In unseasonably hot weather conditions Jonathan Rea ended up being the fastest WorldSBK rider after the first two practice periods at Donington Park, with only his team-mate Tom Sykes getting close to him on what was a good day for the Kawasaki entrants in general.
 
Rea and Sykes had also been 1-2 in the morning qualifying sessions, showing strong early pace on a circuit which has been resurfaced in some areas compared to last year.
 
Tom was just 0.122 seconds from taking top spot himself today but Rea’s 1’27.740 lap time - already close to the existing race lap record – was enough to make sure of his overnight lead, despite also experiencing a slow speed fall at one stage today.
 
Wildcard rider for the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team, Leon Haslam, was third quickest, continuing the overall positive start of the Ninja ZX-10RR.
 
Now the top ten riders from Friday will automatically enter into Superpole 2, with the two fastest riders from Superpole 1 then joining them to determine the final race one qualifying positions on the first four rows of the grid.
 
Jonathan Rea, stated: “This afternoon we set off with the intention of doing a long run. We did a race simulation which as OK and we have a lot of good information now for the first race tomorrow. I think we will put our heads together tonight and try to improve in some areas. In the first sector I feel really consistent, in the last sector I feel quite good on the brakes if I needed to make passes and even in the chicane, which was quite a tough area for me last year, this is the best  have felt. It is just sector two where I need to improve a little bit.”
 
Tom Sykes, stated: “I am definitely feeling a lot better physically than I have been recently and I am enjoying riding round Donington Park in the sunshine. It is definitely warm enough. We just need to dial in a couple of things for tomorrow but overall the base is there and things are working well. We have a similar bike set-up at Donington to what we have been running this year. I am just trying to make a couple of steps for race one tomorrow. Plan A is the same as always, go out and try to win both races.”
 
2017 KRT Rider Statistics
Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015 and 2016
2017: Races 10, Wins 7, Podiums 10, Superpoles 3
Career Race Wins: 45 (30 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 98 (56 For Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 11 (7 For Kawasaki)
 
Tom Sykes: World Champion 2013
2017: Races: 10, Wins 0, Podiums 7, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 31 (31 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 91 (90 For Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 38 (38 For Kawasaki)
 
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
4 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Sykes 2013, Rea 2015 & 2016), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
2 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016)
2 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015 & 2016)
 
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 98 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 324 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 66 – second overall