Rea starts fastest as World Superbikes return to action

Full WorldSBK FP1 results from Portimao

Jonathan Rea has topped the opening free practice session at Portimao with lap record pace for Kawasaki as the World Superbike championship returns to action after its lengthy summer break.

Rea starts fastest as World Superbikes return to action

Full WorldSBK FP1 results from Portimao

Jonathan Rea has topped the opening free practice session at Portimao with lap record pace for Kawasaki as the World Superbike championship returns to action after its lengthy summer break.

The reigning World Superbike champion dominated the opening practice setting repeated fastest laps before ending on a 1m 41.817s to pull out half a second ahead of surprise package Jordi Torres on the MV Agusta.

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The Spanish rider produced a late flyer to move up to second place, half a second off Rea, to split the factory Kawasaki duo to see Tom Sykes into third place as he continues his comeback from an ankle injury sustained during the summer break which ruled him out of last month’s Portimao test.

Barni Ducati’s Xavi Fores also started quickly in FP1 by taking fourth place fractionally ahead of Michael van der Mark on the Pata Yamaha.

Milwaukee Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty and Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Marco Melandri closely followed in sixth and seventh respectively with half a tenth splitting Fores in fourth and Melandri in seventh.

Birthday boy Alex Lowes enjoyed a relatively calm start to the Portimao race weekend in eighth on the Pata Yamaha with Red Bull Honda duo Leon Camier and Jake Gagne locking out the top 10 and the provisional automatic Q2 spots.

Factory Ducati rider Chaz Davies, also returning from injury, made a slower start to his Portimao race weekend down in 13th place, three-tenths of a second off the top 10, as he makes steady progress with his fractured collarbone.

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