Gordon Ritchie | May 11, 2018
2018 Imola WorldSBK Friday Qualifying – Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) were each given identical lap times of 1’46.686 in the third and final free practice session at Imola, in a sensational end to first day of action, May 11.
2018 Imola WorldSBK Friday Qualifying
Chaz Davies (Photo: Gold & Goose)
On his home circuit, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was third, fully 0.440 seconds from the two most recent winners of races at Imola.
Fourth fastest qualifier, pre-Superpole on Saturday, was Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia).
Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) pushed his way to fifth and then had a heated exchange with ninth-placed Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), as they clashed near the end of the final lap, and carried on their arm-waving and shouting on the slow-down lap.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was sixth, the first rider not to be able to improve his best time in FP3.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was seventh quickest, with an impressively competitive Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) eighth on his return to the WorldSBK paddock.
2018 Imola WorldSBK Friday Qualifying
Jonathan Rea (Photo: Gold & Goose)
With Torres ninth, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba Racing IT Ducati Junior Team) was 10th, and the last automatic qualifier into Superpole 2 on Saturday.
Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) just missed out on the top 10, in 11th and 12th places, respectively.
Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was forced to withdraw after FP2, and his replacement Jason O’Halloran (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was 21st after just one track session of 40 minutes.
Gordon Richie
2018 Imola WorldSBK Friday Qualifying
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