The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has seen plenty of shocks and surprises throughout the opening four races and two Superpole sessions of the year but now, it’s the weather’s turn to spice things up. Rain surrounds the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya but Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was on top in Warm Up to start Sunday well.

Bolting in a top time right at the end of the session and continuing to show his competitivity from Race 1, rider of the moment Toprak Razgatlioglu had a three-tenth advantage in Warm Up during the tricky conditions, just pipping Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who was top for most of the 10-minute session. Working together in the damp conditions, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Alvaro Bautista were third and fourth in Warm Up. The two Ducatis, who had a clear pace advantage until Toprak took victory in Race 1, will face a new challenge in cooler and changeable conditions later. After a fourth consecutive 0-point race, Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was in P5 and will hope to surge through the field to improve his starting place for Race 2 during the Tissot Superpole Race.

Always good on a damp or wet track, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was in P6, whilst top Kawasaki honours went the way of Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) clinched eighth place in conditions which traditionally haven’t favoured him, with Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) and Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in P10, making it five out of six Yamahas inside the top ten, with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) missing out in P11. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was best Honda in P12, whilst Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was P15 and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in 17^th.

Top six after WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’56.739s

2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.379s

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.514s

4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.710s

5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.724s

6. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.753s

EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from the Catalunya Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The first race of the 2024 FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup was won by polesitter and home favourite Gonzalo Sanchez. The 15-year-old won by a huge margin of over 11 seconds at the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya while the rest of the field enjoyed a battle for the remaining podium places.

The 10-lap race started well with all riders getting away cleanly and Sanchez was quick to get to the front, building his rhythm impressively and holding a three second lead by the third lap of the lap. The 2023 R3 SuperFinale victor continued to set fast laps and this focused approached gave him an incredible winning margin of 11.101 seconds.

Meanwhile a thrilling battle commenced among the 18 other competitors with several riders looking able to achieve a podium. Marc Vich was on course for second place but contact with another rider at Turn 13 with five laps to go plummeted him down to 16^th place. Remarkably, the pacey Mallorquin was back in the lead group within just a few laps and while it initially looked as though Dawid Nowak would take the final podium place, the Pole was later demoted to fourth allowing Vich to reach the rostrum at his home race. Brazil’s Eduardo Burr rode a smooth and intelligent race to take second. Burr’s compatriot Mario Salles took fifth.

A crash involving Australia’s Cameron Swain and Thailand’s Worapot Thongdongmaun with three laps to go was thankfully without consequences and both riders have been declared fit for Sunday’s race.

The series’ new status as an FIM World Cup coincides with the addition of LIVE race coverage. Race 2 will take place at 11:50 CET on Sunday March 24^th and you can watch right HERE

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU World Cup – RACE ONE

Gonzalo Sanchez, Race 1 Winner, said: “It’s the first win of 2024 and I’ve done it in the first round of the FIM R3 World Cup, it sounds so good and it’s something amazing. Now I feel very happy but very tired, my team and I did a fantastic race which meant that I won by over 11 seconds. I need to thank everyone who supports me from Yamaha to my family and everyone in between. I don’t have words to explain my happiness, thank you for everything and let’s try to do the same again tomorrow!”

Source: WorldSBK.com

Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) ended a long wait for victory in the FIM Supersport World Championship with victory on home soil at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as he fended off his rivals to win by just over a second. The #99 backed up his second pole of 2024 with victory during the Pirelli Catalunya Round, with Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) rounding out the podium.

Huertas led the race from Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in the early stages, with the #61 getting past on two occasions before the Ducati rider responded. Eventually, the Spaniard pulled out a gap as Oncu dropped back, eventually finishing in eighth. Manzi took second after breaking away from the chasing group, finishing 4.5 seconds clear of Schroetter in third. The German, who took two podiums last season here, was promoted to third when Lucas Mahias (GMt94 Yamaha) crashed at Turn 10 on Lap 10.

