The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and a thrilling battle is shaping up between the two Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders. Nicolo Bulega led Friday’s action ahead of teammate Alvaro Bautista, and both put in remarkable race pace in FP2 as the focus became ensuring both riders could ensure their pace could remain fast and consistent throughout the 20-lap races.

The #11 topped the session with a 1’40.907s and he was the only rider to dip into the 1’40s throughout both FP1 and FP2, with his fastest time set in the latter. However, his race pace was just as impressive. An eight-lap run in the afternoon session featured every lap bar in the low-to-mid 1’41s, dipping to a 1’41.740s on his final lap. It was a similar story in FP1 too, with an eight-lap stint all in the 1’41s bracket.

Reflecting on his day, ‘Bulegas’ said: “It was a good first day because my feeling with the bike is good. It was good to have the test here last week, because it was my first time here with the big bike. It’s nice to already have some information for the weekend. I’m happy because I race pace was very, very good so I think I’m ready for the race.”

When asked whether there would be a Bulega vs Bautista head-to-head fight for victory, the #11 simply responded: “I would like this.”

Both riders were trying the SCX tyres available to them in FP2, with Bulega starting on the development C0900 and switching to the standard while Bautista started on the standard and switched to the development tyre. The reigning Champion’s race pace was also superb in FP2. An 11-lap run at the start of the session yielded lap times that switched between the 1’41s and 1’42s, but an eight-lap run towards the end brought more consistency. All bar one lap was in the 1’41s, with the eighth tour dropping to a 1’42.253s on his way to second place.

Discussing whether it was Bautista vs Bulega for victory, the #1 said: “If it’s like that, I’ll sign now! Because for me it has been a really hard winter and first race, because the feeling riding the bike was not the best and I couldn’t ride as I wanted. First, I thought it was because of my injury, but in the test, I felt okay and I couldn’t ride like I wanted yet, so there was something wrong. Fortunately, today we found something that helped me a lot to ride as I wanted. Tomorrow will be another day and we will try to keep this improvement. Races in Barcelona are really hard for the tyres, and you have to manage really well the situation. In the past I did it well, but I was the fastest on race pace, so it was easy to be 3-4 tenths slower than my normal pace to manage the tyre. Now I’m not the fastest guy, so I need to push from the beginning. It’s a different situation.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship getting underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it was a chance to catch up with key personnel from the paddock. Team Managers and Champions were on hand during the Pirelli Catalunya Round to give us their thoughts on the weekend, specific riders and more.

REBUILDING CONFIDENCE: “step by step, it seems we’ve been able to do that”

After a difficult Australian Round, Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was back in the top four on Friday. Talking about the #65 bouncing back, and talking about whether Rea’s teammate, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), will win, Team Principal Paul Denning said in FP2: “The test was a good reset, really. ‘Loka’ was already flying in Australia and has a good rhythm. It was really just a question of rebuilding confidence and rhythm step by step, and it seems we’ve been able to do that according to this race weekend. It was very unfortunate what happened on the final lap of the race at Phillip Island. He really was in contention for the victory. Whether it can happen here or Assen, I’m not quite sure, but he’s going to win a race this year for sure.”

GOOD VIBES AT TEAM GOELEVEN: “we are enjoying this moment”

Andrea Iannone’s arrival at Team GoEleven was immediately rewarded with a podium. Discussing the atmosphere in the team and the importance of the next two rounds, Team Manager Denis Sacchetti said: “I think that Barcelona and Assen will say what the real level of the riders is. We’re really happy about Australia, it’s fantastic, and for him also after four years. Australia is Australia, it’s a different race. There is a different atmosphere, asphalt, tyres, many things compared to Europe and in Barcelona and Assen. We have to wait for here and Assen to understand what the potential of each rider in this Championship is. The atmosphere now is good. We are enjoying this moment for us and Andrea. It’s an incredible emotion for us and we’re living this with him. Now, everything is good, but we’re focused on our work and our job and our goal.”

