Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) secured his second pole of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship double header. Bulega beat the existing lap record as he set a 1’47.840s to secure P1 on the grid ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and teammate Alvaro Bautista who completed the front row at MotorLand Aragon. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will line up from fifth for his injury comeback as he lapped half-a-second down on polesitter Bulega.

THE FIRST RUN: Iannone takes early advantage

It was Iannone who claimed provision pole with his first flying lap after setting a 1’48.208s, going ahead of Bautista and his teammate Bulega; less than a tenth separated Iannone and Bautista, while Razgatlioglu was P7 but only two tenths away from P1.  There were split strategies for the first run, with some riders like Iannone opting to do one flying lap while Bautista completed two as tyres looked to maximise the SCX tyre’s performance.

BACK ON THE FRONT ROW: Bulega on pole, Bautista on the front row for the first time in 2024

As the second stint got underway, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) put in an incredible lap time of 1’47.840s – a new all-time lap record – to move into top spot and demote Iannone into second. The #29 was unable to improve his time in his second run as he took P2 in Superpole, while Bautista claimed third with a 1’48.258s to make it an all-Ducati front row for the second consecutive weekend. It was also Bautista’s first top-three finish in Superpole this season. Bautista did his best lap time while following his rookie teammate after the pair left the box together in the first run, with the #1 not finding time on his second run.

FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS: top-four lockout for Ducati, Razgatlioglu fifth

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) will line up fourth as he looks to extend his win streak, missing out on a front row by less than a tenth. With Petrucci in P4, it’s the first time in 20 years that Ducati have locked out the top four; that last occurred at Brands Hatch in August 2004. He’ll be joined on the second row by 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu, who took fifth as he returns from injury and targets a first Aragon victory. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was sixth after posting a 1’48.348s, although his session came to a premature halt after he crashed at Turn 5.

ON THE THIRD ROW: Locatelli P7, Lecuona P9

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was the lead Yamaha rider in Superpole after posting a 1’48.357s to take seventh with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) bouncing back from his Friday crash in style to claim eighth, only a few hundredths away from ‘Loka’. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) would perhaps have hoped for more following good pace in the practice sessions but the #7 was forced to settle for ninth, with American star Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) rounding out the top ten.

A CLOSE SESSION: little to separate the WorldSBK field

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed 11^th ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) secured 13^th on his return from injury. It was a close session at Aragon, with one second separating the top 12 and 1.3 seconds separating Bulega on pole and Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 19^th.

The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’47.840s

2. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.368s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.418s

4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.474s

5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.491s

6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.508s

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