Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega continues to impress, leading the charge for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team ahead of his teammate Alvaro Bautista.
In FP1, Toprak Razgatlioglu set the fastest time, securing third place overall on the combined times, just ahead of his teammate Michael van der Mark.
Notably, Andrea Locatelli was the busiest rider on track, completing 41 laps, while his teammate Jonathan Rea focused on race simulations.
Under nearly perfect conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati duo of Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista dominated WorldSBK proceedings. Bulega, the rookie sensation, set the pace on the opening day, with Bautista trailing by two tenths of a second. With Ducati boasting a seven-race winning streak in Catalunya, the team aims to maintain its formidable form in the upcoming 20-lap race.
During practice, teams concentrated on understanding tire consumption, particularly in the afternoon session. With new development options provided by Pirelli, riders and engineers focused on identifying the most optimal solutions. The Pata Prometeon Yamaha team adopted a split strategy, with Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli utilizing different tire combinations. Both riders completed race simulations, concluding the day in fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
Toprak Razgatlioglu of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team secured third place on the combined timesheet. Following his competitive performance during the recent two-day Supported Test, the Turkish rider is poised to contend at the front throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, championship leader Alex Lowes of the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK encountered issues in the morning session, limiting his track time. Despite completing 27 laps, the 33-year-old finished the day in 14th position.
P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“It was a good first day because my feeling with the bike was good. I tried both SCX tyres and I’m still not very sure of the decision for the race. We have to check some data and try to understand which can work better for the race. My race pace was also fast in the afternoon but we need to try and improve because our rivals will try something to catch me.”
P2 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“In the morning the bike felt similar to other times that I have ridden it this season. I am trying to give my best feedback to the engineers and explain what I feel on the bike. The bike felt much better in the afternoon and it helped me to ride as I wanted to. I’m really happy and now it’s time to keep going in this direction. We have another day tomorrow and hopefully we can improve my feeling step by step. In the afternoon I tried the SCX and the new development tyre and I didn’t feel a really big difference in the performance level. The drop is not really big. Until now I couldn’t ride the bike as I wanted to. I’m happy for Nicolo because it shows that the bike is working well. His performance is a good reference.”
P3 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“I focused on the long run in the afternoon. It looks like the Ducati is very strong but we know that at this track the Ducati is always very strong. I tried my best today but we are still working with the bike to help with grip. We did a long run,13 laps, and the times were mainly 1m41 and then 42’s. The rear grip improved for us and is better than before now. I hope we are fighting with Ducati but it looks like Ducati’s pace is very strong. But maybe the race is different. In general I’m happy but we need to improve the bike grip.”
WorldSBK Combined Results after FP2
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.907s
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.247s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.292s
4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.338
5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.493s
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.566s
World SSP
Adrian Huertas clinched his second consecutive Superpole in the Supersport class, showcasing his prowess on the track. A mid-session red flag, prompted by a technical issue for Bahattin Sofuoglu of MV Agusta Reparto Corse, briefly halted proceedings. However, once the action resumed, the Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider reaffirmed his dominance, securing pole position by a margin of 0.274 seconds.
Joining Huertas on the front row of the grid are Can Oncu of Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and Stefano Manzi of Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing.
The Catalunya Round also marks the debut of World Championship action for QJMotor. Spearheading their entry is the experienced rider Raffaele de Rosa of QJMOTOR Factory Racing.
P1 | Adrian Huertas | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team
“Today was a really good day. This morning we had some issues but the team worked hard and we were able to solve everything and we improved a lot. The most important thing is that we can manage the tyre a lot and this is really important for tomorrow. I’m happy to get pole position for my home round but the races are more important. We are going for the win.”
WorldSSP Tissot Superpole Results
1. Adrian Huertas | Ducati | 1’44.197s
2. Can Oncu | Kawasaki | +0.274s
3. Stefano Manzi | Yamaha | +0.333s
World SSP300
Historic first pole position for Kove
History was made in the Supersport 300 class as Kove claimed the first World Championship pole position for a Chinese manufacturer. It was a new Superpole lap record from Julio Garcia Gonzalez(KOVE Racing Team) with the 17-year-old claiming his first Superpole success.
Tomorrow’s opening race of the season will see three different manufacturers on the front row with Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) and Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) joining Garcia in the top three.
A late session yellow flag cost the riders an opportunity to set fastest times in the closing minutes with reigning World Champion Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) unable to improve on the 11th fastest time.
P1 | Julio Garcia Gonzalez | KOVE Racing Team
“I’m really happy because this is my first pole position and the first pole position for Kove. This is a new bike but I am really enjoying working with the team. The new Superpole schedule is strange because the day goes really fast. We only have one Free Practice session now but I quite like it! Tomorrow, I believe that a win is possible. I’ll push hard for it!”
WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole Results
1. Julio Garcia Gonzalez | KOVE | 1’55.313s
2. Daniel Mogeda | Kawasaki | +0.044s
3. Matteo Vannucci | Yamaha | +0.093s
Official WorldSBK Press Release
