Bautista and Rea trade fastest lap times to storm clear

Full Argentina WorldSBK FP2 results

Alvaro Bautista has claimed top spot after trading fastest laps with Jonathan Rea at Circuito San Juan Villicum.

The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider’s 1m 43.614s was enough to top the combined Friday practice timesheet by just over one-tenth of a second from the newly-crowned five-time World Superbike champion Rea on the slippery Argentinean circuit.

As a mark of the tricky conditions, Bautista’s leading time was still almost two seconds slower than last year’s best effort – produced by Rea – after Friday practice at the Argentina round.

Rea’s team-mate Leon Haslam, making his debut at the track, felt the full effects of the low grip conditions when he high-sided off on his first out-lap of FP2 leaving him to play catch-up down in seventh place at the end of the session.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi continued to impress for Barni Ducati by taking third place, albeit 1.2s off Bautista’s best lap, with factory Ducati’s Chaz Davies in fourth place at the end of the session.

With BMW’s Tom Sykes in fifth place and Puccetti Kawasaki’s Toprak Razgatlioglu in sixth place they all profited from Haslam’s early off despite the British rider returning to action later in FP2.

Sandro Cortese led the Yamaha charge down in eighth place ahead of factory Yamaha duo Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.

With Jordi Torres in 11^th for Pedercini Kawasaki and home round hero Leandro Mercado in 12^th for Orelac Racing Kawasaki, another pair of Yamaha riders followed with Ten Kate Racing Yamaha’s Loris Baz in 13^th and Cortese’s GRT Yamaha team-mate Marco Melandri in 14^th place.

Alessandro Delbianco surprisingly impressed as the top Honda rider on 15^th place ahead of Ryuichi Kiyonari.

With Markus Reiterberger in 17^th place for BMW, Leon Camier (Honda) and Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven Ducati) rounded out the times but off the pace.