Comprehensive all-class round up from WorldSBK Sunday at Aragon

2022 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round One – Aragon

WorldSBK Superpole Race

Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) started well from the second spot on the grid in the Sunday morning Superpole race, moving into the lead straight away ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

Behind them was factory Ducati rider Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) who closed out the leading quartet, threatening the six-time world champion Kawasaki rider for the podium position on multiple occasions.

As Bautista consistently increased the gap ahead of the others, the rest of the group battled for second, with passes back and forth throughout the race. On the eighth lap, Rinaldi overtook both his rivals in a single move, but Rea was having none of it and responded at the first occasion, leaving the Italian Ducati rider behind to deal with Razgatlioglu.

Bautista finished first all by himself more than five-seconds ahead of Jonathan Rea, with the Reigning World Champion completing the podium.

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

WorldSBK Race Two

From the second spot on the grid, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got off to a good start, closely followed by the Ducati’s ridden by Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) and Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati). Behind them were Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

After making a mistake, Rea fell back to third place, allowing the Ducati riders to increase the gap to a second and a half ahead of the rest of the group, but in the second half of the race, Rinaldi’s pace dropped and he fell back to fourth place. Bautista finished first, taking home a fantastic double win for Ducati ahead of Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu (third).

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in fifth place as he bounced back from his Race 1 crash to claim a top-five finish. Top Independent rider Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in sixth place after the Italian made a good start to jump up the order as he looks to continue his form from 2021 where he impressed as a rookie. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was the first BWM rider in seventh as he finished 0.865s clear of Spanish rookie Xavi Vierge (Team HRC); the lead Honda rider. Scott Redding retired from the race early while Kohta Nozane crashed out.

Alvaro Bautista leads the Championship standings for the first time since Misano in 2019, with 57 points. Jonathan Rea stands in second with 54 points while Reigning WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu is third with 39 points.

WorldSBK Race Two Results

WorldSBK Rider Quotes

Alvaro Bautista

“I’m really happy. It’s been a very positive weekend, we’ve obtained important results but the crucial thing was to regain confidence with positive feelings: with the bike, with the team, with my fans. I was satisfied yesterday for the second place too, but I felt that something was missing. Since the warm-up the feeling was very good and so I tried to push harder. It was a very good start of the season. I can’t wait to be in Assen”.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“I think last year we did not start so strong here, because normally this is a difficult track for Yamaha – but three podiums is better. For me this is a good weekend, I try in the race to improve and I’m fighting with Johnny sometimes, but in the last laps my tyres had a big drop in grip and I am not able to fight again. Third position is not bad and I am again on the podium, so this is good. In the Superpole Race I enjoy a lot the fight with Rinaldi and Jonathan, in the last corner I need to pass Michael because I need the podium and the points! This is racing and we race a lot like this together in Superstock 600 in 2015! In the second race I saw him in second position pushing the tyre and see it start to drop, I say okay now I start to push – I was trying to look after the tyre because in the final laps there is a big drop in grip. I passed Michael and tried to go for Johnny but it was not possible. But anyway, everybody tries their best and I try this weekend to fight for the podium – I am happy and also big thanks to my team because every session we are trying for a good set up for the race and finally we have improved.”

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Andrea Locatelli

“I wanted to try and go with the front group in Race 2, by pushing hard in the second lap, and I lost the front at Turn 9. I re-joined in case there was an opportunity for a restart, but I couldn’t do anything so instead I used the race to play a little bit with the settings and understand more as well as collect data for the guys. We lost the opportunity to close the weekend maybe in the top five, but it’s just the first round. I want to push and now is the time to take the risk to try and stay with the front group. I was happy with the Superpole Race because in the end I was close to Toprak and Jonathan – I took the motivation for Race 2 from this, but unfortunately I crashed. Now, we will put this behind us and continue to work for Assen to improve more.”

