Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) has been ruled out of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action on Sunday due to a suspected left ankle fracture. The Czech rider crashed in the original start for Race 1 at Turn 4 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round and retired from the race. He went to the medical centre for a check-up following that crash and he was reassessed on Sunday morning ahead of Warm Up. Following that second assessment, he has been declared unfit with a suspected left ankle fracture.

Konig had taken 23^rd in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session and he made great progress on the first lap of the original race to move close to the top 20. However, he crashed at Turn 4 on Lap 2 before a red flag was shown for a separate incident and he retired from the race without taking part in the restarted race in Barcelona.

Watch the 2023 season unfold using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Italy’s Emiliano Ercolani increased his title lead with another masterful victory in Race 1 at the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya, and Brazil’s Gustavo Manso finally took to the top step in Race 2.

The first race of the day saw more incredible racing among the youngest riders in the paddock as the R3 bLU cRU European Championship competitors vied for the podium places. Mallorca’s Marc Vich took the early lead, but he was quickly passed by a determined Aldi Satya Mahendra before the pair were joined by Brazilian battlers Manso and Kevin Fontainha. At times the riders were seven abreast in the clean but thrilling charge to the top step. Just as in Assen two weeks ago, Italy’s Ercolani kept his cool and returned to the front of the field time and time again. At the chequered flag he grabbed the victory by just 0.025 ahead of Mahendra. R3 debutant, Dorian Joulin, impressed with third place. The Frenchman missed the opening round of the season recovering from appendicitis.

Expectations ran high for another dose of amazing action in Race 2, and the crowd weren’t disappointed. It was Mahendra who made the initial break at the front, with three riders in tow. But just a few laps into the race the pack closed up to include almost the entire field of 20 riders – with most of them having a go at leading in the ever-changing race. It was Manso who consistently found his way to the front, and it paid off for the young Brazilian when he took the win by just 0.015 seconds. An increasingly consistent Ercolani managed 2^nd place, and Manso’s compatriot Fontainha took the final step on the podium.

Indonesia’s Mahendra ran wide on the final lap and was involved in a crash with Italy’s Christian Stringhetti at Turn 6. Both riders went to the medical centre, where Stringhetti was found to have ankle contusions.

Full Saturday results can be found for Race 1 here and Race 2 here.

Emiliano Ercolani
P1 Race 1
“In the first part of the race I knew I needed to stay calm and study the riders around me, I didn’t want to get involved in the fight immediately. Then I knew I needed to push in the second half of the race to try to win again, it’s fantastic to pick up more points here.”

Gustavo Manso
P1 Race 2
“It was a weekend of good results for the championship, Barcelona was a difficult track for us, but I still managed to achieve a victory. This feels great after I missed Race 1 in Assen due to injury. Now we have to work harder for the next races to see what we can achieve. Thanks for the work of all the Yamaha team!”

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field in will be down a rider on Sunday after Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) was declared unfit following his Race 1 crash at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. Granado had been fighting on the fringes of the points-paying positions when he crashed on the exit of Turn 11 and the entry to Turn 12 with the red flags deployed following the crash. The Brazilian rider was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and has been declared unfit for Sunday’s action with concussion, and he was transported to hospital for further checks.

Granado is competing in his first full WorldSBK campaign in 2023 with the MIE Honda team who he made his debut with in 2020 as a replacement rider. The season is proving to be difficult for Granado with no points to his name and a best finish of 17^th which came last time out at Assen. However, in Barcelona, Granado took 18^th place in Superpole and was running close to the points-paying position. Following his crash, Granado has been ruled out of Sunday’s action.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The fight for all three podium places in the FIM Supersport World Championship in Race 1 for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was a thrilling affair as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed his fifth win of the 2023 season while a familiar name returned to the podium. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) put the Sofuoglu name back on the podium with a hard-fought third place after a scrap with his teammate as well as Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).

HARD-FOUGHT WINS AND PODIUMS: Bulega on top, Sofuoglu takes first podium

Bulega initially dropped down at the start of the race and fell behind Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) at the start before re-taking the lead in the opening laps. It had looked like he would pull away from the chasing pack, but it was a charging Sofuoglu (who took the lead on Lap 7 with a move at Turn 1 after a series of fast laps to close the gap. The pair switched positions which allowed the chasing group, led by Marcel Schroetter, to close the gap.

