Rin’s too Super for big boys

INDEPENDENT Ducati rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi kept the World Superbike factory boys at bay as he dominated practice at Aragon.

Ahead of the second race weekend at the Spanish track, the Team Goeleven pilot (above) beat Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea by 0.001secs with a 1min 49.840sec lap.

And with the temperature set to soar ahead of today’s race, the Italian knows it could be his best chance yet to grab a podium.

He said: “For a small team like us the results are so important and I’m happy because this could be a good weekend for us.

“My bike works better when the conditions are hot and also my riding style, because I’m not too heavy, I consume less tyre so the hot weather is a good thing for us.”

Rea’s teammate Alex Lowes was third fastest, while the fastest of the factory Ducati riders was Chaz Davies vies who ended the day sixth.

SUZUKI stand-in Gino Rea threw down the gauntlet at Silverstone yesterday with a surprise fastest lap ahead of this weekend’s Bennetts British Superbike races.

Rea (inset), deputising for the injured Keith Farmer at Buildbase Suzuki, shot to the top of the timesheets with a 53.434sec lap, demoting leader Glenn Irwin to second.

“It’s definitely one of the most positive days I’ve had so far in BSB,” said Rea, who rode a Yamaha in last week’s Le Mans 24-hours Moto race.

“It’s always a bit difficult jumping from bike to bike but we’ve made a few changes to suit my style and the bike really suits this circuit.

“I just got my head down and got used to it again. The team put out a great bike.”