Jonathan Rea topped the table at the World Superbike Aragon Test days. Danilo Petrucci and Bautista topped the morning session but Rea was able to edge out the top spot by less than one tenth. In surpsiing fashion Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) surged into the top 4 securing the fastest lap time of all of the Hondas in the session. Lecuona also rode the least amount of laps out of the Honda riders.
Bautista suffered from a crash in turn 14 at the end of the last day of testing. He did not appear to be seriously hurt. We will report back if there is news of an undiscovered injury moving forward. Other than the crash the session was largely uneventful.
Full results from day two at Aragon:
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’49.101s, 68 laps
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’49.168, 97 laps
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’49.168, 47 laps
4. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) 1’49.466s, 58 laps
5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’49.791, 130 laps
6. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) 1’49.984, 87 laps
7. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’50.094, 72 laps
8. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’50.362, 79 laps
9. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’50.557, 83 laps
10. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’50.655, 81 laps
11. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’50.935, 73 laps
12. Tetsuta Nagashima (Team HRC) 1’51.026, 80 laps
After running third fastest in the Aragon test on Day one Danilo Petrucci appears to have finally found come to find some long lasting chemistry with his Ducati V4R. On day two of testing Petrucci ran fastest in the morning session setting a 1m49.168 lap time to top the table.
Petrucci commented on his day 1 success: “Maybe it’s the first day of the test this year that went straight. We didn’t make many modifications, but we got some new parts; new brake discs. We needed to compare some parts, like the triple clamp and small setup adjustments. In the end, it wasn’t bad. The lap times were harder to repeat in the afternoon as the wind was a bit stronger; in the morning, I had a better feeling. In the end, without using a Q tyre, we were fast until the end and with the pace, I can repeat the time and I can be satisfied.”
Petrucci Continued His Thoughts on Day 2
“Day two was okay. We found the track was a bit faster than day one, and it was less windy. The feeling was good. We followed our programme to test some different triple clamps and something different on the brakes and engine brake. We also put on an SCQ tyre at the end of the morning session, and I felt okay. One of the areas I’m struggling in the most is Superpole, and the first laps of races, so we focused on this at the test. Since lap one this morning, I was able to be fast and the feeling with the bike was okay.”
“With the WorldSBK format, if you have a bad Superpole or Superpole Race, your Race 1 and Race 2 are over. If you’re not fast, you start so far back. Superpole is really important and especially being with a new tyre to create a gap and follow the first riders. This is one of the things we worked with at this test.”
The test results are welcomed after Petrucci struggled in the early season to find the pace for podium contention. Now that Petrucci has a few podiums under his belt and is learning the bike we anticipate he will return to his winning ways and potentially compete with Bautista. Unfortunately the championship race is all but over for Petrucci. Bautista currently holds a 272 point lead over Petrucci who currently sits in sixth place in the championship standings. With 4 rounds left this year there are not enough points on the table to turn things around but there is room to improve finishing position in the championship. If the pace that Petrucci has found is long lasting it could throw the front runners for a loop as the season comes to a close.
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK rider Alex Lowes participated in one testing day at Aragon as a shake down to get familiar with the ZX10RR program. Lowes completed 130 laps on the day running fifth fastest amongst the participants.
“The lap time wasn’t bad, it was at the hottest part of the day just after lunch. I finished with a 15-lap run on harder tyres to try and take some grip away, because that’s where we normally struggle. It was mentally tiring. I had three bikes. You’re sort of a bit nervous to make the wrong call now in case it hinders you in four months. A lot of the stuff we’re trying was the first try of new parts. You have to get a feel for it, give your positive and negative points and then move on. It’s not a case of keeping it on the bike and building up a setting like you would in a race weekend.”
Lowes Continued
“We need to try to find some more speed on the straight. Our bike is very good especially when the track’s grippy. With the Kawasaki, you can go down to a lap time so fast. Our first laps today were already in the mix even though we missed a day’s testing. It’s very easy to ride the bike to a certain level. We need to now find some real performance in terms of a race situation and being able to battle with the guys a bit easier. A lot of that will come from acceleration and speed. That’s an area that we’re focusing on, whether it’s engine, aerodynamics, rider position… that’s our main focus.”
Team Manager Guim Roda also Spoke on the 2024 Development Plan After the Test Day
“It was positive. It’s not easy for a fast rider. Many times, it’s just a matter of times of feedback, not how fast or not we can go. It’s to collect information, it’s not easy. Especially for a rider who immediately wants efficiency. At the same time, we combined them with some idea that we can use in the last four rounds. It has been, from an engineering perspective, very productive. I know Alex would like to do more laps on his race bike, but he understood the target.”
Alvaro Bautista and the Aruba.it Racing team will participate in the Malaysian Grand Prix the 10th-12th of November 2023. The race will be held at the Sepang International Circuit two weeks after the conclusion of the Superbike World Championship, from 27th-29th October, in Jerez.
Alvaro Bautista stated: “I’m really happy to be able to race in MotoGP as a wildcard at Sepang, a track that I really like and that I’m happy to be back at since it’s not on the WorldSBK calendar. The tests with the Ducati Desmosedici GP gave positive feedback: the feeling was good, and I had fun. I want to sincerely thank Ducati and Aruba.it because, without them, it would have been impossible to have this opportunity. At the same time, I would like to say that this MotoGP race will be a bonus for me and not a priority.
“That’s why we must stay focused on the WorldSBK Championship, which is the only thing that matters now. I want to stay focused for this last part of the season, which will be very demanding, with many races in a short time. The feeling with the Panigale V4R machine is good, and I hope to continue on this path. Then, when the season ends, we’ll think about going to Malaysia and having fun. Now I’ll have a little holiday, and then we’ll be back at Magny-Cours.”