Schroetter pulled away from teammate Sofuoglu and Manzi as the pair fought hard for the podium with the pair side by side for almost the entire final lap with the fight for third decided right at the end of the race. Despite Schroetter closing the gap to Bulega he was unable to make the move for victory as he finished six tenths down on Bulega. Sofuoglu had taken third place on the run to the line, with the pair elbow to elbow trying to finish on the podium, but Manzi was given a three-second time penalty, in lieu of a Long Lap Penalty for taking a shortcut and not losing sufficient time, which dropped him to sixth place.

Bulega’s victory was his fifth in WorldSSP and his third consecutive victory following on from his double at Assen while it also gave Ducati their tenth win in the Championship, putting them level with Suzuki and MV Agusta. Schroetter claimed his second podium of the season and in WorldSSP, while Sofuoglu became the 102^nd rider to finish on the podium in the Championship, and he puts Turkey on the verge of 100 podiums with the country not on 99.

DRAMA THROUGHOUT: Manzi finishes sixth after fierce podium fight

Manzi’s penalty promoted to Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) into fourth place as he finished around fifth seconds down on the race winner and a second behind Sofuoglu at the end of the race, with Caricasulo eventually recovering to take fifth place despite losing time and positions in the early stages of the race. Manzi’s three-second penalty demoted him to sixth place, two seconds ahead of teammate Jorge Navarro in seventh place.

A TOP TEN FINISH: strong rides throughout the field

French rider Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) had been running in the led group, including chasing Bulega for victory in the early stages, before dropping down to eighth place. He was only six tenths down on Navarro ahead of him, while he was three seconds clear of Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) in ninth place, some three seconds down on Debise ahead. Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) took tenth place to round out the top ten, with Tuuli missing out on ninth spot by just three tenths.

TAKING HOME POINTS: finishing in the top 15

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) got a superb launch off the line to move into the top three but he dropped down the order shortly after, before he dropped further when he took the first of his two Long Lap Penalties for a collision with Can Oncu last time out at Assen. After he took his second Long Lap Penalty, he dropped into the second group and was unable to recover beyond 11^th place. He finished ahead of Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) in 12^th and Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME Air Racing) in 13^th; Booth-Amos finished as the lead WorldSSP Challenge rider. Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team) was 14^th despite starting fourth after he tumbled down the order on the last lap, ahead of Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who took the final point in Race 1.

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), returning to WorldSSP as a replacement rider for Oncu, just missing out on points with 16^th place and he finished three seconds clear of Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) in 17^th. The Australian had been in the top ten in the first half of the stages but fell down the order to finish ahead of wildcard Adrian Fernandez (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) in 18^th, John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) in 19^th and Andrea Mantovani (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) who rounded out the top 20.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP Race 1

Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) brought his bike into the pits after he had a crash at Turn 10 on Lap 3 and retired from the race, while Baris Sahin (MDR Offitec Yamaha) also brought his machine into the pits in the early stages of the race. Maiki Abe (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) retired from the race on Lap 8 when he suffered a technical issue on his bike. Apiwath Wongthananon (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) retired from the race after a late crash, while Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE HONDA Team) retired with a late technical issue.

The top six following WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:

1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.626s

3. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +3.996s

4. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +4.991s

5. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +5.467s

6. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +7.002s

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

Source: WorldSBK.com

The first race day in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in the 2023 Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round was a thrilling affair with incredible battles for the podium places. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) went head-to-head for second place with the order of the podium not settled until the very last lap, when Razgatlioglu made a move on Rea.

Although Razgatlioglu passed Rea at Turn 1 at the start of Lap 17, the final lap in a shortened Race 1 following a red flag in the original start, the pair were barely separated as they battled hard for second place throughout the last lap. Razgatlioglu’s move came at Turn 1 under braking into the right-hander but he had a huge moment when braking as he made the move on the six-time World Champion.

