Aragon, FP1: Johnny Rea rides in his own world / Superbike World Championship

Kawasaki star Jonathan Rea set the clear best time in the first free practice session at the start of the Superbike World Championship in Aragon. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) was second, Philipp Öttl (Ducati) tenth.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) was there with a time of 1:48.714 minutes the test drives at MotorLand Aragon set best times on Monday and Tuesday, achieved with the new SCQ qualifier rear tyre.

After just five minutes in the first free practice session on Friday morning, Rea was 1:49.301 min faster than the best race lap, set by himself in 2020 with 1:49.620 min. The pole record of 1:48.458 min is also held by the 112-time race winner.

With this time, Rea was not only an amazing 0.763 seconds ahead of the runner-up, that didn’t change until 2 minutes before the end! Then Michael Rinaldi from the Aruba.it Ducati team took over 2nd place from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki), but was undercut a little later by World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha).

Rea finished the training clearly 0.364 seconds before Razgatlioglu, the third Rinaldi already loses 7/10 seconds. Only the top 6 remained within one second to the record world champion, Ducati star Alvaro Bautista in 5th place is missing 0.807 seconds.

Loris Baz from the German Bonovo team brought the best BMW in 7th place. The three-time German Superbike Champion Ilya Mikhalchik cut a good figure as a replacement for the injured BMW works rider Michael van der Mark and was 8th at halftime. The 45th -minute session, the Ukrainian finished eleventh, while his brand colleagues Scott Redding and Eugene Laverty were stranded in positions 16 and 18, more than 2 seconds behind.

The Spaniard Iker Lecuona, who lost 1.239 seconds to the leader in ninth place, provided the best Honda result.

The only regular German rider, Philipp Öttl from the Go-Eleven team, landed a respectable tenth place with his Ducati Panigale V4R.

Former MotoGP rider Hafizh Syahrin had to park his MIE-Honda on the second lap due to engine failure, which ended his practice session.

Lucas Mahias (Puccetti Kawasaki) crashed on his final flying lap.

Results Superbike World Championship Aragon, FP1:

1. Jonathan Rea (GB), Kawasaki, 1: 49,301 min
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TR), Yamaha, +0.364 sec
3. Michael Rinaldi (I), Ducati, +0,699
4. Alex Lowes (GB), Kawasaki, +0,763
5. Alvaro Bautista (E), Ducati, +0.807
6. Garrett Gerloff (USA), Yamaha, +0,968
7. Loris Baz (F), BMW, +1,035
8. Andrea Locatelli (I), Yamaha, +1,141
9. Iker Lecuona (E), Honda, +1.239
10. Philipp Öttl (D), Ducati, +1,340
11. Ilya Mikhalchik (UA), BMW, +1,498
12. Xavier Virgo (A), Honda, +1.566
13. Lucas Mahias (F), Kawasaki, +1,814
14. Roberto Tamburini (I), Yamaha, +1,922
15. Axel Bassani (I), Ducati, +2,098
16. Scott Redding (GB), BMW, +2,249
17. Kohta Nozane (J), Yamaha, +2,321
18. Eugene Laverty (IRL), BMW, +2,524
19. Luca Bernardi (I), Ducati, +2.615
20. Gabriele Ruiu, (I), BMW, +3,456
21. Chris Ponsson (F), Yamaha, +3,581
22. Oliver Konig (CZ), Kawasaki, +3.881
23. Tati Mercado (RA), Honda, +4,327
24. Loris Cresson (B), Kawasaki, +5,482
25. Hafizh Syahrin (MAL), Honda, +5,943