Huertas became the 63^rd different winner in the Championship, and the sixth youngest at 20 years, seven months and two days old. It was also Ducati’s 24^th win in WorldSSP. For Manzi, it was his 24^th rostrum – 15 of which have been second place – while Schroetter’s third means he’s now on ten podiums following his switch from Moto2™. He’s also the only rider to take three podiums out of three this year.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here and the fastest laps for the Race 2 grid here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +1.277s

3. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +5.840s

4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.653s

5. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +9.798s

6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +10.855s

Fastest Lap: Jorge Navarro (WRP-PT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) 1’45.333s

Don’t miss WorldSSP Race 2 on Sunday at 15:15 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship might only be four races old, but the drama has been incredible and keeps going. While the race win wasn’t possible, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) fought his way back from the fifth row to claim a stunning third place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, bouncing back from a tricky Saturday morning to return to the home rostrum during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

Having shown strong pace on Friday, Bautista was left outside the top ten in this morning Tissot Superpole session. The #1 was 11^th and the first rider who didn’t break last year’s record, which he set in the 2023 Tissot Superpole session. Things got worse for the double Champion when he was given a three-place grid penalty for slowing riding in Superpole, meaning he’d start Race 1 from 14^th and the fifth row, rather than 11^th and the fourth row.

In the race, things were different for Bautista. His race pace on Friday was superb and that was on display again in Race 1. His pace between Laps 4 and 12 was consistently in the 1’42s bracket, except for one lap, before he dipped into the 1’43s on Lap 13. From there, he stayed in the 1’43s for four laps before finally hitting the 1’44s. For comparison, teammate Nicolo Bulega had laps in the 1’41s before dropping into the 1’42s from Lap 10, the 1’43s from Lap 14 and finishing in the 1’44s – including one that was almost a 1’45s.

Reacting to his epic comeback, Bautista said: “It’s never easy, especially because this track is so complicated to push from the beginning. You have to manage the tyres. I was in the situation that I wanted to push more in the first laps to gain some positions but, at the same time, I had to save the tyres. I tried to keep calm, to manage the tyre as well as possible. Behind the other riders, the big group, I had some problems with the front as it overheated. I didn’t have good turning and I had to save some slides with my elbow; fortunately, I could save everything. At the mid-race point, many riders were coming to me, and I think third was the maximum I could do.”

Although he kept making progress throughout the race, Bautista did lose a bit of time when he struggled to pass fellow Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), taking a few laps to get by ‘Petrux’ as the #9 defended hard to keep position. Eventually, the reigning Champion got by and focused on the riders ahead, as he battled his way into third place to claim an unlikely rostrum after starting so far back.

When asked whether not passing Petrucci sooner cost him a chance of second or a win, Bautista said: “When you are behind the other riders, the front tyre doesn’t work as expected and I struggled to brake hard or enter fast into corners. I lost it many times behind other riders because I can’t do the lines I wanted to. I spent some time behind him, but I don’t think that if I passed him quicker, I could’ve got to second place. I think our best was to get a podium, but this was a surprise for me.”

Watch more incredible action from Barcelona on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) wait for victory on the M 1000 RR machine didn’t take long after claiming a stunning victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya following a final-lap battle with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Round 2 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. While his win didn’t take long with the German manufacturer, it had been a while since they had tasted success: 902 days on from Michael van der Mark’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) Portimao 2021 Superpole Race victory, they were back on the top step.

IN SUMMARY: Razgatlioglu’s charge to victory

The 2021 Champion led the race in the early stages before losing ground after Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Bulega came through. However, after managing his tyres, his pace remained consistent for longer and he was able to take advantage of his rivals’ slower pace as well as Sam Lowes’ Turn 10 tumble in the early stages. Bulega was leading onto the last lap, but Razgatlioglu closed down a 4.6s gap between the end of Lap 13 and the final lap to pass the #11 at Turn 5 on Lap 20. Now, key figures from BMW have given their emotional responses to the manufacturer’s first feature-length win since Chaz Davies at the Nurburgring in 2013.

