Bulega and Bautista Take P2 and P3, Respectively, on Friday at Misano. Pirro Sixteenth. Huertas to Start Second in Tomorrow’s WorldSSP Race

It was a solid Friday for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team as Nicolò Bulega and Alvaro Bautista constantly improved throughout the day and made significant steps forward in FP2.
 
After finishing the morning session in third place – 581 thousandths of a second behind Razgatlioglu (BMW) – Bulega managed to lower his fastest time by more than half a second in the afternoon, ending FP2 in first place (P2 in the combined standings) with a time of 1’33.511.
 
It was also a fruitful day for Alvaro Bautista, who worked on both setup and tyre choice and tried a new front tyre solution introduced by Pirelli. The Spanish rider ended FP2 in second place with a time of 1’33.913.
 
Michele Pirro, who took advantage of the first day of free practice to get familiar with the Pirelli tyres, ended the day sixteenth.
 
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11)
“I am satisfied with this Friday also because, compared to FP1, the feeling with the bike has grown a lot in the afternoon. For this reason, I want to thank the team that put me in a position to improve, especially in the braking areas”.
 
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #1)
“We did intense work today, also trying the new Pirelli tyres; however, we did not find particular benefits. We returned to the track in the afternoon with our certainties, and the sensations were very good. We need to continue on this path tomorrow.”
 
Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #51)
“First, I am happy to return to Superbike after a few years. I’ve been trying to find the feeling; I’ve lapped a lot on this track, but practically only with the Desmosedici GP. I hope tomorrow I can take one more step forward”.
 
WorldSSP
Despite a crash at the beginning of the session, Adrian Huertas gritted his teeth and pushed hard to take Pole Position. Afterwards, his lap was cancelled for exceeding track limits, and therefore, the Spanish rider will still start tomorrow’s race from the second spot on the grid. 
 
Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #99)
“It’s a pity because I did a good lap and didn’t realize I had gone on the green. Unfortunately, I crashed at the beginning of the session, and I’m sorry because I gave the team extra work. However, the feeling is extremely positive, and I am confident heading into the weekend’s races.”