Michael Rinaldi

“I close this weekend with mixed emotions. I’m very satisfied with the work we’ve done especially because in every race we’ve been in a position to easily fight for the podium. On the other hand, however, it is clear that something was missing. The balance is certainly positive, but we will have to work to fix those details that can allow us to be even more competitive”.

Jonathan Rea

“It was a battling Superpole race. All I could do was to race for second place and the contest with Toprak and Rinaldi was intense. I couldn’t really get a free lap to do my rhythm, but it was fun as well. To come out on top of that little ‘mini-battle’ was nice. Just like the Superpole race I just got involved with other riders in Race Two. I felt my pace was similar to Alvaro’s, but on clear track. Rinaldi and Toprak were so excited to take track position I just really struggled to do my rhythm. I needed clear track to be fast and it took a long time to get that. The race was very aggressive again. I made quite a few mistakes. It was windy out there – and the wind changed direction. Yesterday there was a big tailwind on the straight; today it was a headwind, pushing you at T1 as well. But I am happy with the results. If I could have guaranteed these results on Monday, I would have signed up for them. To be best of the rest today I have to be really happy and move forward to Assen.”

Alex Lowes

“I have struggled all week to find a good setting, even though I have worked hard. Maybe I worked too much in the winter on used tyres because when it came time to be fast I wasn’t quite as fast as I wanted to be. Today, I was happy because it was faster than we managed last year in terms of race times. In hotter conditions I felt quite good and I was not too far off the guys at the front. We are just lacking a few tenths, but we are also step in front of the others. It is not too bad, we just have a little bit of work to do.”

Loris Baz

“I thought that P7 was our potential. To be honest, I was disappointed with yesterday and this morning, especially after the testing we did on Monday and Tuesday and FP3. So we needed to understand why we were slower in the race than in testing. Why I was slower in the group than alone. So our crew made some changes before race two. I was feeling more comfortable on the bike, I understood more things, I had the bike more in my hand. I know that our potential at the moment is to be behind the three top manufacturers and that is what I wanted to do. I tried to not any mistakes and bring it home. I said from the beginning, that this weekend is the base for our work for this year. And it is exactly what happened. We will build the whole project further from here, and work hard as we did from the first test on. For sure it is not my ultimate goal to be seventh, but the season is long and I am happy that I did a good race and with the work that BMW and the entire team do. So a big thank you to them. Now off to the next one.”

Xavi Vierge

“Before coming here, I did not even expect to finish all three races but, in the end, not only did we finish them but we also consistently fought in the top ten. I’m really happy to have finally discovered the WSBK championship; it’s a nice racing format and I’ve really enjoyed it. Due to my recent injury, I had to build on my performance over the course of the weekend. Today was a good day, firstly because we made up four positions in the sprint race and were therefore able to gain a better grid position for Race 2. And then we finished eighth in race 2. When I saw the possibility to pass Iker, I gave it my all. Step by step, I was able to increase my pace over the weekend and I can say I’m very happy with the work we did each day. Hopefully now, in the run up to Assen, I can recover and be fully fit for the next round so that I can focus solely on the track action. Iker and I are pushing to the max and this is good for us both, but also for the team as a whole. We get along well, and I think we are all doing a good job as a team.”

Iker Lecuona

“Overall, I think I can be happy. Leaving Aragon in fifth place in the championship, considering this is my first round with the team and the bike and after crashing in testing, is not bad at all. Having said that, it’s frustrating that I missed out on the chance to do better than eighth in the sprint race after making a small mistake when I shifted into third gear in a second-gear corner, losing some ground that I wasn’t able to recover. Then in Race 2 I struggled a lot, firstly when I found myself behind Xavi; it took me some time to pass him because I really wanted to do it in the safest possible way. I eventually moved up to eighth but then I started to lose the front in the final stages of the race. I had to be careful not to crash and so couldn’t defend my position in the end. A bit of a tough race then, but it’s all experience that we will harness in order to do better in the future. Thanks to the team because they always work very hard and really help me.”