RAZGATLIOGLU’S REACTION: “it was a good strategy for me”

Giving his first thoughts on his victory, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m really happy and thanks to my team. Every day, they do an unbelievable job and work really hard. We are winning. For me, it’s important at this circuit as I’ve never won here. It’s been my dream and finally we won in Catalunya. This is unbelievable for me. It’s a very hard race. My plan ride a little bit slower for two laps. I was waiting for Bulega because the other riders were just pushing. I saw Sam Lowes pushing. After Bulega passed me, I thought I’d follow him. Two laps later, I felt I was pushing too hard for the rear tyre, and I closed the gas a bit. I thought a podium would be enough for me. In the last five laps here, the rear tyre has a big drop. I saw Iannone started to drop and then Bulega in the last five or six laps. I was pushing hard, especially on the brakes. On the last lap, I passed him. Maybe it was a good strategy for me.”

THE CEO OF BMW MOTORRAD: “this morning, he was so relaxed… then he pulls off a race like this!”

It was a welcome to the WorldSBK paddock for BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch, who was running out of superlatives for the #54. He said: “It is fantastic and absolutely mind-blowing. He really deserves it. The team have worked so hard and pushing for test material for Toprak, and he just delivered. This morning, he was so relaxed like he was going to a track day, and then he pulls off a race like this! After Superpole, I knew we had a chance for a podium but until the last lap, I wasn’t so sure if he could pull off the win. Spectacular.”

MUIR DOUBTS: “with four or five laps to go, 4.3 seconds the gap, I didn’t think there was a chance!”

Team Principal at the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team Shaun Muir added: “It’s a fantastic feeling, I’m still a bit lost for words. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been building a fantastic team and everything’s starting to come together really well. We’ve not really seen what he can do in races apart from Australia. We were watching the lap times and thought he’s either not really got the pace today or just managing the conditions so well. His sectors were coming, and he wasn’t losing time like the others, and it was just consistency. With four or five laps to go, 4.3 seconds the gap, I didn’t think there was a chance! The last two laps, you could see Toprak closing and closing. He was overriding the bike, and we got the result.”

BONGERS’ THOUGHTS: “I had an excuse with the Prosecco in my eyes to not say I was crying… but I was”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers was emotional following the victory… despite his best efforts to blame the Prosecco: “To finish the day with a win is extremely pleasing and gives us even more motivation and trust for the rest of the season. Toprak did an amazing ride, unbelievable, the ride of his life. I’m also pleased we could deliver him the package to do it. Kenan was right in front of me, shouting some phrases in Turkish, and I thought ‘it sounds like he believes he could do it’, but I still get goosebumps all over me. Luckily, I had an excuse with Prosecco in my eyes to not say that I was crying, but I was. Our last win was in Portimao in 2021 and we’ve had some difficult seasons in between, but we increased the efforts for the entire motorsport engagement and getting Toprak on board closes the whole package. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the team for all their efforts. I’m proud to be standing here and say thank you. Over winter we brought even more updates, just small things in every area, not just technical. It’s been a long way, a hard way, I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears, also my family had to cope with a lot of hard times, but this pays it off. I’m extremely pleased, can’t find words for it.”

Can BMW repeat their success on Sunday? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed a hard-fought Race 1 win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to secure his first victory with BMW in just his fourth race, after hunting Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) down in the closing stages to take a sensational victory in a last-lap fight. It ends a run of 902 days without victory for BMW, while it also moved the #54 into third in the all-time podium list with 117 following his success during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

FIGHT FOR VICTORY: last-lap fight

It was a disastrous start to Race 1 for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) dropping down to last and pulling into the pits at the end of the opening lap. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) got a mega start from the second row to launch into victory contention and, after hounding Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) for the first two laps, made the move on the inside of Turn 5 to take the lead, and lead his first laps in WorldSBK in just his fourth race.

Once the #14 got away from Razgatlioglu, he opened a gap to the #54 but his race ended at Turn 10. He lost the front of his V4 R at the left-hand hairpin and crashed from the lead and handing P1 to Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who, after losing ground at the start, picked off his rivals one-by-one to move back towards the front.

