It was a high-intensity superpole race in the World Superbike Championship at Portimão. Álvaro Bautista secured his win only on the final straight, moving him a little closer to the championship title, which he might clinch this afternoon in the second race.

The start of the race was not easy for Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati), as he lost some positions. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) took the lead ahead of his teammate Andrea Locatelli. Disaster for Kawasaki at turn five, as both of their riders, Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea, crashed in separate incidents.

Eight laps from the end, Bautista was already in third place, chasing down the Yamaha riders ahead of him, and he completed the overtake on Locatelli two laps later.

The reigning champion then set out to chase Razgatlioglu, launching his first attack on the seventh lap. The duel extended until the final lap, and at the exit of the last corner, Bautista completed the overtake to win 0.142ss ahead of Razgatlioglu.

Locatelli rounded out the podium, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) in fourth. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) rounded off the top five. Further down the field, Michael van der Mark brought the top BMW home in seventh place. With the factory riders retiring, Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the only Kawasaki rider to finish the race.

O conteúdo Breathtaking finish with Álvaro Bautista’s winning the superpole race at Portimão aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Nicolò Bulega is the new World Supersport champion. The victory in the first Portimão race this Saturday allowed the rider who has dominated the season to seal the title with still three races to go.

Despite starting from pole position, Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) had a slow start and was overtaken by Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). However, he quickly regained the lead in the first corner. In the early laps, Manzi managed to put pressure on his rival, but on the fourth lap, he was passed by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati).

Once in second place, Montella kept up with Bulega and even set a new lap record, but on the seventh lap, he was forced to retire due to a technical issue with his bike. Bulega then had a more comfortable lead, with Manzi more than a second behind. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) climbed to third place.

The top three positions remained unchanged until the end. Bulega crossed the finish line with a 2.637s gap over Manzi, who managed to distance himself from Navarro after a few laps of pressure. Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta) finished fourth, winning a hard-fought battle against Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing/Ducati).

Results:

O conteúdo Nicolò Bulega is the new WSSP champion after a dominant win at Portimão race 1 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Álvaro Bautista is closer to the World Superbike title with his triumph in the first Portimão race held this Saturday. The possibility of wrapping up the championship this Sunday remains on the table and could happen in the superpole race. Ducati has already secured the constructor’s title.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) was the strongest at the start, and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki), who started from pole position, dropped to fourth and, while trying to recover, came into contact with Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati). Both remained on the track, but the British rider dropped to seventh. The Spanish rider, on the other hand, only reached the podium positions on lap 3.

One lap later, Bautista took the lead, but Razgatlioglu reacted and regained it. The battle continued between the two, with the Turkish rider always having an answer to the championship leader’s attempts… until on the seventh lap Bautista managed to take the lead and defend it.

Despite Razgatlioglu always being close, the defending champion managed to build a relatively comfortable gap, which he extended in the last laps, crossing the finish line with a 2.098s gap. Rea made a recovery race to finish third.

In fourth place was Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), who came out on top in a four-way battle for that position. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki), Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha), and Michael van der Mark (BMW) were also involved. Iker Lecuona was eighth and the best Honda rider.

Results:

O conteúdo Álvaro Bautista victorious in race 1 in Portimão hands WSBK title to Ducati aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Nicolò Bulega is on the verge of becoming the Supersport World Champion. This weekend, he won both races at MotorLand Aragón, putting himself in a position to clinch the title in the next round at Portimão.

Yesterday, after securing pole position, the Aruba.it Ducati rider led from start to finish in the first race. Without giving his opponents any chances, he crossed the finish line with a 3.581s lead. The battle for second place was considerably more intense. Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta) came out on top after overtaking Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) on the 13th lap. The Italian rider lost more positions after running through the gravel and ultimately finished in 11th place, while Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati) completed the podium.