BUSY TIME FOR HONDA: “we’re still trying to find the best way for us”

Honda introduced a new bike for 2024 but have found the going tough so far. Discussing their progress and plans, and Iker Lecuona using an old swingarm, Team HRC Team Manager Jose Escamez said: “At the moment, we’re still trying to find the best way for us. The old swingarm with different combinations is something we’ve been trying for engine brake. We thought it could be one of the solutions. It hasn’t been proved yet. Maybe we can try it again during this weekend just to get a better idea about how the bike behaves with this engine brake.”

When asked during FP1 whether he’d be worried about bad results at a circuit Honda’s previously gone well at, Escamez said: “No. Absolutely not. This is just one more round. It’s true in the past Iker had good results before, with third at Assen and a pole position, in the same way Xavi had a podium in Indonesia. We’re still working. We need to be patient.”

MELANDRI ASSISTING BASSANI: “Marco agreed to come back and try to make this small extra step…”

First spotted at the Supported Test, 22-time WorldSBK race winner Marco Melandri was back with Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the Catalunya Round: Discussing this, Team Manager Guim Roda said: “Marco has a friendly relationship with Axel’s manager, and Axel is starting to see that many riders come with some people to support him on the track, and they tried that in the test, everyone was happy with Marco’s explanations and Marco agreed to come back and try to make this small extra help that sometimes the riders need to improve.”

SYKES ON BULEGA: “he’s the number one favourite for me at this moment”

2013 Champion Tom Sykes ventured to Barcelona for his favourite type of holiday – watching bikes and drinking coffee – and he spoke about rookie Nicolo Bulega’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) impressive start to 2024: “I stand by it, and I called it fairly early last year. I knew his transformation would be silky smooth and he’s only proven me right. He’s riding fantastically and got to grips with everything from the get-go. I really think he’ll continue his run of success here. I think he’s the number one favourite for me at this moment. Alvaro seems to be getting back to where he wants and needs to be. It’s going to be interesting. Lots of movement with Jonathan, Toprak… let’s see what happens. There’s a long list of riders and we’ve not got time to go through them all in detail!”

Watch every moment from the Catalunya Round LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) stormed to a second pole position of the 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship season on home soil with an almost three-tenths margin over his rivals at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The #99 comes into his home round on the back of a podium last time out in Australia and will be targeting a first victory in WorldSSP during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

HUERTAS ON POLE: Spaniard beats Oncu and Manzi to P1

The session was red flagged around halfway through it when Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) had a tech issue on the run into Turn 1, which led him into the gravel and officials working to clean up the track. When the session resumed, it was a dramatic fight for pole. Huertas went head-to-head with Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), with the #99 posting an incredible 1’44.197s to take his second pole of 2024 by 0.274s ahead of Oncu. The #61 was able to hold on to second ahead of Manzi, with the Yamaha rider finding time in the closing stages but just falling short, with the #62 still claiming a front row start.

MAHIAS IN THE FIGHT? P4 for the Frenchman, Montella with work to do

Experience paid dividends for Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) with the 2017 Champion often running in the top three before securing P4 for the Race 1 grid. He’ll be joined by Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fifth after the German, who secured two podiums in here last year, posted a 1’44.828s. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) will hope he can move forward in Race 1 as the double Australia winner line up from sixth place.

ROOKIE IMPRESSES: Antonelli flies into the top ten

Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was another who used their experience with the #53 claiming seventh place, with rookie Nicolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) impressing with eighth as he continues to adapt the Panigale V2. Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) rounded out the third row with ninth, although the home hero had been inside the top three in the early stages of Superpole.

The top six from WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’44.197s

2. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.274s

3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.333s

4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.609s

5. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.631s

6. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Ducati) +0.634s

Don’t miss WorldSSP Race 1 from 15:15 Local Time (UTC+1) on Saturday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued his impressive start to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with P1 on Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, beating two-time Champion teammate Alvaro Bautista by more than two tenths. The #11 continues to make waves as a rookie and that was shown during the Pirelli Catalunya Round both with his outright speed and incredible race pace.

