The FIM Supersport World Championship returned to the newly surfaced Aragon Circuit on Friday as the riders battled to secure the best possible grid positions for the upcoming race on Saturday. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed his fourth consecutive pole position with a lap time of 1’52.932s, which secured him the Tissot Superpole Award for 2024, ahead of Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) and Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura).

ADRIAN AWARDED: 21-year-old claims Superpole Award

Huertas was seemingly struggling in Free Practice this morning, losing time to his rivals, but he found it in time for the crucial Superpole session. His 1’52.932s was enough to give him pole by less than a tenth ahead of French rider Mahias, while Navarro had been looking good for a maiden pole but found himself demoted to third, around a tenth behind the #99. Huertas’ pole means he wrapped up the Tissot Superpole Award for this season.

MONTELLA STARTS FROM THE SECOND ROW: can he get into a fight with Huertas?

Ducati’s Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) secured fourth on the grid, followed by Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) who came in +0.407s behind the leader.  He leads German rider Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who completes the second row, repeating his Race 1 grid position in Cremona.

WorldSSP TOP 10: Manzi on the third row…

Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) will head the third row of the grid alongside Italian Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and #9 Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who took ninth ahead of Triumph’s Thomas Booth-Amos who achieved an incredible maiden podium in Italy last week and completes the top 10 on the grid for Race 1 at the Spanish Circuit.

HOME HERO? Can Huertas deliver in Spain?

With a new track surface, and a strong Championship lead, Huertas will be eager to extend his Championship gap even further. Italian riders Yari Montella and Stefano Manzi who have just 7 points separating them, are chasing down the unstoppable Spaniard, who leads the field with 334 points.

The top six from WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’52.932s
2. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.062s
3. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +0.113s
4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.213s
5. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.407s
6. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.455s

Make sure you tune in for WorldSSP Race 1 on Saturday at 15:15 Local Time (UTC +1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass

Source: WorldSBK.com

Honda’s progress in recent rounds has been clear for all to see and that was no different on Friday at MotorLand Aragon. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was the fastest Honda rider in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship during Free Practice 1 for the Tissot Aragon Round, although he had limited running in Free Practice 2. Both Vierge and Team Manager Jose Escamez gave their thoughts on Honda’s potential after a strong Friday.

A GOOD FRIDAY FOR VIERGE: third in FP1, limited running in FP2

In FP1, Vierge finished third after setting a 1’49.493s, finishing around four tenths down on pacesetter Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Vierge completed three stints in the 45-minute session and was rarely out of the 1’50s bracket. Of his 14 representative times, he was only slower than 1’50s on four occasions. It was a different story in FP2 though, with Vierge only able to complete four timed laps.

Inside the first 10 minutes of the session, Vierge and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) came together on the short run between Turns 1 and 2 with Vierge falling off his CBR1000RR-R machine. The bike was damaged after hitting the barrier, but it was returned to the pits with the team working frantically to repair it for the end of the session. He re-joined the action in the final 10 minutes, with a three-lap stint, posting a best time of 1’51.280s – although he did have a 1’49.982s time cancelled, showing there was more pace to come despite missing out on most of the session.

Reviewing FP1 briefly, discussing the crash and praising his team, Vierge said: “I’m really happy with FP1. From the beginning, the feeling with the bike was super good. The speed and pace were there so I’m happy with that. Unfortunately, during FP2, on my second flying lap, I had a problem with Philipp. At Turn 1, I overtook him. He went a little bit off the line. I went to make the change of direction into Turn 2. He came back and hit me so hard that I couldn’t save the crash. I was okay but the bike was a bit damaged. My team did an amazing job, and I was able to go out in the last few minutes of FP2 to at least check everything worked fine. We have to take the positives of the first day.”

WHAT CAN HONDA ACHIEVE? “Let’s see if we can make a surprise in the last laps of the races…”

Team HRC have been on a run of six consecutive double top-ten finishes between Vierge and teammate Iker Lecuona, with a highlight of P4 at Cremona in Race 1. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for the Japanese manufacturer who were struggling to secure top ten finishes in the first half of the season.

