Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it) won Aragon Round Race 1 today by 1.253 seconds over a hungry Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). Rinaldi ultimately held Razgatlioglu off but Razgatlioglu’s podium streak continues having podiumed in 6 of the last 7 races. It was Rinaldi’s first win since 2021. Unfortunately for Alvaro Bautista he once again crashed from the lead position after missing his braking zone and crashing in Turn 8. There were 3 retirements in the session. We will see if Rinaldi can keep up this pace in the Superpole race and race 2.
“It’s incredible! At Aragon, strange things happen, I had my first race win here and then this victory today is one of my best, as I fought! It was a race where I had to manage the tire and think a lot. There’s been some really dark moments this year but this is the best road to come back. I decided to not give up and here I am, really happy and enjoying this moment.”
He continued
“I think that the problem for them was at the beginning of the race; I was lapping in the 1’50s but they went away, and I think they were using too much tire, so at the end, it was the key as I was able to catch them. It’s what I thought at the beginning of the race. I’m sorry for Alvaro’s crash and I’m sure his pace was even better, but I took the opportunity and won the race. These things happen and I wish him the best for tomorrow. My target is to always be there fighting for the victory and we’ll see tomorrow if we can repeat it with Alvaro.”
One rider who had the best comeback of the season thus far was Danilo Petrucci. Petrucci crashed earlier in Superpole so where he’d end up in the race was up in the air. He fought through the adversity and finished P5 in the race. Three manufacturers finished in the top 3 in race 1.
Full Race 1 Results Below