Eager to add to their impressive combined tally of 16 podiums so far this year, both riders are hoping that the two days of testing completed in June will stand them in good stead for this weekend’s three all-important premier class races.
Built in 2010, Circuito de Navarra is not only the latest circuit to join the championship but also one of the newest facilities on the calendar. At just under 4km in length, 3.933km to be exact, it lies on the shorter side of WorldSBK venues but contains 15 corners in its compact layout to keep riders busy – including a particularly hair-raising high-speed Turn 1 – and is situated near the small northern Spain town of Los Arcos.
For popular protagonist Razgatlıoğlu, victory is the main aim as he views this weekend’s three races as the opportunity to take his sixth, seventh and eighth wins of the season – and subsequently regain the lead of the Riders’ Championship from main rival Jonathan Rea who is currently just three points ahead of the team’s Turkish hero.
On the #55 Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, Locatelli inserted himself in the fray with some of the series’ most experienced challengers at the last round in Most. He is keen to carry the momentum of a slew of top four results as he continues to turn heads in his rookie WorldSBK season. After moving up to eighth place in the closely contested riders’ standings, “Loka” has his eyes firmly set on finishing within the top five overall.
Friday morning can’t come soon enough for superbike fans and teams alike with the first of two 45-minute Free Practice sessions at 10:30 (CEST) and the afternoon session at 15:00 set to take place in scorching Spanish summer sunshine forecast to reach around 35 degrees Celsius.
