Hoping to carry positive momentum from his podium last week, Pata Prometeon Yamaha rider Jonathan Rea made a good start to his weekend with the third fastest time in Free Practice, on the first day of Round 6 of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship at Most in the Czech Republic today.
In warm, sunny, almost 30-degree Celsius weather, Rea and teammate Andrea Locatelli got to work to prepare for the second race weekend on the bounce with two 45-minute Free Practice sessions to dial in the set-up for their Yamaha R1 WorldSBK machines for both the conditions and the Czech track.
It was a constructive Friday for Rea and his #65 crew, who are optimistic to find more margin to improve on race pace and managing Pirelli’s harder rear compound choices available this weekend.
Locatelli was just three-tenths away on the combined timesheets, with competition across the field extremely close on the short 4.212km circuit. A small crash at Turn 2 during Free Practice 2 ended his session just a few minutes early, with little track time missed and the rider fully ok.
The Pata Prometeon Yamaha pair will be back on track early tomorrow morning with Free Practice 3 at the normal time of 9:00 CEST, Superpole qualifying to determine all-important grid positions at 11:00 and Race 1 at 14:00.
Jonathan Rea: P3 – 1'32.033
“We didn’t have any issues today, I was able to go out this morning and really find my feet with the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK here. It was probably the best Friday I’ve had with Pata Prometeon Yamaha – we didn’t change the bike very much, we just kept working through the plan and I enjoy riding the track here! It was a solid day, we just need to keep working on our long-run pace, as Pirelli have brought a new prototype SC1 rear. I did quite a few laps on one option but not so many on the other, so we just need to understand which is best – but we still have some margin to improve. For me the target is clear again – I want to keep improving my feeling and be more competitive. I’m starting to really understand how the Yamaha R1 works and I’m working hard to exploit its positive points.”
Andrea Locatelli: P10 – 1'32.369
“It was a strange day! We are not so far from the top, so this is a good point – but we just need to understand where we miss something. My confidence is not so bad – I was pushing hard today but the feeling was not the best on the front end for this track, and I had a small crash on Turn 2, but we can continue working for tomorrow. We are not so far, so with a small step forward we can improve a little bit and we can push for a good result! Let’s see what we can do, I think we can do well in the race.”
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