BULEGA VS BAUTISTA FOR VICTORY? A close fight in store at Ducati…

Bulega went faster than in FP2, and overall, for Friday, with the two Ducati riders running split strategies to test SCX tyres in FP2. Bulega started on the development SCX C0900 tyre before switching to the standard, where he dipped into the 1’40s with a 1’40.907s. Across the box, Bautista started with the standard SCX but went on the C0900 to end his session as they booked focused on race performance. In the end, Bulega’s 1’40.90s was the fastest time of FP2, and the day, with Bautista 0.247s back. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) led the Independent Ducati charge with P7, 0.590s down on Bulega, with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) one place and 0.011s down on ‘The Maniac’. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was ninth while Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) was 15^th.

FASTEST IN FP1, CLOSE IN FP2: BMW in the mix in Barcelona?

Barcelona is a circuit Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) hasn’t won at yet, but he’s put himself in contention after Friday’s running along with teammate Michael van der Mark as the pair took third and fourth in the combined classification, with both riders’ best times coming in FP1, although the #54 was able to take P5 in FP2 – the highest-placed rider who didn’t improve in the afternoon. At the Bonovo Action BMW team, neither Garrett Gerloff nor Scott Redding found time in FP2, finishing the day in 16^th and 18^th place respectively.

FIGHTING FOR THE PODIUM? Two Yamahas in the top six

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) finished the day as the lead Yamaha rider in fifth, directly ahead of teammate Andrea Locatelli. Both the #65 and the #55 were focusing on long run pace in FP2, with Locatelli completing a 21-lap run during the 45-minute session which left him down the order in FP2 but sixth overall. The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team were represented in the top ten with Remy Gardner in P10 while Dominique Aegerter was two places behind his teammate and separated by only two tenths. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was in 17^th place after setting a 1’42.397s, while Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) posted a 1’43.161s to finish in 21^st.

IMPROVING IN FP2: Lowes, Bassani find gains but out of the top ten on Friday

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was the first rider to improve his time in the afternoon session compared to FP1 as he moved up the order, followed shortly by KRT teammate Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with both riders finding time as the temperatures warmed up in Barcelona. In the end, the #22 finished in 14^th place with Bassani one place ahead and the pair separated by 0.024s. The third Kawasaki rider was Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who finished in 20^th place after setting a 142.647s despite a Turn 5 spill in the opening stages of FP2.

LOOKING FOR MORE: will Honda fight back on Saturday?

At a circuit where Honda have gone well at in the past, the Japanese manufacturer have found 2024 difficult in Barcelona. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was the fastest rider for HRC as he finished in 16^th place, setting a 1’42.266s with teammate Iker Lecuona three places lower than the #97. Next door at the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team, Tarran Mackenzie was 22^nd and teammate Adam Norrodin 23^rd as they rounded out the WorldSBK field.

The top six from Friday in WorldSBK, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.907s

2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.247s

3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.292s

4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.338

5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.493s

6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.566s

Follow all of Saturday’s action from 09:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) made FIM Supersport 300 World Championship history during the Tissot Superpole session as he secured his first pole in the class and, with it, the first pole for Kove and a Chinese manufacturer in the WorldSBK paddock. The #48’s success means he’ll lead the grid away for Saturday’s Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as he secured P1 in Superpole by only 0.044s for the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

HISTORY MAKING SESSION: a maiden pole for Kove and Garcia Gonzalez

The 25-minute session provided a moment of history as Chinese manufacturer Kove secured their first pole position thanks to Garcia Gonzalez, who also took his first pole. He set his lap time in the opening stages of the session and remained unbeatable when he set a 1’55.313s – with the last flying lap for a lot of riders cancelled after yellow flags at Turn 1 following a crash for Filip Novotny (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR). Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) will line up for Race 1 from second place, only 0.044s away from pole, with Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) in third as three different manufacturers complete the front row.

SECOND ROW START: a strong row two featuring class veterans

Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PL Performances) will lead off the second row after a strong performance at a circuit he considers one of his worst, lapping 0.182s slower than the #48, while Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) is fifth. The Catalunya Round is the Italian’s first since his full-time return was announced and he started with P5 in Superpole. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) will complete the second row after finding huge time in the second half of the session, securing a second row start in his first round following his switch to Yamaha machinery over the winter.

