WorldSBK Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu got his bid to wrap up the 2021 title with a round to spare in Argentina as he set a fierce pace in free practice at San Juan Villicum, while Jonathan Rea suffered a fall.
The Turkish rider comes into the penultimate round with his first ‘match point’ to become the first rider other than Rea to win a WorldSBK title since Sylvain Guintoli claimed the crown in 2014.
While he faces a big ask to swell his lead from 24 points to 39 over Rea, he at least snatched the initiative in Friday free practice by going 0.3secs faster than his nearest rival on the Pata Yamaha.
Scott Redding got closest with a late surge up the order on the factory Ducati Panigale in FP2 to lead the charge against Razgatlioglu, followed closely by top Kawasaki rider Alex Lowes and the ex-MotoGP rider's Aruba.it team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Facing the prospect of ceding a WorldSBK crown he has held since his first year as a Kawasaki rider in 2015, Rea’s error-prone season suffered another set-back with a low side into the gravel trap and onto the sidelines, less than 15mins into FP2.
It means the Ulsterman has completed a relatively scant 21 laps, putting him on the back foot coming into the first of this weekend’s three races on Saturday.
Chaz Davies marked his return to WorldSBK action with a run to fifth on the Go Eleven Ducati. The Welshman has been out of action since Barcelona after breaking his ribs in an accident, skipping two events during which he announced he would retire at the end of the year.
Axel Bassani made it four Ducati riders inside the top six on the Motocorsa Panigale, ahead of Yamaha duo Andrea Locatelli and Garrett Gerloff, while Leon Haslam rounded out the top ten on the best of the Hondas.
Portimao race winner Michael van der Mark was the best placed BMW rider in 14th, while regular WorldSBk competitor Leandro Mercado was the highest placed of three local riders in 18th, with Pedercini stand-in debutants Marco Solozora and Luciano Ribodino two seconds off the back of the pack in 20th and 21st.
2021 WorldSBK Argentina | San Juan Villicum | Free Practice RESULTS
| 2021 WorldSBK Argentina | San Juan Villicum | Free Practice RESULTS | Round 12 / 13 | |||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat. | WorldSBK Team | Superbike | Timing |
| 1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | Pata Yamaha by BRIXX | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 37.872 |
| 2 | Scott Redding | GBR | Aruba Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 38.118 |
| 3 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | 1m 38.420 |
| 4 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | ITA | Aruba Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 38.433 |
| 5 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 38.501 |
| 6 | Chaz Davies | GBR | Team GoEleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 38.814 |
| 7 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 38.851 |
| 8 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | Pata Yamaha by BRIXX | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 38.875 |
| 9 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 38.879 |
| 10 | Leon Haslam | GBR | Team HRC Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1m 39.177 |
| 11 | Alvaro Bautista | ESP | Team HRC Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1m 39.284 |
| 12 | Isaac Vinales | ESP | Orelac VerdNatura Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 39.291 |
| 13 | Tito Rabat | ESP | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 39.309 |
| 14 | Michael van der Mark | NED | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M1000RR | 1m 39.323 |
| 15 | Eugene Laverty | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M1000RR | 1m 39.526 |
| 16 | Samuele Cavalieri | ESP | Barni Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 39.753 |
| 17 | Kohta Nozane | JPN | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 39.857 |
| 18 | Leandro Mercado | ESP | MIE Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1m 40.76 |
| 19 | Christophe Ponsson | FRA | Gil Motorsport | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 40.678 |
| 20 | Marco Solorza | ARG | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 42.469 |
| 21 | Luciano Ribodino | ARG | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 42.776 |
