Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) stormed to a first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship pole position since Misano as he obliterated the lap record at MotorLand Aragon. The #11 had waited 104 days since his last pole as he put in an unbelievable performance as the grid was set for the Tissot Aragon Round, with Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) going from second and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completing the front row.

THE FIRST RUNS: Bulega leads the way ahead of Razgatlioglu

Razgatlioglu’s first lap was straight into the 1’47s bracket, the first of the weekend, with a 1’47.944s as he moved into a provisional pole position. He was trailed by less than a tenth by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), while his teammate, Jonathan Rea, was third. However, that time was immediately beaten by Bulega who smashed the lap record with a 1’47.655s to demote ‘El Turco’ into second by three tenths although the gap came down on Razgatlioglu’s second lap to 0.163s. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was the last to set a representative time on the first runs, slotting into P3.

BRILLIANT BULEGA TAKES POLE: unbeatable in Superpole at Aragon

On the second runs, Bulega went even quicker as he set a 1’47.332s – demoting the Lowes twins who provisionally went P1 and P2, with Alex leading Sam. That put the pressure on Razgatlioglu as ‘El Turco’ improved his best time to a 1’47.442s to climb back into second place, but falling agonisingly short of pole as Bulega made it two consecutive pole positions at MotorLand Aragon. Alex Lowes completed the front row, putting Bimota in contention for the weekend’s races. Bulega claimed his eighth WorldSBK pole position, while the #22 took his 25^th career front row and the second of the season.

TRIO OF DUCATIS ON ROW 2: Bautista’s best Superpole result since Round 4

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) will go from fourth place after setting a 1’47.550s, only two tenths away from pole position, with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) joining his fellow Independent Ducati rider in P5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) had his best Superpole result since the visit to Cremona with sixth; the #19 often has strong race pace and will feel he’s in contention for at least a podium given his form at Aragon. However, it’s the first time Bautista hasn’t been on the front row on a Ducati at Aragon.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: Iannone goes from P7; Bassani penalised after taking P11

Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) was fastest in FP3 and his pace improved again, but ‘The Maniac’ could only manage seventh with a 1’47.839s; he was just half-a-second away from pole. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was the lead Yamaha rider in eighth, after setting his lap times on his own, with teammate Andrea Locatelli just a couple of hundredths behind in nine. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completed the top ten, ahead of Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team); however, ‘El Bocia’ will start Race 1 from the back of the grid after being penalised for not respecting yellow flags in FP2.

The top six from Superpole, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’47.332s
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.110s
3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.159s
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.218s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.430s
6. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.488s

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