BUIS WITH WORK TO DO: outside the top ten…

Czech rider Petr Svoboda (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) was seventh to lead off the front row, 0.420s down on the pole-setting time, with Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) in eighth. The #55 crashed at the Turn 7-8 chicane in the early moments of Superpole, and he returned his bike to the pits. It cost him track time, setting only five laps, before he improved in the final stages to secure a third-row start. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) completes row three with Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) in tenth, just ahead of reigning Champion Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – PALIGO Racing) in 11^th; the #1 had a huge moment at Turn 10 in the final few minutes when he lost the front of his KTM RC 390 R, but the Dutchman was able to save it.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole, full results here:

1. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) 1’55.313s

2. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +0.044s

3. Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) +0.093s

4. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PL Performances) +0.182s

5. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) +0.311s

6. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) +0.329s

Don’t miss out on the first WorldSSP300 race of 2024 on Saturday at 12:45 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship is back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and FP was straight down to business. The opening session saw plenty of highlights for Triumph with two inside the top ten and on top for most of the session before double winner in Australia Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) took over in the final moments.

Montella was inside the top five and worked one race throughout the duration of FP before putting in a time attack right at the end. Setting an identical time to him and flying up into P2 at a circuit where MV Agusta have been strong at before, Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). Third place went the way of Turkish rider Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), ahead of early session leader and 2017 WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha), both looking like their old selves throughout. Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) was on top for most of the session and had a strong race pace, setting fast laps throughout and finished in fifth at the flag.

Moving into P6, Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) rounded out the top half-dozen ahead of his replacement at Althea Racing Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) in P7. Race winner for the first time back in Barcelona last year, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) took P8 ahead of Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) who languished in P9 and John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph). Down in P15, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) will have work to do in the Superpole.

Top six after FP of WorldSSP, full results here:

1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’44.884s

2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.000s

3. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.115s

4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.383s

5. Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) +0.567s

6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.878s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

BMW had reasons to smile after Free Practice 1 for the Pirelli Catalunya Round after locking out the top two positions. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) led teammate Michael van der Mark at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya by only 0.046s in a hotly-contested start to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. 13 riders were separated by a second at the end of FP1 with a slightly mixed-up order in the first session of the weekend.

Razgatlioglu posted his 1’41.199s in the first 15 minutes of the 45-minute session to claim first place and put BMW on top at a track they’ve historically struggled at. The #54 was less than half a tenth clear of teammate Michael van der Mark as BMW took a 1-2 in Free Practice 1 at a circuit they’ve traditionally found tricky. Van der Mark’s late lap, coming in the final three minutes of the session, was 0.046s slower than Razgatlioglu, but he was able to finish ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in third with the #65, like van der Mark, moving up the order in the closing stages.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was running in the top three throughout most of the session, but he was demoted to fourth when van der Mark and Rea moved ahead but he still finished as the lead Ducati rider. He was less than a tenth ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in fifth, after ‘Loka’ originally moved into the top three but found himself pushed down into fifth. However, he was the busiest rider on track, racking up 20 timed laps. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) completed the top six, only three tenths down on Razgatlioglu to show how tight the WorldSBK field is in 2024.

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed seventh spot with a 1’41.784s, finishing only 0.001s ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in eighth. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), utilising an SCX tyre in the final stages of the session, was ninth with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) in tenth and ensuring three BMW machines were inside the top ten but only seven tenth off his stablemate’s pace.

The top six from WorldSBK Free Practice 1, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’41.199s

2. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.046s

3. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.201s

4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.208s

5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.274s

6. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.298s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship started on Friday with the sole Free Practice session, with Italian rider Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) topping the times with lap-record pace. The #26 moved to the Championship-defending team for this season and started off in perfect fashion at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the Pirelli Catalunya Round marked the beginning of 2024 in WorldSSP300, with Gennai breaking the all-time lap record.

