Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) denied Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) a dream injury comeback on Friday at MotorLand Aragon by securing top spot in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Gerloff set a 1’49.017s to lead his BMW stablemate by just 0.004s during the Tissot Aragon Round. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished second in the combined classification after topping Free Practice 1 this morning, although he was P9 in FP2.

GERLOFF PIPS RAZGATLIOGLU: a solid day for the German manufacturer

Gerloff’s best time was set right at the end of FP2 as he posted a 1’49.017s to secure top spot on Friday, finishing only 0.004s ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in second. ‘El Turco’ claimed P1 in FP1 but was ninth in Free Practice 2 as he makes his return from injury. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) put three M 1000 RR machines in the top ten as he claimed tenth with a 1’49.552s. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) completed the BMW field as he took 18^th with a 1’50.387s.

WAIT!!! Garrett Gerloff completes the fastest time #AragonWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/pIIhbAigaF

— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) September 27, 2024

BULEGA THIRD ON FRIDAY: a tenth away from Gerloff

Bulega set a 1’49.153s on his way to P2 as he led the Ducati contingent, finishing a tenth ahead of teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in fourth place in the combined standings; the #1’s best time was a 1’49.262s. Bulega’s day was disrupted in FP1 following by a small electrical issue with ‘Bulegas’ unable to set a time in the first 15 minutes. Bautista was followed by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in fifth and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in seventh overall, with ‘The Maniac’ three tenths back from his Italian compatriot ahead. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was eighth despite a huge highside in FP2 at Turn 17. He was checked at the medical centre and declared fit. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) had been showing good pace during FP2 but was unable to hook up a full lap, finishing in 13^th place with a 1’49.738s.

On top again! it’s @nbulega who leads now #AragonWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/gQyb4TsZZJ

— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) September 27, 2024

A STRONG START FOR HONDA: Vierge sixth, Lecuona ninth

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was the lead Honda rider on Friday as he secured sixth overall despite an incident in FP2. The #97 made contact with Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) on the short run between Turns 1 and 2, with Vierge’s CBR1000RR-R reaching the barrier. He did re-join the session with just over six minutes remaining in the session. Vierge’s teammate, Iker Lecuona, ensured both Hondas were in the top ten as he claimed ninth. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) improved his time in FP2 compared to the morning session after setting a 1’51.965s but a crash at Turn 17 ended his session early. He was taken to the medical centre for a check-up and declared fit. Teammate Adam Norrodin was back on track in FP1 and set a 1’55.309s but he was set to be reviewed after the first session; he was later declared unfit for the remainder of the weekend.

WORK TO DO: all Yamahas out of the top ten

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) led Yamaha’s charge on Friday as he finished in P11 after posting a 1’49.685s while Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) – making his injury comeback – was three places lower than the #87. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) finished in 16^th place while Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 17^th and Oettl 20^th after his incident with Vierge. Marvin Fritz (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) rounded out the WorldSBK field in FP2 after he crashed towards the end of the 45-minute session.

AIMING FOR MORE: Lowes P12 as the fastest Kawasaki rider

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was 12^th as he finished as the top Kawasaki rider, leading teammate Axel Bassani by around three tenths with ‘El Bocia’ finishing down in 15^th. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who was very strong last time out at Cremona, finished the day down in 19^th place after he set a 1’50.411s.

The top six from WorldSBK Friday running, full results here:

1. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’49.017s

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.004s

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.136s

4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.245s

5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.251s

6. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +0.476s

Watch all the action from Saturday at Aragon starting with FP3 at 09:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com