Discussing what might be possible at Aragon, Vierge said: “Realistically, we need to be trying to fight like in the last races, be as close as we can to the first group, and we’ll see. With this new asphalt, tyre management will be important. I think we can do a good job of that; we can use the data that we have from testing and let’s see if we can make a surprise in the last laps of the races.”

It was a sentiment shared by Team Manager Jose Escamez during Free Practice 1. After coming so close to a rostrum at Cremona, with Lecuona’s P4, he explained the long-term goal of trying to be on the podium regularly as the team and manufacturer continue making steps forward. Escamez said: “We were close to achieving a podium at Cremona, we have to be realistic. We are looking forward and fighting to be competitive to be on the podium regularly. It’s a matter of step by step. It would be nice in our home race, but I am cautious and am being realistic. We are still working, and we need to improve.”

Can Honda return to the rostrum at Aragon? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

It could’ve hardly been a better comeback for Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as he finished second in the combined classification on Friday at MotorLand Aragon. Making his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship return from injury, Razgatlioglu secured P1 in the morning Free Practice 1 session and it looked like his time from the morning would be good enough to claim Friday honours, before he was demoted by stablemate Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) by just 0.004s.

TOPRAK’S FRIDAY: a long run in FP2, second overall

In Free Practice 1, Razgatlioglu’s plan was to do as many laps as he felt comfortable with and ‘El Turco’ completed 14, the second fewest on the grid. He put on a fresh tyre right at the end of the session to set a 1’49.021s with Razgatlioglu completing three stints in total. His first stint was five laps long, while his second stint was two laps longer. The final stint was just a single lap as he set his fastest time of the day.

In the afternoon Free Practice 2 session, Razgatlioglu completed 20 laps which was comparable to his rivals. In FP2, the 2021 Champion completed two stints. The first was just four laps long before the red flag, and his final stint of the day featured 12 representative laps. His fastest session of FP2 was a 1’49.673s which came in the middle of his last stint as he looked at completing a long run ahead of the racing action at Aragon.

An elated Razgatlioglu, when asked what his feeling was to be back on track and reviewing his Friday, said: “The feeling is amazing. I’ve never won at this track. I’m just trying to win this weekend, which isn’t easy! The new surface has good grip, and the tyres don’t look like they have a big drop. Today I did a race simulation, 14 laps and no more because after four weeks without training, physically I’m good but not like before. The feeling is good on the bike. I’m a little bit tired but I think I’ll feel much better tomorrow because this is just the first day. The bike feels like it has less turning but the grip is not bad, the turning and stopping is a little bit less. Tomorrow, I hope we improve the bike and start stronger.”

FITNESS UPDATE: “I’m very lucky but a little bit tired, especially the muscles…”

Aragon marks the Turkish superstar’s first round since his Magny-Cours crash where he suffered from a mild traumatic pneumothorax. He was reassessed after Free Practice 1 and declared fit for the remainder of the weekend as he looks to maintain his title lead against Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The Ducati rider now sits just 13 points behind Razgatlioglu with three rounds to go.

Razgatlioglu spoke about his aims at Aragon, saying: “I hope I’m fighting with Alvaro at the front because it looks like Alvaro is very strong. I hope I win because I’ve never won here, this is my target. I’m very lucky but a little bit tired, especially the muscles. I don’t have arm pump, this is good. I’m feeling it in my shoulder but after three weeks, this is normal. I think I’ll feel much better tomorrow because today is just the first day. I hope we improve the bike tomorrow. Superpole is just one lap, but the race is very important, I’m just focused on that. I hope we’re fighting for the win.”

BONGER’S VIEW: “We want to walk away with considerable points and not lose the Championship lead…”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Sporting Director Marc Bongers spoke from the pitlane during Free Practice 1 about Razgatlioglu’s first thoughts on the bike while he was also asked about the manufacturer’s goals for the weekend with the record holder for consecutive WorldSBK wins back on the bike.