Rea tried to respond into Turn 3 as he moved to the outside of the track before trying to cut back through the long right-hander of Turn 3. 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu held on but ran a bit wide into Turn 4, giving Rea the chance to look up the inside but, again, the Turkish rider was just able to stay ahead. Rea got close to the back of Razgatlioglu’s bike through Turn 9 leading onto the back straight as well as looking like he’d make a move into Turn 10, but he was unable to get through, meaning Razgatlioglu held onto second place.

Looking back on the battle, Razgatlioglu said: “In the race, I enjoyed it as we’re not riding on the limit to keep the rear tyre. I am very happy to be riding with the legend, and this is good as we forget about Alvaro as he’s very strong at this track. I enjoyed it with Jonny and I was waiting until the last lap, but also I was on the limit on the last lap as the tyres had a big drop. I just tried to get the best position. I got ahead of Jonny on the last lap and tried to take the best line. I am happy with P2. I tried hard braking but with the strong winds, it wasn’t easy to get the bike to stop. The front tyre didn’t have good grip in the final lap, but I tried my best like in every race. We didn’t feel good at the start of the weekend, but I am happy now.”

Rea’s podium gave him his fourth of the 2023 campaign and he looked back on his battle with Razgatlioglu after the race. He said: “It’s always difficult when you see ‘0.1 Toprak’ on the pit board! Not just one lap but every lap! In the beginning, I was happy behind Bassani and Rinaldi but as soon as they lost track position, I was on my own at the front and it’s difficult to understand a strategy race like that. When you’re at the front, I was trying to set a rhythm, pulling away from those behind but not pushing too hard to kill my tyre. Toprak came by on the final lap but I could turn inside him at Turn 3 and Turn 4. I have to thank the guys at KRT as we have good rear traction, we just need to improve in the stopping area in the latter stages with the front tyre. In Superpole, with the softer option front, the bike felt amazing and it was turning on a sixpence.”

Watch the incredible last-lap fight at the top of this article and see more incredible WorldSBK action using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

One of the main talking points in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was the fight between Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in Race 1 of the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. At Turn 3 on Lap 2, Rinaldi forced his way through Bassani on the inside and, at Turn 11, Bassani tried to go up the inside of Rinaldi to claim second position back. The pair made contact with Bassani able to continue the race, but given a Long Lap Penalty for the incident, while Rinaldi retired from the race. After the race, the pair discussed the incident and you can hear their thoughts, as well as re-watch the action, in the clip at the top of this page.

Watch more incredible WorldSBK action from Barcelona and throughout 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s opening race of the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was a dramatic affair as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed his fourth consecutive win in Barcelona to extend his Championship lead in Race 1, while there was a fierce battle for second with several riders at different points. The race was run over a 17-lap distance following a red flag on Lap 4 of the initial race, with Bautista winning the shortened race by 8.8 seconds.

BAUTISTA REIGNS SUPREME: Bautista takes Race 1 victory

The race was red flagged on Lap 4 of 20 after an incident on the exit of Turn 11 and the entrance of Turn 12 involving Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team). The Brazilian rider was conscious and taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Granado was declared unfit following the crash with concussion and he was transported to hospital for further assessments. The riders took to the grid for the restarted race based on their positions at the last completed time-keeping point for each rider, meaning Bautista took the front row ahead of teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

The new race was restarted over a 17-lap distance with Bautista able to once again stay ahead from the front while his rivals squabbled behind him. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) moved from fifth to third, and then ahead of Rinaldi into second, before the factory Ducati barged his way through at Turn 3. They were still side by side through Turn 10 and into Turn 11. The pair made contact with Rinaldi retiring from the race and Bassani continuing; the incident was investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards. Bassani was given a Long Lap Penalty for his role in the incident which he took instantly on Lap 6, dropping him from second to fifth.

Bassani’s penalty promoted Rea to second and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) into second and third place and the pair were battling it out for second place as Bautista pulled out a gap over Rea and Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu was consistently putting Rea under pressure but, despite the 2021 Champion looking to make a move into Turn 1, he made the move on the final lap at Turn 1 despite being massively out of shape in the braking zone.