The pace was red-hot from the start of the 30-minute Free Practice session, with Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – PALIGO Racing) taking a provisional P1 with a lap in the 1’55s. However, he was usurped by Gennai, his replacement at MTM Kawasaki, with the Italian setting the first ever 1’54s lap in Barcelona to smash the lap record and strike first in 2024. In the closing stages, Buis was demoted down to fifth as Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) and teammate Petr Svoboda moved into second and third respectively.

Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) was running in the top three until the final stages but finished in fourth, with Buis starting his KTM career in fifth despite showing strong pace in the early stages of Free Practice. It was advantage Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) as he took sixth, setting a 1’55.379s and completing the top six.

A race winner in 2023, Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) started his 2024 campaign with seventh in practice, less than half-a-second off P1, with Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) securing eighth place. Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) was ninth with his teammate, Samuel di Sora, completing the top ten after he made the switch from Kawasaki to Yamaha for 2024.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Free Practice, full results here:

1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) 1’54.916s

2. Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) +0.178s

3. Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) +0.183s

4. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +0.246s

5. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – PALIGO Racing) +0.341s

6. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) +0.463s

Watch the first WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole of 2024 at 14:10 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship kicks off this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the riders competing in the 2024 season gathered at the track to take part in the traditional curtain-raising photo: the Chevron picture. Already completed by the WorldSBK and WorldSSP grid in Australia, the return to Europe means the WorldSSP300 field have their photo done to start their season. Check out the best shots in the gallery at the top of this article!

Watch every moment of WorldSSP300 live in 2024 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosts the second round of what is shaping up to be a vintage 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The Catalunya Round, always one of unpredictability and surprises – despite dominance in the past two years by Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista – is set for more shocks and surprises this year with a vast array of riders in contention for the rostrum.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “15 or 16 riders can challenge for the podium”

Leading the Championship standings, Alex Lowes’ hopes this weekend are solid top six finishes: “There’s not that much grip available so tyres are spinning a lot and with the front tyre, to make the bike turn, it’s using a lot of the tyre. There’re 15 or 16 guys that can challenge for the podium. Small details really matter during the weekend and doing the work in practice. Once the race weekend starts, different situations arise. Problems, things don’t go the way you want, things go better than you expect and it’s about managing these when the pressure is on. Pere’s been there and he can relate to a little bit more. Three top six positions, depending on how the race goes maybe we sneak a podium, at a track we know isn’t one of our best would be good for us. Sam was one of the fastest guys at the test. If the weekend starts well for him, he has to be confident. Axel’s a good guy to be around, younger than me, but it’s his fourth year in WorldSBK. He deserves a factory ride. He needs to transition but he’s doing a good job and he’ll get stronger and stronger.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Australia was a dream debut weekend, but…”

A memorable weekend, under the lap record in testing in Barcelona last week and with big hopes, Nicolo Bulega is the rider in form: “I have a very good motivation because in Australia, we had an incredible first week and then we had a test here in Barcelona and my feeling with the bike was very good. I think I have a good bike and package. I am feeling good with my bike. If we continue to work like this, we can be competitive. There’s no pressure. Australia was a dream debut weekend but here is a completely different story, the asphalt is completely different and different conditions. If I can also be fast here, it’s very good for me.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’ll try to win”

Cards on the table and leaving nothing in the locker, Toprak’s approach this weekend is to get BMW to the top step: “I like this circuit, just it has the problem of the grip. In testing, we find some good setups. I hope this weekend, my feeling is good, especially with the grip and that I’m fighting for the win. It’s a very difficult track for everyone. After some bad luck, BMW are working a lot; it looks like everything is fine. I asked for a new seat position, BMW immediately made it but I’ll use it at Assen. In the Superpole Race in Australia, Alvaro didn’t pass me on the straight; this is very good. In general, I’m very happy because the bike is very fast on the straight. In testing, I was worried because the pace wasn’t strong, especially on day two. Then, we found some setup, we had a good race pace in a 12-lap race simulation; all laps were in the 1’41s and really strong lap times. I hope we are in the top three or four but I’m ready to fight in the last laps. The target is to win, or the podium. Realistically, my target is the podium. It looks possible. In the race, if I’m feeling the potential for the fight, I’ll try to win because I’ve never won here.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I don’t feel like one of the favourites for the title”

