One week after winning truncated race 2 at Monza (with all the controversy surrounding the entire round) Tom Sykes was back on top of the charts in today’s opening free practice at a cloudy and cool (12°C) Donington Park for the start of fifth round of the season.
The Kawasaki rider lead the top of the timesheets with a best lap of 1.
30.
756 in a tighly packed field of riders who were biting his tail, like fellow countryman Leon Camier who was just 0.
069s adrift with his new title sponsor Fixi Suzuki.
Liberty Racing’s Jakub Smrz jumped up to third in one of his final runs and he was less than one tenth of a second adrift, while Goldbet BMW’s Michel Fabrizio led a small bevy of BMW’s, pipping both factory riders Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam.
Max Biaggi disrupted the BMW’s by taking seventh with his Aprilia ahead of Goldbet’s Ayrton Badovini in eighth.
Last week’s pole sitter Sylvain Guintoli was ninth, ahead of Jonathan Rea who crashed out at turn 8 at the start of the session, but still managed to take 10th.
Reigning World champion Carlos Checa also crashed at turn 8 and he was less than a half a second from the top of the charts.
Chaz Davies, Maxime Berger, Davide Guigliano, Eugene Laverty, Niccolò Canepa (riding with a broken foot and ligament damage) rounded out the top 16 with the Red Devils Roma Ducati rider 1.
6 seconds off pace.
Peter Hickman who is replacing injured John Hopkins this weekend was 17th, while Loris Baz who is filling in for injured Joan Lascorz at Donington and at the US round, took his factory Kawasaki up to 20th.
Gary Mason who got a call at the last minute is subbing for injured David Salom was 23th and last slot on the grid.
WSBK rookie Lorenzo Zanetti also binned his Pata Ducati at the same turn as Rea and Checa.
WSBK FP 1 Results:1.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′30.
7562.
Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1′30.
8253.
Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 1′30.
8424.
Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 1′30.
8765.
Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1′30.
8956.
Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1′30.
9627.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′30.
9768.
Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 1′31.
0759.
Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′31.
14210.
Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 1′31.
18711.
Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′31.
19712.
Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′31.
38613.
Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′31.
83214.
Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′32.
00915.
Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′32.
03716.
Niccolò Canepa (Red Devils Roma) Ducati 1098R 1′32.
49317.
Peter Hickman (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1′32.
67418.
Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 1′32.
73919.
Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 1′33.
27720.
Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′33.
40121.
Mark Aitchison (Grillini Progea Superbike Team) BMW S1000 RR 1′33.
72222.
Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′34.
11523.
Gary Mason (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′34.
589