Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) was the fastest MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider in Free Practice 1 at MotorLand Aragon, although there was little to separate ‘Bulegas’ from teammate Iker Lecuona. Just two hundredths of a second kept the pair apart in the opening session of the Aragon Round as Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completed the top three.
Lecuona was quick to take a slender advantage over his teammate in the early stages of FP1, initially running 0.011s ahead of Bulega, but he extended that to more than two tenths with around 22 minutes remaining when he posted a 1’48.938s. However, with 12 minutes remaining, Bulega usurped the #7 with a 1’48.916s to claim top spot by just 0.022s ahead of home hero Lecuona.
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished in third with a 1’49.442s as he led Bimota’s charge, although both riders from the Italian manufacturer were in the top four.
Bassani was less than a tenth away from his teammate after he set a 1’49.495s, with just 0.053s between the #47 and the #22. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) finished in fifth despite completing just two timed laps in FP1 after he crashed at Turn 12 right after he set the fastest time in Sector 2. He did attempt to re-join the session after his bike was repaired but issues kept him in the box. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished in sixth after he set a 1’49.609s.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) was seventh but lost the final minutes of FP1 due to a technical issue at Turn 2, forcing ‘Balda’ to use the service roads to make his way back to pit lane. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) finished in eighth, 0.853s away from Bulega, while Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) and Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) rounded out the top ten. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished 11th after he was declared fit for FP1 following the ankle injuries he sustained at Most. He was exactly one second off Bulega’s pacesetting time.
The red flags were shown after a crash for Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) at Turn 12 around 13 minutes into the session, with the #96 losing the front of his CBR1000RR-R SP; the red flags were shown to recover the bike which rolled after catching the kerbs. He finished the session in 17th place with a 1’50.486s, completing just a couple of timed laps.
The top six from WorldSBK FP1, full results here:
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’48.916s
- Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.022s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.526s
- Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.579s
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.635s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.693s
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