Ruling out his ‘favourite’ label, Alvaro Bautista isn’t convinced of a third straight Catalan triple: “It’s always very, very special to race at home and Catalunya is a circuit I like a lot and in the past, I’ve done really well at. This year is a bit different to the others; my condition is not the best like in other seasons. I feel better physically but the feeling with the bike is still not 100%. On Thursday in the test, the feeling with the bike improved through the day but then on Friday, after rain overnight, it didn’t help me to get a good feeling. I struggled to get grip throughout the day and the feeling was a bit worse than Thursday. There’ll be a small change on the bike with setup to adapt to the new weight rule. I don’t feel extra pressure; the pressure I feel is from myself but not to win, get a podium but to get a good feeling with the bike. If I can ride like last year, I can be competitive but if not, we can’t fight for anything as the level of the grid is higher and it’s more difficult. Nicolo is very strong, young and has a lot of talent. He got a feeling with the WorldSBK bike very fast and he’s going very fast. At the moment, I don’t feel like one of the favourites for the title, as I’m not feeling at my best.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “A podium is a realistic target”

Looking to be back at the pointy end and with a rostrum his aim, Jonathan Rea said: “It’s a nice track and we have an added benefit of testing here last week, so we already feel ahead of the race weekend. We got rid of some of the confidence issues I had in Australia and drew a line under some of the issues from a setup point of view. After the crash, I’m fully recovered. WorldSBK is so competitive, not just for the front positions but if you have a tough weekend, you’re going to be down the order by quite some way. We still need to improve the tyre consumption although the most positive thing is we did the race simulation and we know how the bike behaves. We know the last couple of laps here can be critical. I think a podium is a realistic target but we’re still some way off targeting a race win, but that battle for the podium is hotly contested so I expect it to be a lot of guys, but I feel like one of the guys that can fight for that.”

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “If the races were on the straight, we’d win!”

Ready to get down to business and fight for a strong home result, Xavi Vierge said: “I’m super excited, it’s one of my favourite races on the calendar. It’s super special, all my friends and family will be here. It’s true that the track has a lack of grip, but the straight is long and it’s one of the things that helps us. Every year, we’re able to get great results here. We had the test last week with plenty of laps to understand everything and find a good way. Our situation is that we can’t focus on a plan for me to test many different items, so this makes it difficult to extract maximum performance. Thanks to the test, we have a clear plan. A result that’ll make me happy is trying to fight for the podium but, realistically, we’re not ready yet. A great result here would be trying to fight inside the top six. If the races were on a straight, we’d win! We have a super powerful engine, our top speed is good. Unfortunately, we have problems and have to exit the corner.”

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “Everything is possible”

Not ruling anything out and with one eye on a strong result, rookie Andrea Iannone previews his weekend: “We started the Championship in a good way in Australia, I’m really happy and I didn’t expect to be at this level. The test was important for us, after a long time; every day I improved a little bit and it’s important to do some kilometres. That helps me to understand a little bit more the tyres, because that’s the main difference with MotoGP™. We worked well with the team, the support from Ducati is good and I think we are on a good way. If I’m in front, I’ll try and manage the tyre, if Nicolo is in front, he’ll push every lap. After a long time, we come back to Europe, I’m happy with the support, we’ll try our best to get a good result. Everything is possible; we’ll fight”.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “Never say never… we showed our potential”

So close in Australia, will ‘Loka’ fight for a first victory in Barcelona? “I’m feeling better, after the test I felt pain in my left knee, but I improved this week. It’s important to get back on track because the feeling at and after Phillip Island was amazing. This is another track, but we can be fast. Never say never because the potential we have is quite high. We need to take an opportunity. This track is tricky at the end of the race with the tyre. I think we can stay in front during the race. At Phillip Island, we were close to fighting for victory but lost that chance. We are really close and have many races this year, so the target is to bring home a lot of podiums and, at the same time, is trying to fight for the win. I believe in it. We showed our potential. I hope it comes sooner rather than later but we will have an opportunity!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com