With a brand new surface at Mandalika International Street Circuit, the riders had a tough day on track to assess tyre life and race set-up during just two 45-minute sessions. A lack of grip and work to scrub or “clean” the optimum race line on the new asphalt meant early lap times were a far cry from the lap record set during WorldSBK’s first visit to the island of Lombok last November.
But, as always, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK got to work to complete as many laps as possible to give both riders the best chance of success during the weekend. Free Practice 2 was the hottest session of the day with track temperatures of more than 61 degrees Celsius – making it hard work for both rider and machine alike – while a series of red flags also interrupted the flow of many of the field’s “race simulations” during this afternoon’s representative conditions.
Indonesia’s special condensed race schedule will continue tomorrow with Free Practice 3 starting at the earlier time of 8:30 (UTC+8) followed by Superpole qualifying from 10:40-10:55 and lights out for Race 1 at 13:30.