Explaining BMW’s targets for the weekend, Bongers was keen to not heap too much pressure on Razgatlioglu and said: “I think it’s too early to say, first of all we are just extremely pleased he is running here too early to give any reviews of what we can achieve but we want to walk away with considerable points and not lose the Championship lead.”

MUIR SAYS: “He’s feeling pretty okay so let’s just keep pushing forwards”

Team Principal Shaun Muir added his thoughts while speaking during Free Practice 2, discussing how Razgatlioglu felt after FP1 and reiterated the goal of not losing more points to Bulega. Muir said: “He is reasonably okay; he ran most of the session with an SC0 on the rear and he chose to put a development tyre in with 3 or 4 minutes to go and he put a really strong time in. At the moment he is feeling pretty okay so let’s just keep pushing forwards. He is just getting back down to business, isn’t he? We don’t want to lose any more points to Nicolo Bulega, we know this is a circuit where those guys are going to be really strong, so we need to conserve as many points as possible coming out of Aragon.”

Can Razgatlioglu return to winning ways? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Marc Vich has taken his debut R3 bLU cRU World Cup pole position at the final round of the season at MotorLand Aragon as the Mallorcan fights for title glory against Spanish rival Gonzalo Sanchez who took second on the grid.

The WorldSBK paddock’s youngest challengers opened the track action on Friday morning at the Spanish circuit of Aragon with the Free Practice session. It was Vich who laid down the fastest time (2’14.036s), finishing just +0.188s ahead of Sanchez, while Magny-Cours Race 1 winner Cameron Swain finished the morning in third.

In the Superpole session Vich carved his time down to 2’12.648, just a couple of tenths off the lap record. The 17-year-old’s speed and experience proved unbeatable, even against Sanchez who is very much at home at MotorLand having been born and raised in nearby Teruel.

Sanchez closed the session +0.296s behind Vich for an important front row start, and a returning Mario Salles showed great pace for third. Title contender Alessandro Di Persio will start sixth on the grid in his quest to chase down the Spanish pair who lead him in the standings.

With Vich just nine points ahead of Sanchez it’s sure to be an exhilarating Race 1, and you can watch every second of it LIVE on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel at 11:50 CET.

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU – FREE PRACTICE

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU – SUPERPOLE

Marc Vich said: “I’m really happy because I haven’t had a pole position in the R3 bLU cRU World Cup before and I feel that my pace was good, but we know that the races are always different so let’s see what happens. My feeling with the track is good, it’s a bit slippery out there but not too bad, and my bike feels great. I think it will be a big battle tomorrow because Gonzalo is fast and there will also be other quick riders ready to join the fight…”

Source: WorldSBK.com

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.

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.

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

An exciting FIM Supersport 300 World Championship Superpole session unfolded at the MotorLand Aragon on Friday afternoon, with the morning’s Free Practice leader, Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) crashing on the exit of Turn 13. It meant Veneman was able to take a third pole of the season during the Tissot Aragon Round while title rival Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) lining up alongside him.

EARLY CRASH, LATE POLE: Veneman’s rollercoaster session

Veneman crashed on his out lap at Turn 13, damaging his Kawasaki Ninja 400 after it got caught in the gravel. Against the odds, he managed to ride his damaged bike back to pitlane, where his crew scrambled to fix the damage, and get back out onto the track, storming to pole position with a lap time of 2’06.300s.

ON THE FRONT ROW: Mahendra alongside his title rival…

Championship leader Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) secured his fourth front row of the season with Yamaha rider Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) completing the front row. Saturday’s Supersport 300 Race 1 is promising to be a hotly contested race, with only 12 points separating rivals Mahendra and Veneman.

