Nicolo Bulega took pole position during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday at MotorLand Aragon, in Spain. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4R, Bulega recorded a lap time of 1:46.836 to top the 22-rider field.
His teammate, Iker Lecuona qualified second with a 1:47.312.
Alberto Surra did a 1:47.349 on Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4R to earn the third and final spot on the front row.
Row two starters include ELF Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes (1:47.405), bimota by Kawasaki’s Alex Lowes (1:47.775), and Team Goeleven’s Lorenzo Baldassarri (1:47.829).
American Garrett Gerloff qualified 12th with a 1:48.216 on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
More from a press release issued by WSBK:
Bulega beats Lecuona to Aragon pole, rookie Surra P3 on the timesheets but penalised.
Bulega was the only rider in the 1’46s bracket as he made it seven poles in a row, stretching back to the end of last year
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) extended his run of pole positions in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to seven after smashing the lap record at MotorLand Aragon during the Tissot Superpole session. ‘Bulegas’ was the only rider in the 1’46s as he beat teammate Iker Lecuona by 0.476s. Rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) was third-quickest rider on the timesheets during the Aragon Round, but he has a Race 1 grid penalty.
THE FIRST RUNS
Bulega laid down a gauntlet on his first timed lap as he set a 1’47.522s to lead Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), whose best time came on the second lap of the first stint, by 0.172s. Bulega’s factory Ducati teammate, Lecuona, slotted into third ahead of Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) who put in an early pole challenge with a 1’48.112s; he was just over a tenth behind Lecuona, who was the early pacesetter. On Bulega’s second lap, he smashed the lap record with a 1’47.284s to tighten his grip on P1, extending his margin to over half-a-second.
BULEGA BREAKS THE RECORD, SURRA SHINES
Lecuona was again the first to start his next stint, and the #7 was putting the pressure on Bulega’s lap record as he closed the gap from 0.700s to just 0.028s. However, Bulega responded at the start of his second stint with a 1’46.836s to secure his third consecutive pole position at Aragon, ahead of Lecuona who was unable to get closer and ended up 0.476s back from the #11. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) stunned with a 1’47.349s to claim P3 on the timesheets, but the #67 will start Race 1 from the back of the grid due to a yellow flag procedure infringement; he’ll start the Tissot Superpole Race from P3. Bulega is now on a run of seven consecutive pole positions, and it’s his 15th WorldSBK pole out of 30 rounds. For Surra, he statistically has his first front row start in WorldSBK.
SAM LOWES BOUNCES BACK
Sam Lowes responded from his Free Practice 3 crash to take fourth on the timesheets, but that will become P3 on the Race 1 grid after Surra’s penalty. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) set a 1’47.775s as he set the fifth fastest time, but he will go from P4 in Race 1. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) set a 1’47.829s for the sixth-quickest time, while Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) put in a late 1’47.834s for the seventh-fastest time; he’ll start from the second row in Race 1.
COMPLETING THE TOP TEN
Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) was classified eighth in the 15-minute Superpole session with a 1’47.942s, set right at the end of the session, as he demoted Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) in ninth. Bassani set the pace in Free Practice 3 and was an early challenger for pole, but he finished the session in tenth. He’ll be on the third row for the Race 1 grid.
The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’46.836
- Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.476s
- Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) +0.513s*
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.569s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.939s
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +0.993s
*Will start Race 1 from the back of the grid
Don’t miss Race 1 at 14:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 30% off!