With his competitors battling behind him, Bulega started checking out in front with incredible race pace, often lapping in the high 1’41s or low 1’42s in the first half of the race. He was able to open up a four-second lead just over the halfway stage. In the second half of the race, Bulega was lapping around half-a-second slower than Razgatlioglu as the 2021 Champion closed the four-second gap to 2.6s at the start of Lap 18. At the start of the final lap, it was down to less than a second and the #54 was able to make the race-winning move at Turn 5. Razgatlioglu held on for victory with Bulega second, and the #11 claimed the Championship lead despite losing out on P1. Razgatlioglu joins an elusive club of riders who’ve now won with three different manufacturers, having tasted victory with Kawasaki, Yamaha and now BMW.

FIGHTING FROM 14^TH: Bautista on the podium despite fifth row start

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was penalised in the Tissot Superpole for slow riding on the racing line, dropping him from P11 to P14 on the grid. However, with his strong race pace in hand, the #1 fought back to claim a podium on home soil as he passed his rivals one-by-one to move up the order, including sensational moves in the final sector. He passed Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) on the run between Turns 13 and 14, before overtaking Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) through the final corner. The rookie was unable to hold off Bautista and finished in fourth, three seconds behind him after losing ground then the factory Ducati passed him. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was the highest-placed Yamaha rider in fifth, finishing almost 1.3s down on Iannone and having a similar margin to Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who fought for the five position in KRT’s home round.

INSIDE THE TOP TEN: moving forward during Race 1

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) had looked like he’d be in the podium fight but lost ground in the closing stages, eventually being classified in seventh but less than a second behind the #22 of Alex Lowes. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was able to maintain a place in the top ten as he finished P8, with Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in ninth. The Dutchman, in the opening stages, was fighting in the top four but his pace dropped off and he eventually finished almost 17 seconds down on the race win. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made gains in Race 1, finishing tenth and only six seconds down on his teammate.

INSIDE THE POINTS: a disappointing result for Team HRC

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing), a race winner at this circuit previously, was 1.7 seconds away from a top ten finish as he came home in P11, beating Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) by half-a-second. The two Team HRC riders finished in 13^th and 14^th, led by Iker Lecuona ahead of Xavi Vierge, with only0.039s separating the two Spaniards. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the last points scorer.

MISSING OUT: classified but no points

Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was just outside the points-paying positions as he finished two seconds away from Gardner ahead of two more Brits: Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) in 17^th and Bradley Ray in 18^th. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was 19^th with Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) completing the classified riders; Rabat was given a three-place penalty following Superpole for slow riding on the racing line.

The top six from Race 1, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.868s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.338s

4. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +8.543s

5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +9.818s

6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +11.190s

Fastest Lap: Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 1’41.440s

Watch the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday at 11:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship returned to action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but it was as dramatic as ever. Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) crossed the line in first but a post-race penalty dropped him down the order to P13, allowing Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – PALIGO Racing) to claim victory for KTM and start his title defence in perfect fashion during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

RETURNING WITH A BANG: Iglesias at the front but penalised, Buis victorious

As ever in WorldSSP300, it was unpredictable right to the line. Jeffrey Buis tried to make a break heading into the final lap to start his KTM career on the top step but running wide at Turn 10 allowed his Iglesias through, with the #58 taking advantage to cross the line first. However, a three-second penalty for being unable to complete a Long Lap Penalty demoted him to 13^th. Iglesias was penalised for an incident at Turn 5. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) crashed out after contact with Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) and Iglesias with the incident investigated by the FIM Stewards and the #58 penalised, dropping him down the order. It allowed Buis to claim victory on the KTM RC 390 R for the first time, and also his 21^st podium as he became the record-holder for podiums in the Championship. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) was second with Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) in third after fighting his way from the back of the grid.

DRAMA THROUGHOUT: front runners drop out of contention…

On Lap 1, Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) and Philip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM – PALIGO Racing) came down at Turn 5, with British star Seabright able to re-join the race while Tonn was out of contention and taken to the medical centre for a check-up. He was declared fit following his check. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) crashed at Turn 10 on Lap 2 despite a phenomenal opening lap and a half to fight for the lead. After a penalty from Warm Up for slow riding on the racing line which dropped him from P1 to P4 on the grid, Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) fell out of the race with a technical problem on Lap 3.

