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Dominique Aegerter had to wait until Friday afternoon to find out whether he would actually be allowed to take part in the races in Estoril.

After a beautiful Thursday, the weather Portugal’s Atlantic coastline showed its nastiest side on Friday. Low clouds and heavy rain showers alternated almost every minute, at least in the morning, and warm temperatures also led to high humidity too.

For Dominique Aegerter, his comeback began with a small relief, as the rain-soaked track during Free Practice One meant that the strain on his injured shoulder was not so great. After the session, which he finished in 23rd place, he had to undergo another medical test and was only given the green light for the second practice session of the day for the time being.

The track was initially dry in the afternoon, which gave Aegerter a small taste of what it feels like to find his speed again. The Yamaha rider finished Friday in Estoril in 22nd place with reduced risk and was then delighted to receive the final go-ahead from the race doctors.

Live broadcasts this weekend will only be available on ServusTV's digital platforms and on the official WorldSBK website. ServusTV will broadcast a recording of the two main races on free-to-air television on Saturday and Sunday from 16:00 CEST.

#77 Dominique AEGERTER (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Yamaha YZF R1)
FP1: P23 - 1´57.255 / FP2: P22 - 1´40.885

«I am glad to be back. I was able to finish both today’s practice sessions and also got the green light for the rest of the weekend. Fortunately, it was mostly wet, so it was a bit easier for my body to get used to the stresses and strains on the bike again. Of course, the risk of a crash was very high, so I took it a bit easier. In the afternoon we were able to do a few laps in the dry, which put more strain on my shoulder and I was also a little sore.»

«So, now I am curious to see how my body will feel when I wake up tomorrow morning. But I definitely want to keep going and find the speed again. I am over the moon to be back on my Yamaha Superbike and in my GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK team. Hopefully the weather will be a bit more stable on Saturday and Sunday. But the most important thing this weekend is to get the speed back and make further progress in my recovery. The icing on the cake would be to leave Estoril with a few points.»

#EstorilWorldSBK - WSBK Combined Free Practice Times (FP1/FP2):
1 Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU / TUR / ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR / 1´37.355 (FP2)
2 Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Barni Spark Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4R / 1´38.065 +0.710 (FP2)
3 Alex LOWES / GBR / Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR / 1´38.074 +0.719 (FP2)
…
22 #77 Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1 / 1´40.885 +3.530 (FP2)

#EstorilWorldSBK - WSBK Time Schedule for Saturday October 12th (CEST):
10:00 - 10:20 FP3
12:00 - 12:15 Superpole 
15:00 Race 1 (21 Laps – 87.822 km)