Now, if you wanted a tight start to a weekend, Friday at the Circuito Estoril handed it to us on a silver platter. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) laid down the law by topping both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2, sweeping the opening day of the Tissot Estoril Round with a blistering 1’35.432s lap on his Ducati machine. But the #11 wasn't running away unchallenged.
That's because rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) pulled off a stunning late charge, snatching second place with a 1’35.498s that left him just 0.066s adrift of the top spot. Right behind him was Bulega’s teammate Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), clocking a 1’35.516s to secure third. Less than a tenth of a second separated the entire top three, a razor-thin margin that sets up an absolute war for the rest of the weekend.
Meanwhile, home hero Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) gave the local fans plenty to shout about. With Turn 7 freshly named after him ahead of the round, the #88 put his BMW into fourth place with a 1’35.816s, sparking genuine hopes of a podium return on home soil just half an hour from his hometown. Behind him, Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) surged late in the 45-minute session to take fifth with a 1’35.844s, leading the Bimota charge just ahead of teammate Alex Lowes in seventh.
Further down the order, the times remained brutally close. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) grabbed sixth with a 1’35.863s, while his teammate Alvaro Bautista finished ninth despite being only a tenth slower. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) continued his strong form in eighth with a 1’35.964s, and Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) led the Yamaha contingent in 10th even though he was one of only two riders failing to improve their time in the afternoon. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) agonizingly missed out on the top ten by a mere three thousandths of a second in 11th, having earlier survived a dramatic crash at Turn 7 during Free Practice 1.
It wasn't a clean day for everyone out on track. Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) went down at Turn 7 in FP1 on his way to 20th, Remy Gardner suffered a late spill at Turn 9, and Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) endured a big crash at the treacherous Turn 7 before ending up 21st, just ahead of teammate Twan Smits who rounded out the field.