Bautista’s victory gave him his 41^st win for Ducati out of 82 races run for the Italian manufacturer, giving him a 50%-win rate for Ducati. It’s his fourth consecutive win in Barcelona as he took his 67^th podium in WorldSBK. Rea has edged closer to a milestone as he now has 249 WorldSBK podiums to his name while Razgatlioglu now has 91 podiums and Yamaha are edging closer to 400 podiums: they now have 397 to their name.

FIERCE FIGHT FOR FOURTH: an incredible run continues…

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) converted two incredible starts as the lights went out to take fourth place in Spain, continuing his run of top-five finishes in WorldSBK that extends from the end of the 2022 campaign. He fended off a surging Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to hold on to fourth place, with Aegerter in fifth and fin ishing as the top Independent rider. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) made a late move on Bassani to take sixth place and demote Bassani to seventh after the Italian had a late-race drop-off in pace.

IN THE TOP TEN: fighting for strong positions

Eighth place went to Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) as he dropped off in the closing stages and he fended off Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) in ninth. Gerloff started the original race from ninth but lost out in the first few laps, before battling his way back up to ninth at the end of the race. Rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top ten after a stunning late battle with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with the Australian in 11^th. Heading into Turn 1 on the final lap, Petrucci looked to make a move before Gardner responded around the outside of Turn 2; however, Petrucci was able to finish ahead.

COMPLETING POINTS: first points of the season for a rookie

German rider Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) took 12^th spot, some seven seconds own on Gardner ahead of him, while Oettl fended off Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in 13^th. Ray’s 13^th place means he claimed his first WorldSBK points of the campaign and his best WorldSBK result including his previous wildcard appearances. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) took 14^th, just a second behind Ray, while Malaysian rider Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) took the final point.

Ivo Miguel Lopes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took 16^th place on his WorldSBK debut as he stood in for the injured Michael van der Mark, finishing ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 17^th place. Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) finished 18^th and a lap down following a crash on Lap 1 of the restarted race. It happened at the same time as Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a crash in front of him, with Redding retiring from the race.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSBK Race 1

Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) was the first retirement from the race when the Czech rider had a Turn 4 crash on Lap 2 of the original race start, putting him out of the race and he was unable to re-join the restarted race. Konig was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. He was diagnosed with a left ankle contusion and he will be reassessed ahead of Warm Up on Sunday morning.

Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) retired from the race after he crashed out at Turn 10 on Lap 10, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had his second crash of the day as he lost the front at Turn 7 on Lap 11.

The top six following WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.864s

3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +8.927s

4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +13.992s

5. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +14.206s

6. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +15.809s

Fastest lap: Alvaro Bautista, Ducati – 1’41.747s

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

Source: WorldSBK.com

There was action throughout the 12-lap Race 1 in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship during the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with 2020 Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) claiming his first win since returning to the Championship this season. He finished just 0.052s ahead of the chasing group to take an emotional victory for both him and the MTM Kawasaki squad in Barcelona.

BACK ON TOP: Buis returns to winning ways

Buis initially got a good start when the lights went out and initially pulled out a gap of over a second on the first lap but the chasing pack soon closed that gap up over the next few laps and Buis first dropped out of the lead on Lap 4 as the lead group became a huge 21 riders. Buis remained in this group despite dropping down as low as eighth at one point and he re-gained the lead of the race on the final lap to win his first race since returning to WorldSSP300. He fended off Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) on the final lap of the race by just 0.052s as the Frenchman looked for victory, while Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) rounded out the podium with third place after pulling off an epic comeback from 19^th throughout the 12-lap race.

Buis’ victory means he becomes the all-time race winner in WorldSSP300 with eight wins in total, while it was also MTM Kawasaki’s last win since the late Victor Steeman won at the same circuit last year. It was also Kawasaki’s 50^th victory in WorldSSP300, the first manufacturer to reach this milestone, while Di Sora took his 13^th podium in the Championship and Gennai recorded his fifth rostrum visit.