Starting from pole position once again, Bulega continued to dominate and led from start to finish in the second race on Sunday. After just one lap, he had a gap of over a second, which then stabilized at around two seconds. Manzi was his main rival throughout the race, finishing 2.160s behind. The #62 had the upper hand in a battle with Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing/Ducati), but the positions remained stable for most of the race. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta) and Schrötter completed the top five.

O conteúdo Two wins at Aragon put Nicolò Bulega on the brink of the WSSP title aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

It was a perfect Sunday for Álvaro Bautista at MotorLand Aragón. The World Superbike Championship leader won the second race of this round, leaving behind the misfortunes of yesterday – he had already won the Superpole race this Sunday’s morning.

In the second race, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) had a strong start to take the lead, but Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) stood out by moving up to second before overtaking the British rider on the following lap. However, right after that, Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) passed both to take the lead.

The Spanish rider then built a gap from the chasing pack, while Locatelli, Rea, and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) started battling for second place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati) also joined the mix, while Rea eventually lost momentum. On lap 15, Locatelli was forced to retire due to technical problems.

From then on, Razgatlioglu held onto second place but had no chance of catching Bautista: the championship leader won with a 4.064s gap. Rinaldi completed the podium ahead of Rea and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing/Ducati) – who was the top independent rider. Iker Lecuona was the best Honda rider in sixth, while Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action) led the way for BMW in tenth.

Results:

O conteúdo Álvaro Bautista decimated his rivals to win WSBK race 2 at Aragon aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi is finally back to the wins in the World Superbike Championship, having been the strongest in the first race in Aragon this Saturday. Álvaro Bautista drew attention for unusual reasons, suffering two crashes.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) had a good start from pole position, but in the early corners, he was overtaken by Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati). The Spaniard then began to build a lead until he made a mistake on the sixth lap and crashed going into turns eight and nine.

With his rival out of the fight, Rea took the lead, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) chasing him, and Rinaldi in third. The Italian gradually closed the gap on the two riders in front and passed them both: first, he overtook Razgatlioglu on lap 13, and then he passed Rea on lap 15.

Rinaldi never gave up the lead until the end, winning with a margin of 1.253s over Razgatlioglu. The Turkish rider secured second place with a overtake on Rea on the 16th lap. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati) completed the top five. Bautista had climbed back to 15th place when he suffered another crash on the final lap, definitively putting him out of contention.

Results:

O conteúdo Michael Ruben Rinaldi won in a dramatic race for Álvaro Bautista in Aragon aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Álvaro Bautista was the fastest rider on the first day of the Aragon round of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK), in a strong performance for the Aruba.it Ducati team. The best lap times came during the second free practice session.

In the morning, Jonathan Rea set the pace. The Kawasaki rider took the lead in the first 11 minutes and kept his position throughout the session. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) surprised with the second fastest time, just 0.032s behind, followed by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati) in third, 0.342s off the pace. Bautista finished eighth being over a second slower than the leader.

However, the Spaniard bounced back in FP2. Rea was the first to hold onto the lead for a longer period, but with about half an hour left, he was passed by the factory Ducati riders: first by Michael Ruben Rinaldi and then by Bautista, who set the best time of the day (1m49.649s). The reigning champion edged out Rinaldi by 0.077s.

Rea slipped to fourth as Petrucci secured the third best time. Lecuona continued to impress with the fifth fastest time, raising expectations for his performance in this round.

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) led the way for BMW in sixth place, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha). Only three riders did not improve their lap times from FP1 to FP2: Lecuona, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), and Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing).

Combined standings FP1 + FP2:

O conteúdo Álvaro Bautista and Ducati fastest on Friday of WSBK at Aragon aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The Aruba.it Racing WSSP team has announced the signing of Adrián Huertas. Born in Madrid on August 21, 2003, the Spanish rider will represent the team in the 2024 Supersport World Championship, riding the Ducati Panigale V2. He will be taking the spot of Nicolò Bulega, the current leader of WorldSSP. Bulega will transition next year to partner with Álvaro Bautista in the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati WorldSBK team in WorldSBK.

