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The 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship took yet another thrilling twist and turn at the MotorLand Aragon circuit, the first of two consecutive rounds there. There were plenty of talking points and a lot of questions answered, although we’ll have to wait longer for clarity on others. From a podium by Honda, a tyre life battle and the clarification that this year is crazy, Aragon had it all.

Not his favourite track? Not a problem…

Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) performance was the mark of a true Champion – not that his status as one of them was ever in doubt. MotorLand Aragon is not a circuit at which he has had overwhelming success on, but this weekend was different; he achieved a double victory and even when in battle with the master of Aragon Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), he was able to respond. That’ll do Rea the world of good in regard to confidence, whilst it will demoralise the rest of the paddock – but only to a degree.

Bautista and Honda can be a formidable partnership

Eyebrows were raised and questions asked when Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) made the bold move to spearhead Honda’s full factory return to WorldSBK. However, he’s proven in just four rounds that the bike is a podium contender on outright pace. Despite a Race 1 crash, the Tissot Superpole Race saw him fourth, backing it up with a first podium of 2020 and Honda’s first in four years in Race 2. Testing at the Alcañiz venue meant that they were able to be quick and with a second round at the circuit, could Bautista – who finished just 3.599 seconds from the win – be a consistent podium threat? Or perhaps, a stab at victory next weekend?

Tyre life proves crucial…

With the long-radius corners and the constant torture of the tyres, bike set-up and riding style proved to be very important at MotorLand Aragon. In Race 2, Alvaro Bautista opted for the SCX rear tyre but made it last the full 18 laps; his somewhat less aggressive riding style and light weight contributing to his success. Jonathan Rea was rarely a wheel out of line and this neat riding style meant he had some tyre to fight Chaz Davies in a fight and still break away. For the next round, it’ll be even more important for the perfect bike set-up, especially to get on the podium.

This year is all a bit wild…

Let’s face it, we knew this after Phillip Island but the results we’ve been getting aren’t like any other year we’ve seen. The Championship lead changed during the round and then back again after Race 2, whilst we had another top ten finisher in Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), stand-out rookie performances in Race 1 by Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and Race 1’s winner Scott Redding fading off the pace in Race 2. It’s hard to form a pattern but that’s exactly what makes this Championship so dynamic in 2020.

Gerloff and Caricasulo grow in stature…

American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and his teammate Federico Caricasulo backed up their strong showings from Portimao and again, both took top ten results at Aragon. Gerloff was running strongly before a crash in Race 1, whilst Caricasulo finished ninth. In Race 2, Caricasulo couldn’t match the top ten but Garrett Gerloff was in a tremendous fight for seventh, finishing tenth in the end – his fourth top ten of the year. The rookies are fast and who knows what they can do at Aragon next weekend, with a round already under their belt. 

Enjoy the remaining three four rounds of the 2020 season with the WorldSBK VideoPass!