Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) destroyed the all-time lap record at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto to claim his third pole in four MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rounds. His 1’37.596s was the first-ever lap in the 1’37s at Jerez as he claimed P1, finishing 0.606s ahead of title rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as they get set for their title showdown at the Prometeon Spanish Round.

THE FIRST RUN: lap record smashed by Bulega

Razgatlioglu’s first lap was eight tenths quicker than any other lap set this weekend as he set a 1’38.306s, before Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) beat him by just 0.004s on his first flying lap. That was soon demolished by Bulega as he set a 1’38.141s to smash the all-time lap record at Jerez for provisional pole. The #11 attempted a second lap in his first run although he didn’t improve, lapping a tenth slower than his best, with Ducati opting for an alternative strategy: both Bulega and teammate Alvaro Bautista left the pits later and did two flying laps.

A NEW RECORD SET AGAIN: Bulega goes even quicker, Razgatlioglu P2

In the second run, Razgatlioglu followed teammate Michael van der Mark and was 0.154s up after two sectors but yellow flags following a crash for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) at Turn 6. That handed the initiative to Bulega, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands by setting a 1’37.596s, the first WorldSBK lap ever at Jerez in the 1’37s bracket. Razgatlioglu’s second lap in his second stint was six tenths down on Bulega to secure P2 with Alex Lowes completing the front row with P3, exactly one tenth down on ‘El Turco’. Bulega’s pole meant he secured the 2024 Tissot Superpole Award as well as his fourth pole of the season; the 0.606s margin is also the biggest between first and second at Jerez, beating the previous record by two tenths.

SECURING THE SECOND ROW: Petrucci P4 ahead of Lecuona and Locatelli

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) moved up the order with his final flying lap to claim fourth in Superpole, 0.758s slower than Bulega’s barely-believable lap time. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was the fastest Honda rider as he lapped almost a second down on Bulega, but it was enough to claim P5, ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) who was the lead Yamaha rider with P6 in the 15-minute session.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: Vierge P7, Rinaldi ninth

Xavi Vierge was seventh as Honda put two CBR1000RR-R machines in the top seven, with van der Mark missing out on P7 by just 0.003s; the Dutchman will line up from eighth. After topping Friday’s running and showing good pace during the weekend, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) secured ninth after setting a 1’38.750s while America’s Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), who topped FP3, completed the top ten.

LANGUISHING DOWN THE ORDER: Bautista on the fifth row, Rea P16 after his crash

Rea could only manage 16^th following his Turn 6 spill, finishing one place behind reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) with the #1 once again only able to secure a fifth row start.

The top six from WorldSBK’s Tissot Superpole session, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’37.596s

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.606s

3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.706s

4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.758s

5. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.995s

6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +1.069s

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