Rea leads warm-up as full World Superbike grid returns to action
Full Argentina WorldSBK warm-up results
Jonathan Rea has topped a 19-rider field in warm-up at the Argentina World Superbike round following the controversial opening race.
The newly-crowned five-time World Superbike champion was just one of 12 riders to take part in Race 1 with six riders sitting out the race over safety concerns while Loris Baz was ruled out by injury.
Rea finished runner-up to Alvaro Bautista in the opener but started strongly in cooler conditions to produce a late 1m 37.784s to lead nearest rival Toprak Razgatlioglu by over eight-tenths of a second in the 15-minute warm-up session.
Chaz Davies was one of the riders who opted to miss the opening race, with the six riders releasing a joint statement explaining the situation at Circuito San Juan Villicum, but all World Superbike riders are expected to contest today’s Superpole sprint race and full distance Race 2.
The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider ended warm-up third fastest ahead of Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark and fellow protester Sandro Cortese on the GRT Yamaha.
With Alex Lowes in sixth place for Pata Yamaha, Race 1 winner Bautista could only manage seventh place for the factory Ducati squad but ahead of BMW’s Tom Sykes, Barni Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Kawasaki’s Leon Haslam.
Home round hero Leandro Mercado claimed 11th place in warm-up for Orelac Racing Kawasaki in front of lead Moriwaki Althea Honda rider Leon Camier.
GRT Yamaha’s Marco Melandri slotted into 13th place with the recovering Baz in 14th for Ten Kate Racing Yamaha as Jordi Torres rounded out the top 15 for Pedercini Kawasaki.
With Markus Reiterberger 16th for BMW, Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven Ducati), Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda) and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Honda) completed the warm-up timesheet.
