Kawasaki Racing’s Jonathan Rea ended the opening practice session ahead of round two of the 2017 World Superbike Championship from Thailand top of the pile.
The Northern Irishman, fresh from the double at Phillip Island two weeks ago, wasted no time when the session got underway, immediately stamping his authority over the rest at the top of the time sheets.
As the session wore on, Rea found himself displaced by Ducati’s Chaz Davies. However, this did not last for long, and in the closing minutes a 1m33.742s on his ZX-10RR saw him go a tenth clear at the head of the pack.
Marco Melandri has never raced at the Chang International Circuit before, but an impressive FP1 never eluded to this fact. The Italian heads into the afternoon session second quickest and a tenth faster than team-mate Davies in third.
Barni Racing’s Xavi Fores was a thorn in the side of the top riders in Australia all weekend, and his FP1 performance suggests the Spaniard will be up there once again.
Fores guided his Panigale R to a 1m34.319s to go fourth, with Rea’s team-mate Tom Sykes completing the top five with a last-gasp effort of 1m34.329s.
Alex Lowes headed Yamaha team-mate Michael van der Mark in sixth, while Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger showed a little more promise on their BMWs in eighth and ninth respectively. Honda’s Nicky Hayden rounded out the top 10.
Milwaukee Aprilia endured a difficult weekend in Phillip Island, and their prospects in Thailand don’t appear much brighter at this early stage. Lorenzo Savadori took the chequered flag in 11th, with Eugene Laverty a few hundredths adrift in 12th as he learns the Chang Circuit.
Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Randy Krummenacher was 13th, with the second Honda of Stefan Bradl and Team Go Eleven’s Roman Ramos completing the top 15.
Leon Camier’s Thailand weekend got off to a difficult start, much like it did in Australia two weeks ago. The MV Agusta rider didn’t manage any timed laps after a bike problem left him stranded in his garage.
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