World Superbike weekend has come to an end at Autodrom Most. Starting with the Superpole race. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) came out swinging in a battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Rea was riding with a new wind this weekend coming off of a win in race 1. Razgatlioglu edged out Rea by 1.203 seconds. Alvaro Bautista returned to the podium after a disappointing race 1. The podium helped with championship points damage control, Bautista would follow the Superpole race up with a win in Race 2. Bautista ended up extending his lead in the championship by 4 points.
Jonathan Rea walked away from the weekend with three podiums. We did not officially see if the Kawasaki team finally decided to take advantage of the performance increase allotted to them by the FIM stewards. Regardless it appears he is finding chemistry with the bike and will look to improve his championship standings position. He is currently 102 points behind Toprak Razgatlioglu with a lot of work to do.
Of note Danilo Petrucci secured two more podiums this weekend. It’s clear that Petrucci is finding a groove with his Ducati V4R. In the last few rounds he has returned to his podium finishing ways. We will see if Petrucci can add more to the win column. There are plenty of opportunities to do so with 3, potentially 4 races to go in the season.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) won race 1 at Autodrom Most by a commanding 4 second lead over Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). Rea benefited from choosing a superior tire strategy that did no require him to pit when the majority of the field had to as conditions changed. It was evident as the race progressed that full wet tires were not the best choice. Rea gained a 12 second advantage after the tire change and was able to hold on long enough to secure his first win of the season. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) who had a similar tire strategy secured his second podium of the season.
Championship points leader Alvaro Baustista made the wrong tire call and ended up finishing in 12th place. When the championship seemed all but guaranteed we’ve seen Bautista fall off in the last few round which has allowed Razgatlioglu the opportunity to crawl back and gain some traction in the points standings. Razgatlioglu’s second place finish means he is just 54 points behind Bautista. If the result were to repeat in the Superpole race or race 2 Bautista’s lead could dwindle.
Full Autodrom Most Race 1 Results are Below
In a continuation of form from the previous round at Imola, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) ran fastest in FP2 at Autodrom Most. In second was GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team rider Remy Gardner and in third Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) aboard his Ducati V4R.
Eslewhere on the grid Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who passed his medical check at the Autodrom Most. The Dutchman has been recovering from a fractured left femur in a highside at TT Assen back in April. He has missed every round since. He did not complete FP2 at Most after crashing in turn 10. The bike appeared to be heavily damaged and would not return to the session.
There were a number of riders that had lap times deleted due to a yellow flag in turn 17-18. You can find those violations below. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista finished 6th fastest. It appears that Razgatlioglu has found some mid season pace. He has made it clear that the title race is not over. We will see if Bautista has an answer. Currently Bautista has a 70 point lead in the championship standings. Full Fp2 results are below. Superpole will take place tomorrow.
Full FP2 Results at Autodrom Most
Today it was announced that Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) will replace Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in August. Alex Rins suffered a broken leg and thus Honda needed a substitute. This isn’t the first call Lecuona has received this season. Earlier this year Lecuona filled in for an injured Joan Muir for the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix. He filled in again for Alex Rins at TT Circuit Assen. In both outings Lecuona was nearly in the points. We imagine with a third stent on the bike he might be able to muster the pace to score some points in MotoGP this year.
Lecuona had the following words for WorldSBK.com on his return to MotoGP action, “I wish Alex a speedy recovery; I know how difficult these situations are. In the meantime, I’m happy to jump on the bike, as I want to do my best and help the team. Besides, I like Silverstone’s layout, and we can have fun. I want to thank the Honda family and LCR for the opportunity.”
The following article was not authored by Speed Trap Magazine Staff
From DORNA and WorldSBK.com…
The WorldSBK community raised a huge amount to help victims of the devastating floods in the Emilia-Romagna Round
The special auction organized by the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in collaboration with CharityStars, the international leading auction platform, raised an impressive €17,418 in support of the communities affected by the devastating floods that struck Emilia-Romagna in May.
Several highly coveted items, collected last month during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, garnered significant attention, and fetched remarkable bids during the auction. Topping the list were the helmets signed by 2021 World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, which reached an outstanding bid of €5,225. Additionally, the X-Lite SBK® helmet, adorned with signatures from many stars of the Championship, attracted an incredible €4,000 bid. A VIP Experience package offered a remarkable experience for the winning bidder, raising €1,800 for the cause.
Other items included a boot signed by Danilo Petrucci, which secured a bid of €725, and reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista’s gloves at €560, showcasing the dedication of fans to contribute to the cause.
The success of the auction, which concluded shortly after the second round of the season held in Emilia-Romagna, the Prometeon Italian Round, was made possible by the unwavering support and generosity of WorldSBK teams, riders, and fans who actively participated in the bidding process. With every euro raised, the auction contributed to the ongoing efforts of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Agency for Civil Protection in assisting the affected communities.
The WorldSBK community would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in the auction.
The Argentinean Round, the final scheduled round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, was scheduled to take place on October 13th-15th at the Circuito San Juan Villicum. The race has been cancelled. This decision to cancel was due to the intense electoral calendar faced by the country, which has led to a complex situation affecting the daily lives of people, provinces, and businesses.
Given the upcoming social pressures and conflict regarding a transitioning government race officials decided it was the best course of action. No other information is available at this time regarding a replacement race. The FIM and Dorna WSBK Organization will soon announce a new venue that will host the final round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season.