Former WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes topped the opening practice at Misano this morning, leading Kawasaki team-mate Jonathan Rea by 0.052s with Marco Melandri’s Ducati Panigale in third.
Sykes put in a 1’34.931 as the fastest of three laps under the 1’35s mark with Rea’s sole sub-1’35s of 1’34.983 as the next best time. The reigning champion lost the first 15 minutes of the session with some sort of bike issue and then struggled with the final sector, losing three-tenths to Sykes, but is quickest in three others.
Melandri and team-mate Chaz Davies are on pretty-much identical pace with the Italian ending his session on a 1’35.151, 0.099s in front of Davies. Melandri is fast in every sector while the Welshman has work to do in sector four where he loses two-tenths to rival Rea.
Leon Camier has again worked miracles with the MV Agusta, hauling his way into fifth place on a 1’35.584 and looks comfortable running those sort of laptimes. Xavi Fores was one place behind the Engishman with Jordi Torres next along on the Althea BMW.
Michael Van Der Mark experienced a bike problem late on but still managed to keep his Pata Yamaha in eighth but it wasn’t a good morning for team-mate Alex Lowes. The Derby-based rider crashed at turn eight and spent a lot of the session in the garage before going back out only to go down again at turn five to finish in 11th
Eugene Laverty, who has more new parts on the Milwaukee Aprilia this weekend, ended in ninth with Raffaele De Rosa in tenth. Randy Krummenacher is one place behind Lowes in 12th with Stefan Bradl, Roman Ramos and Lorenzo Savadori completing the top 15.