FIGHTING BACK: from last to the top five…

There were several comebacks throughout the race including Championship leader Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) as he finished in fourth place despite running outside of the points for the majority of the race. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) was fastest in the Tissot Superpole session but had to start from the back of the grid due to being sanctioned for irresponsible riding in FP1. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) was sixth after leading the race for parts throughout.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: one second separating first and tenth…

Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) took seventh place after a strong race for the Spanish rider on home soil ahead of Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) in eighth, with Vannucci one of several riders who led the race throughout the 12-lap race. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) overcame a Long Lap Penalty, given to him for irresponsible riding in Superpole, to take ninth place ahead of Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) who scored points on his return to the Championship.

SCORING POINTS: rounding out the top 15

Enzo Valentim (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) also had to serve a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding during Race 1 bit he finished in 11^th place, just 0.063s ahead of Julio Garcia (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) in 12^th. Garcia was at the front of a trio of Spanish riders who were in the points-paying positions with Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) in 13^th and Yeray Saiz Marquez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) in 14^th. Troy Alberto (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) rounded out the points with 15^th.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP300 Race 1

It was a difficult day for Ruben Bijman (Arco Motor University Team). He appeared to stall on the grid as the lights went out and, while he dropped to last, he was able to re-join the race. However, he was later given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start. He was eventually classified in 20^th place. Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Team#109 Kawasaki) crashed out of the race on Lap 6 at Turn 5 after a collision with wildcard Calatayud (Arco Motor University Team) with Calatayud able to continue. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) retired from the race at the end of Lap 7 when he brought his machine into the pits. Raffaele Tragni (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) retired from the race after a crash at Turn 3, with an incident placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards.

On Lap 10 of 12, there was a six-rider crash involving Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances), Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project), Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), Gabriele Mastroluca (Arco Motor University Team), Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) and Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse). All six retired from the race with the incident set to be investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards after the race.

The top six WorldSSP300 Race 1, full results here:

1. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki)

2. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.052s

3. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.098s

4. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.341s

5. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) +0.346s

6. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +0.481s

Fastest Lap: Samuel Di Sora (Kawasaki): 1’55.236s

Watch more WorldSSP300 from Barcelona on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

A titanic battle for pole position at the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round saw the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. With track temperatures rising all the time throughout the round, the sun was strong and the on-track action also red-hot, with pole position for the weekend up for grabs. After a frenetic 15 minutes and a red flag, it was Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who stormed to pole position and a new lap record with a stunning opening lap.

STORY OF SUPERPOLE: Bautista in league of his own, disaster for Lowes

As the lights went green at the end of pitlane, riders got their tyres up to temperature before getting down to fast times straight away. Alvaro Bautista laid down an incredible benchmark with a 1’40.264s on his first flying lap, an all-time lap record for WorldSBK at the circuit. After the first run, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was in second ahead of 2022 polesitter Iker Lecuona (Team HRC), whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was fourth ahead of teammate Alex Lowes and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). Elsewhere after the opening run, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in P11, Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in P14 all hoped for an improvement in the final five minutes. After one lap, Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had a technical problem and had to return to the box, whilst Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) was also stuck in the garage.

The second run saw Rea and Redding head out together, something we saw many times throughout the 2022 season, with Redding’s weekend teammate Ivo Lopes tagged on behind. However, their first flying lap was halted for a big crash for Alex Lowes, who lost the front at the final turn, leaving his bike barrelling through the gravel trap. A red flag was shown with 02:21 remaining on the clock. It would now be a one lap shoot-out to find out if anyone would be able to topple Bautista or improve their own grid position. The stoppage was beneficial for Brad Ray, with the British youngster able to get back out onto the circuit after his technical issue.

OLD-STYLE ONE-LAP DASH: a frantic final dash, Bautista on top

In a mad dash to improve their time, riders got out on circuit but Jonathan Rea only just avoided being caught out on his out lap, with the chequered flag coming out moments after. Coming to the line to complete their laps, it was all change on the front row as Rinaldi initially took second from Aegerter, only for the Swiss rider to retaliate, whilst a late-charging Rea snatched third. Rinaldi was relegated off the front row but the one constant was his teammate, as Alvaro Bautista will be keen to grab the holeshot for Race 1. Aegerter took his best Superpole result and was top Yamaha, with Rea keeping his streak of Barcelona front rows alive for a fourth straight season and with a 110^th front row.