TWO KOVES ON ROW TWO: all-Spanish second row

Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) will lead the second row ahead of teammates Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) and Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) who finished a second behind the fastest rider in the Superpole session.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: in a strong position for Race 1

Gustavo Manso (Yamaha AD78 FIM LA by MS Racing) will start from seventh on the grid, with #50 Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) in eighth ahead of Spaniards Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsport By SKM-Kawasaki) and Antonio Torres (MS Racing) who complete the top 10 riders to lead the first Race of the Tissot Aragon Round.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Free Practice, full results here:

1. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 2’06.300s
2. Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.184s
3. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.606s
4. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +0.618s
5. Julio García (KOVE Racing Team) +0.997s
6. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +1.052s

Don’t miss WorldSSP300’s Tissot Race 1 at 12:45 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass

Source: WorldSBK.com

Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) continued where he left Cremona last week by claiming P1 in Free Practice for the FIM Supersport World Championship field at MotorLand Aragon. The #62 was almost three tenths clear of title rival Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) after the Italian crashed at Turn 10 with around 10 minutes left in the opening session for the Tissot Aragon Round.

Manzi sits 50 points back, and in third in the standings, from Championship leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) with three rounds to go and, while it’s a tall order, he’ll be hoping he can snatch this year’s title. He posted a 1’53.626s during the 40-minute session to claim P1 ahead of Turkish star Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), with just 0.021s separating the Yamaha and Kawasaki riders. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) moved into the top three with a 1’53.765s as three manufacturers were represented in the first three places.

Montella was able to claim P4 despite losing the final 10 minutes of running, with the #55 coming off his Panigale V2 at Turn 10. His 1’53.897s was around three tenths slower than Manzi’s time but he was a tenth clear of Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fifth, with the German one of three MV Agusta riders in the top seven. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) was sixth despite an off-track excursion at Turn 16 while Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was seventh.

Simone Corsi (Renzi Corse) was the highest-placed WorldSSP Challenge rider in Free Practice as he claimed eighth place, finishing around 0.030s clear of Championship leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in ninth. The #99 also took to an escape road during the session, when he went wide under braking at Turn 12 in the closing stages. John McPhee (WRP by SKM-Triumph) rounded out the top ten in what was a closely contested session; 15 riders were separated by a second.

The top six from WorldSSP Free Practice, full results here:

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 1’53.626s

2. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.021s

3. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.139s

4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.271s

5. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.398s

6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.548s

Don’t miss WorldSSP Tissot Superpole at 16:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) stormed to top spot in Free Practice 1 for the Tissot Aragon Round as he made his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship return at MotorLand Aragon. The #54 had missed the last two rounds through injury but it was like he had never been away. He led a BMW 1-2 with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) in second, while two Hondas were third and fourth.

Razgatlioglu left it late but posted his best time on his final flying lap as he set a 1’49.021s to secure P1 and demote BMW stablemate Gerloff into second. It’s the 2021 Champion’s first session since his Magny-Cours FP2 crash but he wasted no time in getting back out on track, leaving the pits immediately and completing three runs, with his best time almost matching the race lap record set in 2023. Gerloff claimed second, 0.007s clear of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in third as Honda started their weekend strongly.

Vierge was less than a tenth ahead of teammate Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in fourth, with a “Noah’s Ark” theme to the order in FP1. With BMW 1-2 and Honda 3-4, it shows a remarkable turnaround for the two brands who were last and second last in last year’s Manufacturers’ Championship. Reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fifth ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in sixth.

Iannone led six consecutive Italian riders in the field, with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in seventh. The Cremona hat-trick hero posted a best time of 1’49.867s to finish ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) and Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in P8 and P9 respectively. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) rounded out the top ten as he set a 1’49.981s. Although he completed a similar number of laps to those around him, the #11 lost the first 15 minutes of the session due to an electrical problem.

The top six from WorldSBK FP1, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’49.021s

2. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.465s

3. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +0.472s

4. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.525s

5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.652s

6. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.823s

Don’t miss Free Practice 2 at 15:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship kicked off at the Tissot Aragon Round and there was no stopping Dutchman Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) in Free Practice. The #7 rode a lap time of 2’06.289s, claiming the top spot by more than three tenths ahead of his rivals, with Championship rival Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) coming in second and Julio García (KOVE Racing Team) chasing him down.