Garrett Gerloff

“Today wasn’t easy as everyone made a big step, including myself, but I didn’t have the advantage I had yesterday in the last part of the race. Sometimes, for me, it’s difficult to use my strengths when I’m up against these guys. In the Superpole Race, I was unable to take that ninth place, as the riders ahead defended well. Now, we’ll look forward to Assen – I enjoy the track a lot and I think Yamaha works better there.”

Ilya Mikhalchik

“For sure, I take more positive than negative points from my first WorldSBK weekend. The main thing was that I replaced Michael and we showed strong results in Superpole and race one. That was especially good as we did not have so much testing before. Today was not our day. I would have liked to continue in the same way we did yesterday. But in the Superpole Race, I was not able to push from the beginning. Then I made a small mistake and crashed. Thanks to the team that built a completely new bike within two hours and we made it to the grid for race two. The feeling of the bike was actually not bad, but the track temperatures were too high and it was difficult for me to find in a rhythm. After a few laps I started to feel better. My pace was good enough for seventh or eighth, but it was too late. I was riding alone, catching the top-ten group. For sure, those results did not make me happy after the strong Saturday. But that’s racing and every race can be different. Now we have a lot of information for BMW to continue to improve the bike to get it into top positions in the races.”

Kohta Nozane

“In the Superpole Race I enjoyed some battles and tried to gain as many positions as possible. After that, I made a brilliant start in Race 2, recovering a lot of positions and I was feeling confident about a top 15 finish today. I tried to stay in a points-scoring position but unfortunately towards the end of the race I suffered a crash, which denied me that chance. I’m sorry for the team, I’ll come back stronger in Assen.”

Eugene Laverty

“In the Superpole Race, the bike felt really good. I really wanted to be in the top-9 to change my grid position for race two, but I just did not have the pace to beat those guys. But anyway, the performance was good. In race two this afternoon, the temperature was higher and I was in difficulties with the front tyre. That did not allow me to catch the group for seventh position. My pace was more or less the same than theirs but it was not meant to be today, I had lost too many positions in the early laps and was not able to recover. It was great for the team that Loris was seventh. The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team can be really proud of the effort they all put in not just this weekend, but also in winter testing.”

Scott Redding

“This weekend was not what I expected it to go like, even considering we had two days of testing on Monday and Tuesday. Then we come to the race weekend and we lost lap time. So for me it was hard to accept this. We worked very hard to try and solve our problem, but we really never got anything to help us through the weekend. It was hard. We need to understand why it was different, we need to understand why we are suffering more than with last year’s bike. There have been some changes on the engine and the bike so we need to understand why this happening because the potential is more. Then in the last race of the weekend, I just had no grip, the brakes where not working so well and the engine overheated. That is just how it goes. There is not much more to say. We need to work, understand and try to come back stronger because we don’t deserve to be in this position.”

Leandro Mercado

“Obviously I can’t say I’m happy with this first round, because I know that I can do more than this. And the team too of course, considering that we came close to the top ten during the second half of last season. This is the situation anyway, we started late and now have to make up for lost time. In the next couple of weeks before Assen, the team will analyse all the data collected and then we’ll head to Holland with the aim of doing much better than we’ve done here at Aragon”.

Hafizh Syahrin

“Today in race 2 I felt a bit better. Definitely we are learning more and more every session we go out, every time we jump on the bike. The weekend has not been an easy one, it was challenging to find the grip, especially in the rear, to stop the bike and to make it turn but we had very little time on the bike compared to the other guys. So, we are really looking forward to Assen where we’ll try to improve every aspect of the setup. We keep our motivation high and our focus, knowing that everyone in the team wants to improve. This is our starting point, we finished the races, we learnt a lot and we hope we can now make better and better”.

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP600 Race Two

The trio that had been on the podium in Race 1 again started well, with Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) moving into the lead ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Following at more than two-seconds behind them were Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team), Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), and Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).