With four laps to go, Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki), Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) and Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PL Performances) crashed at Turn 5, with only Sabatucci re-joining the race, although. The incident was investigated by the FIM Stewards with no further action taken.

FROM LAST TO ALMOST VICTORY: crashing on the last lap

The final lap was as dramatic as ever, with Buis running wide and his rivals aiming to take advantage. However, behind, Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) had made great progress to fight at the front, but he crashed on his own at Turn 10 which dropped him out of contention. The Spanish rider started from the back of the grid after a technical issue before the Warm Up lap forced him into the pits before being allowed to start from last.

INSIDE THE TOP TEN: all four manufacturers, 1.129s separate the first ten riders

Fifth place went to Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) after teammate Mirko Gennai was given a one-place penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap, with the Italian classified in sixth. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team), who set the fastest lap and will start Race 2 from first, was seventh with Ruben Bijman (Team Flembbo – PL Performances) eighth after a one-place penalty. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) was ninth with wildcard Emanuele Cazzaniga (Racestar) completing the top ten after a penalty for Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team).

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 1, full results here. See the fastest laps for Race 2 grid here.

1. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Raging)

2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.040s

3. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) +0.227s

4. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.298s

5. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.549s

6. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) +0.600s

Fastest Lap: Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) 1’54.764s – New lap record

Watch WorldSSP300 Race 2 on Sunday at 12:45 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed his first BMW pole position in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with record-breaking pace, setting a lap in the 1’39s to lead his rivals at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The speed up and down the grid was incredible with TEN riders under the existing all-time lap record during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

THE FIRST RUN: mind-blowing pace in WorldSBK, ten riders under lap record

The first runs were completed with Razgatlioglu posting a barely-believable 1’39.489s to lead his rivals by more than two tenths. Initially, Michael van der Mark had been in P2 but lost his first, and best, lap in his first stint for a track limits infringement at Turn 13, with that time being a 1’40.088s. It left Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in second, 0.251s behind Razgatlioglu, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) provisionally completing the front row – half-a-second down on the #54. Double Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was down in P8, some nine tenths away from pole after the first runs were completed.

A TENTH IN IT: Bulega gets closer, Iannone on the front row

With the red-hot pace in the first run, Razgatlioglu’s time remained unbeatable as he claimed a first BMW pole position in his second round on the M 1000 RR. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was able to close the gap to ‘El Turco’ to just 0.102s to back up his Australia pole with P2 in Barcelona, while Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) completed the first row. ‘The Maniac’ posted a 1’39.799s to secure a front row start on his Panigale V4 R. BMW are the first manufacturer to record two poles in Barcelona, while it was the German factory’s seventh in WorldSBK.

VAN DER MARK BACK: best Superpole result in almost three seasons

Van der Mark responded to losing his previous best lap with a 1’39.947s as he went out in tandem with his teammate. The #54 and the #60 were spotted speaking between stints to improve their position and it paid off, with two BMWs in the top four for the first time in 2024. It’s also the Dutchman’s best Superpole result since he was second at Donington Park in 2021 Sam Lowes dropped down to fifth in the closing stages and was the final rider to go sub-1’40s, with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) rounding out row two with sixth.

CAN THEY MOVE FORWARD? Alex Lowes, Rea aiming for more…

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) moved up the order compared to Friday’s running to lead the third row in Race 1, with the #22 aiming to fight towards the front at KRT’s home round. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed eighth with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in ninth. ‘Loka’ and teammate Jonathan Rea went out together – as seen in previous seasons at the Pata Prometeon Yamaha team – but struggled to make headway, with #65 mired in 13^th. It’s Rea’s worst Superpole result in Barcelona by ten places, with his previous lowest being third in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

STARTING FROM FOURTH ROW: record-breaking pace just gets you P10, Bautista only 11th 

The fourth row features some heavyweight names as they aim to make progress in the race. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) took tenth with a 1’40.240s, 0.751s away from pole, and ‘Petrux’ was under the previous lap record despite taking tenth, while double Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will line up from 11^th. Ironically, the #1 was the first rider who was slower than last year’s record, a time he set in 2023’s Tissot Superpole session. His race pace was impressive on Friday and, with six wins in a row here, will be looking to move forward as quickly as possible. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) will complete the fourth row.