Huertas began his journey in the SuperSport 300 Championship at just 16 years of age. After an initial season of learning, he clinched the World Championship title in his second year, boasting 6 victories and 8 podiums in the 16 races he participated in. His subsequent move to the SuperSport World Championship in 2022 and consistent growth has seen him finish very close to the podium (P4) three times in the last four races.

Stefano Cecconi, the team director of Aruba.it Racing-Ducati, expressed his satisfaction with the new signing. “We enthusiastically welcome Adrián Huertas. We have great faith in his talent and are confident that he can bring us significant achievements. We value the determination he displayed in accepting our proposal, which affirms the quality of the project we initiated two years ago when we decided to venture with Feel Racing into the Supersport World Championship.”

Cecconi further elaborated on the team’s vision, “We view the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team as a sort of junior team through which we nurture young riders who can then advance to the official WorldSBK team. This is precisely what happened with Nicolò Bulega, who will race with the Ducati Panigale V4R next season. Adrián is unanimously regarded as one of the most promising riders in the WorldSBK paddock, and we anticipate his continued growth and significant achievements.”

Adrián Huertas also shared his excitement about joining the team. “I am truly delighted to have reached this agreement. Racing for the Aruba.it Racing team is a tremendous privilege for me. I have a goal: to be the first rider to win the World Championship in all three categories. I’ve already succeeded in SuperSport 300, and I believe that the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team is undoubtedly the best choice to continue pursuing this goal.”

Becoming a Ducati rider is also a dream come true for Huertas. “Since I was a child, I’ve always supported Ducati, and now I’ll have the chance to race with the Panigale V2. I want to express my gratitude to my family, friends, sponsors, and everyone who has supported me, even during the toughest times. And, of course, a big thank you to Aruba.it Racing and Feel Racing for granting me this opportunity,” he concluded.

O conteúdo Ducati Signs Spanish Rising Star for the Supersport World Championship aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

In a race halted by a red flag, Álvaro Bautista returned to winning ways in the World Superbike Championship this Sunday with a dominant performance at Magny-Cours.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) started from pole position, but a strong start allowed Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) to take the lead right away. He then resisted an attack from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) at Turn 5, but the Briton kept the pressure.

A crash between Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha) and Scott Redding (BMW) on the fourth lap led to the race being halted with red flags at the end of the fifth lap. Aegerter was taken to the medical center with suspected contusion, while Redding received a double Long Lap penalty.

When the race restarted, Bautista once again took the lead, holding off Rea and Razgatlioglu behind him. The British and Turkish riders battled each other for second place, with the 2021 champion having the upper hand.

Unaffected by the rivalry between his rivals, Bautista gradually pulled away at the front, ultimately winning with a 5.893s gap over Razgatlioglu. Rea completed the podium ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha), while Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) finished fifth, being the first among the independent team riders.

Results:

O conteúdo Álvaro Bautista dominated the red-flagged WSBK race 2 at Magny-Cours aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Two wins in two races. That’s the tally for Nicolò Bulega in the Magny-Cours round of the World Supersport Championship, as he won the second race of this round on Sunday.

The Italian rider from Aruba.it Ducati started from pole position and kept the lead, gradually pulling away from the rest of the field. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) was his main pursuer. Up until a certain point, the Frenchman managed to keep up with Bulega and put pressure on him, but the championship leader ultimately held on to consolidate his race lead.

In the end, Bulega crossed the finish line 1.991s ahead of Debise. The rest of the pack didn’t have the pace to challenge the top two. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) secured the final step of the podium with little opposition but was 12.441s behind the leader. Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta) and Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) rounded out the top five.

Results:

O conteúdo Nicolò Bulega completed the perfect weekend in WSSP at Magny-Cours after another duel with Valentin Debise aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.