Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dominated the 15 minute Tissot Superpole session to claim a second consecutive pole position.
The rookie broke the lap record at Motorland Aragon with a time of 1’47.840 to take the pole by over three tenths of a second.
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) qualified on the front row for the fifth time in 2024 aboard his Ducati Panigale V4R as the Italian manufacturer completed their first 1-2-3-4 on the grid since 2004.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) qualified on the front row for the first time this year while Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) returned to action for the first time since the French Round by qualifying fifth fastest.
Race 1 Highlights
Race 1 was red flagged due to a crash for Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) at Turn 5. With a Quick Restart Procedure enacted pole sitter Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) retired from the race with a technical issue on the warm-up lap.
When the 17 lap race started Andrea Iannone took the holeshot. The Italian led a group of nine riders for the first third of thr race. The Italian was overtaken by his compatriot Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) on lap eight but Iannone immediately reasserted his supremacy. Having led all but one lap it was a dominant performance by the rookie as he became the eighth different winner in 2024. Iannone proved his speed by setting the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate tour. Iannone’s success sees him become the fourth first time winner in 2024.
Having missed the previous six races Toprak Razgatlioglu’s return the Turkish star run in the podium positions throughout the duration of the race. Ultimately the Turkish rider never led a lap but by finishing in second position he claimed an all important 20 points for his championship challenge.
Despite starting from the fourth row of the grid Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was able to make steady progress. The American was promoted to eighth on the grid with Lowes and Bulega on the sidelines but as the race progressed he was able to move into podium contention. At half distance he picked off Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and was able to set consistent times to move into the podium positions. With five laps remaining Razgatlioglu was back in front but Gerloff held strong to claim his second podium of the campaign.
Starting from the front row of the grid gave Bautista an ideal opportunity to challenge for the race win. A bad start dropped the Spaniard to sixth position on the opening lap but as the race progressed his pace improved and he fought with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) before he moved into fourth position on Lap 10. Despite setting faster laps than the riders in front of him, Bautista was not able to attack and finished in fourth position. Less than half a second separated Razgatlioglu from Bautista at the end of the race.
Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge continued Honda’s strong form. For the seventh consecutive race both Honda riders were able to finish inside the top ten. Having qualified on the third row Lecuona finished in sixth position.
Championship Standings.
Razgatlioglu now holds a lead of 33 points from Bulega in the championship standings with Bautista a further 56 points adrift.
In the Independent Rider standings Petrucci continues to lead the way with Iannone by 87 points.
In the Manufacturer standings Ducati extend their lead over BMW to 34 points.
P1 | Andrea Iannone | Team GoEleven
“From the beginning of the race, I struggled a lot with the front tyre. Lap by lap though I started to get a good feeling. In the last five or six laps I was really confident with the bike. I want to thank my team for doing a great job. Winning today wasn’t just winning a race, I won the race of my life. I never gave up and I showed that I’m strong and that’s the most important thing. The race was good and I’m living the dream once again. To come back and feel like this is special. I fought so hard over the last four years to return, and I never imagined I’d win in my first year back. I want to thank Ducati and Team GoEleven for their support.”
P2 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“This feels so good because after that big crash I’ve come back and finished on the podium. It’s incredible but I’m not entirely happy because I couldn’t fight for the win during the final laps. My front tyre was dropping and I could only battle for second place. I tried to just ride the bike but Andrea was riding really well and his pace was unbelievable. We have two more races tomorrow and I’ll try my best again. I felt on the limit throughout this race, especially with the engine braking, which wasn’t working well. We just need a few improvements for tomorrow.”
P3 | Garrett Gerloff | Bonovo Action BMW
“I felt really good at the end of the race. I still had a bit left in the tank and was trying to catch up with Andrea. Both Andrea and Toprak were riding really well so I just tried to stay calm. I thought I’d close the gap more in the last few laps but it didn’t happen. When Alvaro passed me on the last lap, I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m giving up another podium.’ So I went for it and I’m happy to be back on the podium. The bike feels great, and hopefully, we can find some consistency in the upcoming races.”
WorldSBK Race 1 Results
1. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.845s
3. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +1.124s
4. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.190s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +2.528s
6. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +4.758s
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 385 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 352 points
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 296 points
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’47.840s
2. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.368s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.418s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.474s
5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.491s
6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.508s
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