Toprak Razgatlioglu had the honour of inaugurating the WorldSBK Championship’s first visit to the Most Autodrom as he swept to a dominant top spot by six tenths of a second.
The Turkish rider comes to the Czech venue fired up to regain lost ground in the 2021 WorldSBK title fight after he was dramatically eliminated from action at the start of the second and final race at Assen two weeks ago.
His first DNF of the year, with main rival Jonathan Rea collecting a trio of wins in the Netherlands, Razgatlioglu has slipped 37 points adrift of the Ulsterman.
However, he was in fine form around the high-speed Central European circuit, his fastest time on the Pata Yamaha R1 in FP1 proving head and shoulders above the competition.
He headed up British duo Alex Lowes - fresh from penning a new Kawasaki agreement for the 2022 season - and Ducati’s Scott Redding, while wild-card Marvin Fritz enjoyed a headline-grabbing start to his maiden WorldSBK season with a run to fourth on the YART Yamaha R1.
Andrea Locatelli picked up from where left off with his maiden podium in Assen by going fifth best for Yamaha, ahead of championship leader Jonathan Rea, the Kawasaki man enjoying a relatively modest start to the weekend ahead of Saturday when he will attempt to reel off a sixth consecutive pole position.
Tom Sykes led the BMW charge in seventh, with Alvaro Bautista quickest Honda in eighth; Local rider Karel Hanika on the second of the YART Yamaha wild-cards was ninth best, with Garrett Gerloff rounding out the top ten on the GRT Yamaha before going on to lead the way in the slower rain-affected FP2 session.
Fritz and Hanika are two of four new faces on the 2021 grid this weekend, with Alessandro Delbianco - who competed with Althea Mie Honda in 2019 - returning to the MIE team in place of COVID-19 struck Leandro Mercado, while American racer Jayson Uribe bowed for Pedercini Kawasaki in 23rd.
2021 WorldSBK Most, CZE | Friday Free Practice [FP1 + FP2] RESULTS
| 2021 WorldSBK Most, CZE | Friday Free Practice [FP1 + FP2] RESULTS | Round 6 / 13 | |||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat. | WorldSBK Team | Superbike | Timing |
| 1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | Pata Yamaha by BRIXX | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 33.022 |
| 2 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 33.622 |
| 3 | Scott Redding | GBR | Aruba Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 33.663 |
| 4 | Marvin Fritz | AUT | IXS-YART | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 33.809 |
| 5 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | Pata Yamaha by BRIXX | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 33.861 |
| 6 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 33.862 |
| 7 | Tom Sykes | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M1000RR | 1m 34.006 |
| 8 | Alvaro Bautista | ESP | Team HRC Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1m 34.085 |
| 9 | Karel Hanika | CZE | IXS-YART | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 34.142 |
| 10 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 34.155 |
| 11 | Michael van der Mark | NED | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M1000RR | 1m 34.257 |
| 12 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 34.278 |
| 13 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | ESP | Aruba Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 34.528 |
| 14 | Leon Haslam | GBR | Team HRC Honda | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1m 34.548 |
| 15 | Jonas Folger | GER | Bonovo MGM Action | BMW M1000RR | 1m 34.615 |
| 16 | Tito Rabat | ESP | Barni Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 35.267 |
| 17 | Chaz Davies | GBR | Team GoEleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 1m 35.385 |
| 18 | Kohta Nozane | JPN | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 35.408 |
| 19 | Isaac Vinales | ESP | Orelac Racing VerdNatura | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 35.853 |
| 20 | Christophe Ponsson | FRA | Alstare Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 1m 36.068 |
| 21 | Alessandro Delbianco | ITA | MIE Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1m 36.077 |
| 22 | Loris Cresson | BEL | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 37.193 |
| 23 | Jayson Uribe | USA | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | KawasakI ZX-10RR | 1m 39.148 |
