track and we managed to be faster, but we know there’s still a lot of work to do. We’re confident about making progress tomorrow, we still have margin to improve.”
Stealing headlines further down were Honda, as once again, they struggled to make any ground. Whilst lap times improved compared to the morning, their position left them down in 15th and 17th on the combined times, as Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) led the way. Team-mate Iker Lecuona was 1.7s off the top time, with Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) splitting the pair on his return as a replacement rider. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ – or perhaps for this weekend, ‘Pocket ROKiT’ – had a small technical issue but was okay in himself.
Xavi Vierge – P15
“So the first day here in Imola is done and dusted. It’s a new track for us and I like it a lot – the layout is great but very difficult because many of the corners are so narrow. But it’s a nice one to ride even if we’re unfortunately not as fast as we want to be. We are working incredibly hard to fix the difficulties we are having, which are very similar to those we had at Donington and prevent us from fully exploiting the bike’s potential. Right now, we are struggling with the rear and have no grip or contact when exiting the turns, which means that we can only try and make up something on the brakes and that’s not enough of course. We tried to make some adjustments to the setup between FP1 and FP2 with no substantial improvement so the plan is to make some bigger changes for tomorrow.”
Iker Lecuona – P17
“As for the track, I would like to say it’s enjoyable because I can see that it might be, but it’s not enjoyable for me as yet because I’m still struggling to get to grips with it. As for our performance, I can say the feeling I have right now is the worst I’ve had with the bike so far. In FP2 I felt very frustrated with myself, the bike and the situation because we find ourselves fighting for positions that don’t reflect our potential. I tried to do my best anyway, and I want to say thanks to the team because they are pushing a lot and continue to believe in me, but it’s not easy to accept being so far back fighting for fifteenth position. We need to take a moment and then get right to back to work, checking all the data and seeing if we can find something that can help us to reverse the situation tomorrow.”
Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) completed the top 20.
Dominique Aegerter – P19
“Today was my first ever time in Imola on two wheels. I went there with a car almost a month ago, but with the bike it’s a different story. I had to find the settings and manage the gearing. It was very hot today as well, and riding in those conditions is always tricky, plus the red flags didn’t help us with getting the rhythm and consistent laps around the track. We will work hard tonight to find more solutions, we’re aiming for a good qualifying and first race.”
On his return to WorldSBK, Roberto Tamburini (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) was 21st, ahead of Isaac Vinales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) and his own teammate, Eric Granado, who suffered an off-track excursion at Turn 2. Tito Rabat and Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) completed the order, with day one of WorldSBK’s return to Imola in the history books.
WorldSBK Friday Combined Practice Times
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | M. Rinaldi | Ducati Panigale V4R | 1m47.128 |
2 | A. Lowes | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +0.151 |
3 | G. Gerloff | BMW M1000 RR | +0.326 |
4 | A. Bassani | Ducati Panigale V4R | +0.420 |
5 | A. Locatelli | Yamaha YZF R1 | +0.464 |
6 | T. Razgatlioglu | Yamaha YZF R1 | +0.533 |
7 | J. Rea | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +0.536 |
8 | A. Bautista | Ducati Panigale V4R | +0.563 |
9 | D. Petrucci | Ducati Panigale V4R | +0.565 |
10 | S. Redding | BMW M1000 RR | +0.674 |
11 | B. Ray | Yamaha YZF R1 | +0.854 |
12 | L. Baz | BMW M1000 RR | +1.312 |
13 | P. Oettl | Ducati Panigale V4R | +1.558 |
14 | R. Gardner | Yamaha YZF R1 | +1.566 |
15 | X. Vierge | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | +1.621 |
16 | L. Haslam | BMW M1000 RR | +1.671 |
17 | I. Lecuona | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | +1.779 |
18 | L. Baldassarri | Yamaha YZF R1 | +1.833 |
19 | D. Aegerter | Yamaha YZF R1 | +1.857 |
20 | G. Ruiu | BMW M1000 RR | +1.953 |
21 | R. Tamburini | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | +2.649 |
22 | I. Vinales | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +3.309 |
23 | E. Granado | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | +3.494 |
24 | T. Rabat | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +3.619 |
25 | O. Konig | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +3.691 |
World Superbike Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | Alvaro Bautista | 357 |
2 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | 264 |
3 | Andrea Locatelli | 175 |
4 | Jonathan Rea | 163 |
5 | Axel Bassani | 146 |
6 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | 102 |
7 | Alex Lowes | 99 |
8 | Danilo Petrucci | 98 |
9 | Dominique Aegerter | 97 |
10 | Xavi Vierge | 92 |
11 | Remy Gardner | 69 |
12 | Iker Lecuona | 66 |
13 | Scott Redding | 63 |
14 | Garrett Gerloff | 61 |
15 | Philipp Oettl | 52 |
16 | Michael Van Der Mark | 19 |
17 | Loris Baz | 13 |
18 | Tom Sykes | 11 |
19 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | 9 |
20 | Bradley Ray | 8 |
21 | Hafizh Syahrin | 8 |
22 | Isaac Vinales | 1 |
23 | Ivo Miguel Lopes | 1 |
WorldSSP
Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) emerged as the fastest rider, setting an impressive time of 1’51.257s, placing him at the top of the combined timesheets. Caricasulo’s lap time gave him a significant advantage of 0.745 seconds over Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) who finished in second place.
Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) showcased his pace, securing the third position with a time of 1’52.010s, 0.753 seconds behind the leader.
Championship leader Nicolo Bulega, despite a crash during the session, managed to secure the fifth position 0.787 seconds adrift from Caricasulo.
Unfortunately Oli Bayliss found that his lingering shoulder injuries were too much to bear and has been ruled unfit for the meeting. Bayliss will examine his options from here in regards to surgery.
Luke Power was 26th quickest on Friday while countryman Tom Edwards was 29th.
WorldSSP Friday Combined Practice Times
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | F Caricasulo | Ducati Panigale V2 | 1m51.257 |
2 | S Manzi | Yamaha YZF R6 | +0.745 |
3 | A Huertas | Kawasaki ZX-6R | +0.753 |
4 | B Sofuoglu | MV Agusta F3 800 RR | +0.760 |
5 | N Bulega | Ducati Panigale V2 | +0.787 |
6 | V Debise | Yamaha YZF R6 | +1.075 |
7 | R De Rosa | Ducati Panigale V2 | +1.082 |
8 | L Ottaviani | MV Agusta F3 800 RR | +1.248 |
9 | Y Montella | Ducati Panigale V2 | +1.266 |
10 | N Tuuli | Triumph Street Triple RS 765 | +1.287 |
11 | M. Schroetter | MV Agusta F3 800 RR | +1.394 |
12 | J Navarro | Yamaha YZF R6 | +1.585 |
13 | E Pusceddu | Yamaha YZF R6 | +1.816 |
14 | F Fuligni | Yamaha YZF R6 | +1.930 |
15 | A Diaz | Yamaha YZF R6 | +2.050 |
16 | G Van Straalen | Yamaha YZF R6 | +2.067 |
17 | A Verdoia | Yamaha YZF R6 | +2.128 |
18 | T Booth-Amos | Kawasaki ZX-6R | +2.220 |
19 | N Spinelli | Yamaha YZF R6 | +2.259 |
20 | L Mahias | Kawasaki ZX-6R | +2.323 |
21 | F Fuligni | Ducati Panigale V2 | +2.560 |
22 | M. Kofler | Ducati Panigale V2 | +2.637 |
23 | J Mcphee | Kawasaki ZX-6R | +3.561 |
24 | T Mackenzie | Honda CBR600RR | +3.732 |
25 | Y Okaya | Kawasaki ZX-6R | +3.779 |
26 | L Power | Kawasaki ZX-6R | +3.864 |
27 | A Sarmoon | Yamaha YZF R6 | +4.130 |
28 | A Norrodin | Honda CBR600RR | +4.800 |
29 | T Edwards | Yamaha YZF R6 | +4.831 |
30 | A Wongthananon | Yamaha YZF R6 | +5.187 |
31 | M Abe | Yamaha YZF R6 | +5.355 |
32 | H Truelove | Triumph Street Triple RS 765 | +5.745 |
33 | O Bayliss | Ducati Panigale V2 | +8.284 |
World Supersport Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | Nicolo Bulega | 247 |
2 | Stefano Manzi | 192 |
3 | Federico Caricasulo | 156 |
4 | Marcel Schroetter | 156 |
5 | Niki Tuuli | 93 |
6 | Glenn Van Straalen | 89 |
7 | Bahattin Sofuoglu | 84 |
8 | Valentin Debise | 80 |
9 | Jorge Navarro | 77 |
10 | Can Oncu | 63 |
11 | Yari Montella | 60 |
12 | Adrian Huertas | 58 |
13 | Nicholas Spinelli | 57 |
14 | Raffaele De Rosa | 55 |
15 | Tom Booth-Amos | 33 |
16 | John Mcphee | 31 |
17 | Oliver Bayliss | 26 |
18 | Simone Corsi | 23 |
19 | Lucas Mahias | 21 |
20 | Tarran Mackenzie | 15 |
21 | Tom Edwards | 15 |
22 | Anupab Sarmoon | 14 |
23 | Adam Norrodin | 9 |
24 | Andrea Mantovani | 9 |
25 | Harry Truelove | 5 |
26 | Apiwath Wongthananon | 4 |
27 | Andy Verdoia | 3 |
28 | Marco Bussolotti | 2 |
29 | Rhys Irwin | 1 |
30 | Federico Fuligni | 1 |
31 | Adrian Fernandez Gonzalez | 1 |
WorldSSP300
In Friday’s WorldSSP300 action at the Prometeon Italian Round, Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) emerged as one of the standout riders. Vannucci set the best time of the day with a lap time of 2’06.799s, as he topped both Free Practice sessions.
Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) finished just 0.168 seconds behind Vannucci to secure the second-best time. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) was third with a best time of 2’07.114s.
Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) staged a remarkable comeback after a challenging FP1, climbing up the ranks to claim the fourth-best time. Bruno Ieraci, a wildcard entry for the ProDina Kawasaki Racing team, continued to showcase his potential by securing the fifth-best time. Championship leader Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) completed the top six 0.673s off Vannucci.
WorldSSP300 Friday Combined Practice Times
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | M. Vannucci | Yamaha YZF-R3 | 2m06.799 |
2 | D Geiger | KTM RC 390 R | +0.168 |
3 | J Buis | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +0.315 |
4 | P Svoboda | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +0.536 |
5 | B Ieraci | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +0.586 |
6 | M. Gennai | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +0.673 |
7 | K Sabatucci | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +0.704 |
8 | M. Gaggi | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +0.799 |
9 | F Seabright | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +0.944 |
10 | D Mogeda | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +0.972 |
11 | M. Garcia | Kove 321RR | +0.972 |
12 | D Bergamini | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.074 |
13 | A Zanca | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.126 |
14 | L Veneman | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.243 |
15 | J Garcia | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.362 |
16 | J Uriostegui | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.403 |
17 | J Perez Gonzalez | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.404 |
18 | J Osuna Saez | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.425 |
19 | G Mastroluca | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.461 |
20 | M. Martella | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.462 |
21 | S Di Sora | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.525 |
22 | T Alberto | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.526 |
23 | M. Agazzi | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.554 |
24 | R Sarchi | Kawasaki Ninja 400 | +1.596 |
25 | L Lehmann | KTM RC 390 R | +1.599 |
26 | A Coppola | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.746 |
27 | R Bijman | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +1.890 |
28 | H Maier | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +2.026 |
29 | E Valentim | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +2.068 |
30 | I Peristeras | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +2.114 |
31 | R Tragni | Yamaha YZF-R3 | +2.632 |
World Supersport 300 Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | Mirko Gennai | 86 |
2 | Petr Svoboda | 85 |
3 | Dirk Geiger | 71 |
4 | Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez | 67 |
5 | Samuel Di Sora | 65 |
6 | Humberto Maier | 65 |
7 | Jeffrey Buis | 54 |
8 | Matteo Vannucci | 54 |
9 | Bruno Ieraci | 50 |
10 | Marco Gaggi | 39 |
11 | Enzo Valentim | 34 |
12 | Fenton Seabright | 25 |
13 | Daniel Mogeda | 24 |
14 | Loris Veneman | 22 |
15 | Kevin Sabatucci | 22 |
16 | Galang Hendra Pratama | 19 |
17 | Julio Garcia | 15 |
18 | Devis Bergamini | 14 |
19 | Jose Manuel Osuna Saez | 10 |
20 | Ruben Bijman | 9 |
21 | Alessandro Zanca | 5 |
22 | Yeray Saiz Marquez | 3 |
23 | Lennox Lehmann | 1 |
24 | Troy Alberto | 1 |
WorldSBK Imola Schedule
(AEST)
Time | Class | Event |
Friday | ||
Saturday | ||
1700 | WorldSBK | FP3 |
1745 | WorldSSP300 | Superpole |
1825 | WorldSSP | Superpole |
1910 | WorldSBK | Superpole |
1945 | R3 bLU cRU Cup | R1 |
2040 | WorldSSP300 | R1 |
2200 | WorldSBK | R1 |
2315 | WorldSSP | R1 |
0015 (Sun) | R3 bLU cRU Cup | R2 |
Sunday | ||
1700 | WorldSBK | WUP |
1725 | WorldSSP | WUP |
1750 | WorldSSP300 | WUP |
1900 | WorldSBK | SPRace |
2030 | WorldSSP | R2 |
2200 | WorldSBK | R2 |
2315 | WorldSSP300 | R2 |
2023 FIM Superbike World Championship Calendar | ||||
Date | Circuit | WSBK | WSSP600 | WSSP300 |
14-16 Jul | Imola | X | X | X |
28-30 Jul | Autodrom Most | X | X | X |
8-10 Sep | Magny-Cours | X | X | X |
22-24 Sep | Aragón | X | X | X |
29-Sep-01 Oct | Algarve | X | X | X |
13-15 Oct | San Juan Villicum | X | X |