ROW TWO: Rinaldi and Lecuona to join podium fight from behind?

On the second row, Michael Ruben Rinaldi is well-and-truly in the mix, even if fourth is perhaps a disservice and not representative of where he’d been up until that point of the weekend. Fifth place on the grid and in the middle of the second row, Iker Lecuona is likewise in contention as he goes for a first rostrum of 2023, whilst Alex Lowes completes the second row in sixth, not being punished too harshly by his rivals after his Turn 14 fall.

THIRD ROW: contrasting emotions complete the top ten

The third row is a power packed one and one that could provide charges and surprises. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was seventh for his joint-best Superpole result in 2023, whilst in eighth, Toprak Razgatlioglu was eighth, suffering his worst Superpole result of 2023, meaning that neither of the factory Yamahas could topple the Independent Yamahas. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was ninth for his best Superpole result of the season and thus since he joined BMW, whilst it was Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was tenth, after a promising display on Friday didn’t come to fruition.

ROUNDING OUT THE ORDER: big names with work to do

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was 11^th and top Independent Ducati, with Xavi Vierge only managing 12^th, with work to do for him in Race 1. Scott Redding could only manage 13^th, whilst it was disappointing in the middle of row five for Axel Bassani, with the top Independent rider in the Championship struggling to make any in-roads so far this weekend. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven), Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team), Brad Ray and Ivo Lopes completed the top 20. Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) was 21^st, ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO), Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) and Gabriele Ruiu completed the order.

Top six after WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.264s

2. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) +0.473s

3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.497s

4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.507s

5. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.519s

6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.707s

A breath-taking season is well underway, watch it all unfold in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The drama in the FIM Supersport World Championship continued at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with a disrupted Tissot Superpole session for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed his third consecutive pole position this season by finishing nearly three tenths clear of his rivals in the red-flagged 20-minute session, while several riders impressed throughout Superpole.

BULEGA LEADS THE WAY: just shy of the lap record…

The session was red flagged with just under five minutes to go when Harry Truelove (Dynavolt Triumph) crashed at the exit of Turn 3 with the bike remaining on the kerbs heading into Turn 4 on the racing line. Truelove was able to walk away but the red flags were necessary in order to recover his machine. Bulega was quick out of the blocks in the 20-minute session was he set a 1’44.243s to go, provisionally, a second quicker than everyone else although his rivals did close the gap as their lap times rolled in. The red flag prevented Bulega from improving his time further and he did not improve after the red flag to take pole position. His rivals, however, were able to close the gap behind him with Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) lapping almost three tenths slower than Bulega. They will be joined by Frederico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) in third place for his 35^th front row start.

EDWARDS SURPRISES: a best Superpole result for the Australian

Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team) surged up the order to take his best-ever WorldSSP Superpole result with fourth place after setting a 1’44.777 as he finished as the lead WorldSSP Challenge rider on the grid. Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) will line up from fifth place ahead of Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in sixth with Navarro finishing as the lead Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider.

LOOKING TO MOVE UP: can the third row provide surprises in races?

Valentin Debise (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) had another strong result as he took seventh place in Spain, 0.632s own on Bulega’s time, while Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was eighth as he starts from the third row. Debise and Manzi will be joined by Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who took ninth place. The Turkish star was running in second place prior to the red flag but dropped down to ninth place after he was unable to improve on his 1’44.899s when the session resumed. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top ten as he set a 1’45.013s to lap 0.770 slower than Bulega.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP

It was a dramatic affair with several riders having issues or crashes during the 20-minute session. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was 18^th after he had a crash at Turn 5 with 12 minutes left in the session. He re-joined the circuit following the crash but was unable to secure a top-ten starting position. Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) was 22^nd in Superpole after he crashed at Turn 2 in the latter stages of the session. Wildcard Baris Sahin (MDR Offitec Yamaha) had a technical issue which limited his running and he will line up 32^nd.

The top six following WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.274s

3. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +0.441s

4. Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team) +0.534s

5. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +0.617s

6. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.618s

Watch WorldSSP Race 1 from 15:15 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com