The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.489s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.102s

3. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.310

4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.458s

5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.499s

6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.611s

Watch Race 1 from Barcelona at 14:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the fastest rider in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as Saturday’s action got underway with Free Practice 3. His lap time was the fastest of the 2024 Pirelli Catalunya Round so far as the #77 showed his hand at the end of the 20-minute session, denying Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) top spot after he had been there throughout FP3 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Riders headed out as soon as the green lights went on with Petrucci surging to P1 in the early stages, posting a 1’40.816s to set the fastest lap of the weekend before it was beaten in the closing stages. After seemingly making a breakthrough with softer tyres in the Supported Test, ‘Petrux’ has been fast across the weekend so far and seems to be in contention for success. His time looked like it would be good enough for first, but a late lap from Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) moved him to P1. He set a 1’40.695s to claim top spot, 0.121s ahead of Petrucci while Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was third. ‘Loka’ opted to sit in the box for the first six and a half minutes before taking to the track.

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) followed a similar plan, going out later in the session and setting his best time – a 1’40.989s – towards the end of the 20-minute session. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) claimed fifth, exactly four tenths back from Aegerter, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) the lead BMW rider in sixth.

Friday pacesetter Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was seventh and the highest-placed rider in FP3 to not improve compared to yesterday’s times. He was a tenth ahead of Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in eighth, with two BMWs in the top ten, while Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) made a massive step to claim ninth on Saturday morning. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the top ten with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 11^th after a strong FP2. Like his teammate, the #1 didn’t improve his lap time in FP3.

The top six from FP3, full results here:

1. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’40.695s

2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.121s

3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.263s

4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.294s

5. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.400s

6. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.410s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

After two days testing last week, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rolled out the box on Friday for the Pirelli Catalunya Round in fine fettle and was immediately competitive. The #54 BMW was inside the top three for the majority of the day and stated that he’d found a step with rear grip but had inherited a front tyre drama instead – something he didn’t understand.

Setting 37 laps across both sessions, race pace was the order of the day as low-grip conditions always become a key factor at the Catalan venue. In FP1, Razgatlioglu’s longest stint was a seven-lap run with his times getting slower with each lap. He started with a 1’41.199s – the fastest lap of FP1 – before dropping to a 1’42.427s on his final representative lap in that run. The longest stint in FP2 was 11 laps, with a similar pattern to the times but over a longer period, albeit with his best time coming in the middle of that stint.

He started with remarkable consistency, setting four laps of 1’41.889s, 1’41.884s, 1’41.960s and 1’41.808s before dropping into the 1’42s. From here, the times stayed similar again but six tenths down on the first few laps, with the slowest coming again on his final lap – a 1’42.965s.

Discussing his Friday, the ‘El Turco’ said: “I was feeling some front tyre problem but we’ll try our best tomorrow. Now, the rear grip is better than before. I don’t understand that we improve with one tyre and then have a problem with the other! I hope we are fighting with Ducati but maybe the races will be different, and they drop a little bit.

His race pace was strong, but he’ll face competition for the rostrum and a potential victory. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Alvaro Bautista both have shown their pace for the weekend but the #54 will be hoping he can fight with them and build on his Tissot Superpole Race podium from Australia.

Discussing the fight at the front, Razgatlioglu said: “Perhaps with Alvaro, I’m very close but with Nicolo, I don’t know. I tried the new swingarm but maybe in FP3, we’ll put the old one as we’re still not sure. I feel the bike is different with the new one. If we improve tomorrow morning, maybe we’ll fight for the podium or even the win. The target is the podium; in the race, in the last five laps, if I am with Nicolo or Alvaro, I could be fighting for the win.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com