Donington Park World Superbike - Free Practice (3) Results

Saturday morning's Free Practice 3 results for round six of the 2023 World Superbike championship at Donington Park in Great Britain.

Peter McLaren

01 Jul 2023

Alvaro Bautista, British WorldSBK, Donington Park, 30 June

2023 World Superbike, Donington Park - Free Practice 3
POS	RIDER	NAT	TEAM	TIME
1	Alvaro Bautista	ESP	Aruba.it - Ducati	1:27.636s
2	Toprak Razgatlioglu	TUR	Pata Yamaha Prometeon	+0.144s
3	Jonathan Rea	GBR	Kawasaki Racing Team	+0.617s
4	Andrea Locatelli	ITA	Pata Yamaha Prometeon	+0.730s
5	Alex Lowes	GBR	Kawasaki Racing Team	+0.819s
6	Axel Bassani	ITA	Motocorsa Ducati	+1.188s
7	Scott Redding	GBR	ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team	+1.343s
8	Tom Sykes	GBR	ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team	+1.386s
9	Garrett Gerloff	USA	Bonovo Action BMW	+1.563s
10	Philipp Oettl	GER	GoEleven Ducati	+1.889s
11	Remy Gardner	AUS	GYTR GRT Yamaha Team	+1.962s
12	Dominique Aegerter	SUI	GYTR GRT Yamaha Team	+2.083s
13	Iker Lecuona	ESP	Team HRC	+2.243s
14	Danilo Petrucci	ITA	Barni Spark Racing Team	+2.346s
15	Loris Baz	FRA	Bonovo Action BMW	+2.366s
16	Xavi Vierge	ESP	Team HRC	+2.395s
17	Bradley Ray	GBR	Yamaha Motoxracing Team	+2.407s
18	Hafizh Syahrin	MAS	PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team	+3.660s
19	Oliver Konig	CZE	Orelac Racing MOVISIO	+3.867s
20	Eric Granado	BRA	PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team	+3.987s
21	Michael Rinaldi	ITA	Aruba.it - Ducati	+4.172s
22	Lorenzo Baldassarri	ITA	GMT94 Yamaha	+5.100s
23	Tito Rabat	ESP	Kawasaki Puccetti	+5.217s
24	Isaac Vinales	ESP	Pedercini Racing	+5.258s

Donington Park: Official World Superbike Lap Records:
Best Lap:
Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki 1m 26.080s (2022)
Best Race Lap:
Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Yamaha 1m 26.767s (2022)

Reigning champion Alvaro Bautista, chasing a first Donington Park WorldSBK victory this weekend, moved to the top of the timesheets during a damp final practice for the 2023 British round.

After two rain-interrupted Friday sessions, led by Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu respectively, riders and teams were hoping for a fully dry FP3 to try and complete their delayed set-up work.

But the British weather had other ideas, earlier rain leaving numerous damp patches scattered around the track.

Lap times thus remained north of the 1m 30s barrier - compared to Rea's 1m 27.627s Friday best on the smoother but more abrasive new asphalt - until the final ten minutes.

Despite feeling 'unprepared' due to the lack of track time on Friday, the slippery surface meant Rea and team-mate Alex Lowes chose to sit out the opening half of FP3 before making their presence felt at the top of the timesheets.

But the track continued to get faster right to the flag, culminating in a 1m 27.636s by Bautista, with last year's triple winner Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) and home star Rea completing the top three.

Oliver Konig was caught out at the fearsome Craner Curves at the end of the session, leaving his machine heavily damaged and the rider clearly shaken.

Superpole (qualifying) takes place at 11:10 and Race 1 at 14:00, but the dark clouds overhead are sure to keep riders on their toes.

Donington Park has been resurfaced since the 2022 event, where Toprak Razgatlioglu took all three wins and eventual champion Alvaro Bautista suffered a rare retirement and managed just one podium.

Donington Park 2022:
Race 1 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Yamaha
Superpole Race winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Yamaha
Race 2 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Yamaha

Donington Park World Superbike - Free Practice (3) Results

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.