World Superbike starts this weekend at Motorland Aragon, but riders and teams have already taken to the track for the last test session that precedes the start of the season. The Spanish track welcomed the paddock of the production derivatives with very low temperatures, only 5 degrees were recorded in the morning while in the afternoon session the thermometer did not go beyond 9 degrees. In decidedly less than ideal conditions it is Jonathan Rea who signs the best time trial of the day, but it is already a world brawl, with Toprak Razgatlioglu chasing and Alvaro Bautista confirming himself in excellent shape.
The Kawasaki rider started his assault on the title and demonstrates it with a 1’49 ”394, scored in the final stages of the afternoon session. Rea, in fact, preferred not to take to the track during the morning, opting for a shorter day which, however, seems to have borne fruit. The six-time world champion thus mocked his direct rival Razgatlioglu. The reigning world champion had set the best time at the end of the morning session, but then had to queue up at the end of the day, remaining 234 thousandths behind the Kawasaki rider.
In third position we find Alvaro Bautista, who once again proves capable of being able to fight with the first two. The Spaniard got back on the Panigale V4R and immediately found himself at ease, regaining his sensations with the Ducati in the first tests and confirming his potential at Aragon. The Aruba rider in fact signed the third time trial despite paying six tenths from Rea. In the first three positions we find once again three different manufacturers, demonstrating how balanced this world championship can be if the values are confirmed.
Behind Bautista is Garrett Gerloff, also ready to redeem himself after a complicated season. In the winter tests he has shown that he can be part of the game and is confirming himself in the Aragon tests of these two days, signing the fourth time trial at the end of the first day. The American of the GRT team pays seven tenths from the top and precedes Alex Lowes, fifth with the other Kawasaki. The Briton is the first to go beyond the second behind and Loris Baz is behind him.
The Frenchman is the best of BMW drivers, with the German manufacturer having to do without Michael van der Mark. The Dutchman is forced to forfeit due to a broken leg. In place of him will be Ilya Mikhalcik, who today stopped in 15th position, behind the other brand mates: Eugene Laverty is in fact ninth, while the other official BMW standard bearer Scott Redding did not go beyond the 12th time.
A day of ups and downs for Honda, with Iker Lecuona who grabbed the top 10 with the ninth time, while Xavi Vierge, who had recently operated, did not force himself, stopping in 16th place. In the top ten we also find Kohta Nozane and the other Yamaha of Andrea Locatelli, who did not go beyond the tenth time today. On Day 1 Michael Ruben Rinaldi also struggled, with the Panigale V4R he stopped in 13th position also behind Phillip Oettl, 11th with the Ducati of the Go Eleven team. Axel Bassani and Luca Bernardi, 18th and 20th respectively, also remain very late.
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