SBK, The weather doesn't stop Melandri, 1st on Friday ahead of Rea

The weather played a cruel trick on teams and riders during the third Superbike session, in that it came on to rain ten minutes in, conditioning the day's final practice. None of the riders at the top of the timesheets were able to improve, meaning that Marco Melandri finishes in first place, ahead of the Kawasakis of Rea and Sykes, and the Panigale ridden by his team-mate.

Others were able to take a step forward, Jordi Torres on the MV Agusta (+0.560) and Alex Lowes on the Yamaha (+0.695) for example, able to move into fifth and sixth place, and pushing Michael van der Mark and Xavi Forés down the list as a result. Lorenzo Savadori (+1.159) and Leon Camier (+1.166) were also able to improve during the final session, the Honda rider lowering his time by seven tenths to close tenth overall.

The Ten Kate rider is out on track with Magneti Marelli electronics, which replace the Cosworth system. It's still early day with the new ECU, though Leon prefers to remain positive.  

Michael Rinaldi, who debuts with the Panigale this season, finishes outside of the top ten, followed by Davide Giugliano and Loris Baz. None of these three were able to take that step needed in the final session to reach the top ten. Looking at Friday's time, Melandri has once again confirmed his level of confidence with the Aragon track, but the Kawasakis are always a threat, as is the Panigale of his team-mate Chaz Davies, ready to repeat last year's win. Race 1 will get underway tomorrow at 1pm CET.