On the third lap, Aegerter did the fastest time (1’53,639) which is also the new race record, staying in the lead for all fifteen laps despite the pressure of Baldassarri who never let him run away at the front, ready to have a go at overtaking at any moment. The Swiss rider refused to yield, finishing first, just three-hundredths of a second ahead of Baldassari.

Dominique Aegerter – P1

“I’m very happy to be back on the podium and to claim my first victory of the season. Yesterday we were very lucky after the collision at the final corner, and today I tried to push very hard from the beginning to make a gap to the riders behind. Baldassarri was always pushing me, so I tried to focus and to not make any mistakes. I was able to have a look at where he was faster when he overtook me, but honestly, his pace wasn’t great, so I got back in front. When he came passed on the last lap I thought ‘no, not again!’ I played it right and was able to cut under him at the final corner to claim 25 points. I want to thank the Ten Kate Yamaha team who have done a fantastic job over the winter to give me a fantastic bike once again. I’m looking forward to Assen, a home round for the team, and I’m sure we can fight at the front there.”

Lorenzo Baldassarri – P2

“I expected to be strong after the tests, but not quite like this! I had a great feeling on my Evan Bro’s Yamaha R6 and was confident of a strong performance in Aragón. It was a great battle with Dominique today. I started well and saw that he was pushing hard and was trying to escape. We made some changes to the bike which made me more comfortable, so I was able to go with him. I was a bit ‘safer’ in the final corner after what happened on Saturday, but Dominique did a really good job to pass me on the inside. I really wanted to win, but I had a small slide out of the final corner which cost me time. Still, it’s a very good way to start the season and I’m very happy – thank you to everyone who trusted me, and I hope to keep going like this.”

Nicolò Bulega – P3

“I am very happy with this result. It’s the first podium for me and for the Panigale V2 in the World Supersport Championship. I want to thank the team for the work done so far. We started practically from scratch, without data, without references, with a bike with no experience in this category. Expectations remain high and we must continue to work with this focus“.

Oli Bayliss again brought the Barni Racing Ducati home just outside the points but now has two finishes in the category under his belt along with a lot more experience to take to round two at Assen later this month.

Oli Bayliss

“A good debut weekend. The team and I worked hard and improved session by session, also collecting important data and making constant progress. I learned a lot in today’s race and am sure we can grow and will be able to fight for the positions that count. Now we need to focus on Assen in two weeks’ time, an unknown for me as we’ve never tested there, but I think I have good feeling with my Ducati and so hope to do well.”

Due to a technical problem, Can Öncü was forced to abandon the race, whereas Nicolò Bulega finished third for his first Ducati podium in the Supersport category.

WorldSSP600 Race Two Results

WorldSSP600 Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Race Two

Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) claimed his first WorldSSP300 win by more than three seconds in Race 2. In the closing stages of the race, he managed to break free from the group fighting at the front. “I was fighting in the group in the first five laps, and three laps before the end, I managed to break away,” he explained.

Race 1’s winner Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing) claimed second position in Race 2. “Today was completely different than yesterday with many riders trying to fight for top position. My pace was much slower than yesterday. It’s difficult to manage the last part of a race with so many riders,” he said.

Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) scored his second podium finish this weekend after another spectacular recovery, as he started from 24th on the grid. “Our goal at the beginning of the weekend was to get some points and we did it with two podiums. Race 2 was more difficult for me. I couldn’t really overtake at the beginning on the straight. The last lap was especially great, I had a great feeling with the bike and could overtake two guys in the straight to finish third.”

Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) finished just outside the podium, missing it by just 0.035s, and a further 0.041s back from second place showing how competitive the field was in Race 2. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) and Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) completed the top six in fifth and sixth places respectively.

Alvaro Diaz and Marc Garcia heads to Assen tied with 45 points each. Lennox Lehmann stands in third place in the Championship standings with 32 points claimed in Aragon.

Young Aussie Harry Khouri finished just outside the points in 18th while running the race in close company with a gaggle of riders fighting over 14th but lost out on the drag to the line.

WorldSSP300 Race Two Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

2022 WorldSBK Calendar