Veneman currently stands second in the Championship, only 12 points behind Mahendra, meaning the afternoon Superpole session is going to be all to play for.

Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) finished just outside of the top three, claiming fourth place, ahead of Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) and Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse), who rounded out the top six, lapping over a second away from the pace of Veneman out in front

Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) was seventh, leading Yamaha rider Antonio Torres (MS Racing) who posted a lap time of 2’07.501 to finish in eighth. Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) and Brazilian rider Gustavo Manso (Yamaha AD78 FIM LA by MS Racing) rounded off the top 10 with a time of 2’07.839s.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Free Practice, full results here:

1. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 2’06.289s
2. Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.309s
3. Julio García (KOVE Racing Team) +0.592s
4. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.724s
5. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.818s
6. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) +1.043s

Don’t miss WorldSSP300’s Tissot Superpole session at 14:10 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action not long after a thrilling visit to Italy, and this time it all comes from MotorLand Aragon. The Tissot Aragon Round marks a crucial point of the season and, with injury comebacks and title talk on the cards, there were some juicy quotes from Thursday in Spain.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “More stressed than when I was fighting for the title… my target is to win!”

Discussing his comeback and goals for the weekend, Razgatlioglu said: “When people have seen me, everyone’s said, ‘Happy to see you back’! It’s not been an easy four weeks. I watched the races and I tried to come back quicker. Today wasn’t easy. I was waiting and I was feeling some stress; it looks like I was more stressed than 2021 when I was fighting for the title! It’s not possible for me to say I’m 100% ready because it’s been four weeks without riding a bike or training. My body is 100%. I hope the feeling is good immediately. Normally, I do some training every day but this time it’s been difficult, and I jump directly on the bike. Motivation is very high now because I’m fit. I think the crash is 100% my mistake because I saw I was on for a very good lap time. I tried to brake later, and I use a lot of front braking. I lost the front tyre. I started walking, and I understood there was nothing broken; the lung had a problem. I was feeling okay, with some pain and it wasn’t easy to take a breath. This track isn’t easy for me. With the BMW, we’ve won at many new tracks. Why not? I’m thinking about winning this race. I know it’s not easy because of the new surface. We need a good setup. My target is to win, I’m fighting for the podium. I need to win here because I’ve never won here in WorldSBK.”

Avaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I’m really happy that Toprak and also Jonathan are fit”

Providing an update on his fitness and previewing his home round, Bautista said: “Now, I feel a bit better than in Cremona. The Monday after Cremona, I was a bit more destroyed because after all the effort I had to make and adrenaline had worn off, it was like my body was saying, ‘Okay, you have to relax and stop just for a while’. I felt much better on Tuesday and Wednesday and today I’m improving. You can’t do anything special for this, it’s just a matter of time. I’m not 100% but I hope tomorrow, Saturday, and especially Sunday, I feel better and better. It’s always special to ride at home. Aragon is a track I like a lot and I have good memories from the past; I won many races here. We’ll try to create a good base to start the weekend and then try to improve practice by practice. I’m really happy that Toprak and also Jonathan are fit. It’s always nice to see all the competitors on the grid. I hope Toprak can ride the bike as before without any problems and he doesn’t have more problems. If he can ride the bike as normal, I expect he’ll be very competitive and fight for the victory in all three races; he can defend the gap in the Championship.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “Quite excited to ride… flection I have with my thumb is quite limited”

Rea is also making an injury comeback at Aragon and stated: “I’m quite excited to ride. I’m not 100% fit. The skin injury is not raw and has dried out now but the flexion I have with my thumb is quite limited, even getting the glove on is a bit of a chore. I’m sure, on the bike, it’s going to be comfortable enough. The position feels okay when I was sat on the bike before. I did everything possible with my medical crew back home, all the treatments I could think of to accelerate healing. I don’t know what to expect from it, to be honest I haven’t spoken to the guys about it all. It looks really cool and much more aggressive. It’s always nice to walk into the garage and see something really new. That gives you some extra inspiration and motivation. With the introduction of wings, and I don’t have too much experience, but I think we can apply more torque, keep the throttle more open and maybe the bike will become more stable. That’s my expectation so let’s see if that matches the reality.”

