Friday's Czech Round at the Most circuit began with a big scare for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team. Nicolò Bulega was the unintentional protagonist of a frightening accident during FP1, which was characterised by many dangerous crashes. Taken to the Medical Center, the Italian rider underwent examinations on his left knee and right ankle, which fortunately ruled out fractures.
After being declared Fit for FP2, Bulega gritted his teeth and returned to the track in the afternoon. He even managed to lap consistently, completing 15 laps with the fourth-fastest time of the day.
It was a positive Friday for Alvaro Bautista, who seemed to have a good feeling with his Ducati Panigale V4R right from FP1, finishing in third place. In the afternoon, the Spanish rider continued with the set-up work, showing a good pace to close with the fifth fastest time in the combined classification.
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #11)
"It was a nasty crash. That's why it was important for me to get back on the bike straight away in FP2, to get the feeling back and assess my condition. Of course, I have pain in different parts of my body, but I consider myself lucky with how things went. Also, the race pace wasn't bad, which gives us confidence for tomorrow."
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #19)
"It was a very special day. The overnight rain and the less-than-perfect track conditions strongly conditioned FP1 with many crashes and a series of red flags. So I couldn't find continuity, even though the feeling was good. In the afternoon, we tried to make a small change to the setup, but it did not give positive results".