Rinaldi pips Rea by 0.001s to top Teruel WorldSBK FP1
2020 WorldSBK Teruel Aragon - Free Practice Results (1)
Michael Ruben Rinaldi emerged as the early pace setter in free practice for round five of the 2020 WorldSBK Championship at Motorland Aragon, topping the timesheets by 0.001s
The second of two events to be held on back-to-back weekends at the Spanish venue, Rinaldi was one of last week’s standout performers with a pair of top five results on the Go Eleven Ducati.
Seeking his maiden WorldSBK podium this weekend, the Italian has started as means to go on by edging Rea - who won two of last weekend’s three races at the same circuit - by the smallest of margins.
Alex Lowes followed up his Kawasaki team-mate in third position, with Tom Sykes heading up the BMW charge in fourth as he looks to recover ground from a disastrous weekend that yielded only six points for the German firm.
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark flew the flag for Yamaha in fifth and sixth positions, ahead of Ducati pairing Chaz Davies and Scott Redding, while Honda factory duo Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista rounded out the top ten.
Behind them, Loris Baz - a front row qualifier last weekend - is 11th, ahead of the second BMW of Eugene Laverty in 12th.
With 21 riders competing this weekend - down from 23 with MIE Honda withdrawing Lorenzo Gabellini and Nuova M2 Aprilia sitting it out - there is one new name on the timesheets in MotoE World Cup winner Matteo Ferrari debuting for Motocorsa Ducati in place of the injured Leandro Mercado.