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “I want to repeat that as soon as possible…”

Cremona hero Petrucci revealed he’s already eyeing up more wins now he has a taste for them: “It’s something good because now I understand how I can win. I want to repeat that as soon as possible. It’s been huge because when you win in Italy, you have a lot of friends and family. On the way home, we stopped at Misano with some old MotoGP™ friends and we had some dinner. From the day after, both me and my friends have to leave. The goal is to have fun and to fight for the podium like we did in the last rounds. Someone suggested that I had a look at the Championship standings, but I don’t know, maybe the top three in the Championship could be a nice result for next season; it could be my target. I don’t know if it’s possible to reach it this year. Last year, this was the first round where I felt really competitive in WorldSBK, topping a couple of sessions, but then I did one of the most stupid mistakes of my career. I was quite fast in Race 1, the best pace of everyone, but maybe it was still not the time to get the first one.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I recovered a lot of points, but I wasn’t happy to recover points against a rider with an injury…”

Discussing the Aragon Round and title fight, Bulega said: “I’m ready and I like this track. I hope to be fast. I feel good. I said at Cremona that I hope Toprak was good and it’s nice to have him back. When a rider has an injury, it’s never nice and fun. I recovered a lot of points, but I wasn’t happy to recover points against a rider with an injury. I prefer to recover points with him on track, even if it’s more difficult. I expect him to be fast. When he crashed at Magny-Cours, he was on a victory streak, so he’ll be fast. I’m thinking about doing my job, the best I can do and then we’ll see at the end of the Championship.”

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “My idea is to stay in WorldSBK; I love this Championship!”

An unclear future for Iannone, who provided an update: “We have good speed; this isn’t a new track for us but it’s important we work very well inside the garage and don’t make mistakes. I’m confident but everybody is fast. I think everybody missed Toprak so I’m happy to have him back. I wish him well and that he can ride at, more or less, 100% because it’s important for him to fight for the Championship because he won a lot this year. My future is a strange situation because it’s difficult. I think, at Cremona, we made a step forward but we’re not completely ready for closing the situation. We’ll see during this weekend. My idea is to stay in WorldSBK. I love this Championship, but I only want to fight on track, not off the track.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing): “I have something on the table… have to wait one or two weeks to decide”

Rinaldi is still searching for a seat for 2025 and he said: “This is my favourite track because I have great memories. Last year I won, but also, I took my first win in WorldSBK here. I’m really excited. There is new asphalt, which they say has more grip, so I’d like to ride it. I’ll always try my best. This track is special for me. In the past, I’ve had podiums at other tracks, and I get wins at other tracks that weren’t the same story this year. Maybe this year is more difficult to fight for the top positions. Our relationship will end at the end of the season. I don’t have any news to say about my future, but I’m focused on this weekend to show I can still be fast. The intention is to stay in WorldSBK, but almost every top team has signed riders, and this year was really tough, the results aren’t coming, it’s difficult. I’m still positive because I have something on the table, which is always good, but I have to wait one or two weeks to decide”

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “I realised that we miss a lot of turning from the chassis side”

On a great run of form and aiming for the podium, Lecuona said: “We tested two weeks ago before Cremona, we went to Cremona and almost got a podium. There’s a new surface and in the test, we struggled a little bit but that had completely different weather and now there’s more rubber on track. It’s 100% different. Even some corners, like Turn 12, feels wider, bigger, and faster. The feeling is not the same line as last year. What I realised at Cremona was the weak point of the bike because I was the last one of the first group, and I realised that we miss a lot of turning from the chassis side, so we need to use that better to turn the bike. I don’t think we can improve but, at the same time, the bike normally works really well. I feel confident. We’ve had really good pace in the last few rounds. I don’t want to say no, I don’t want to say yes. Of course, I arrive with a different mentality; that I want more because I feel I can do it.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com