WorldSBK Aragon FP1: Bulega sets his sights on Mugello; the 'chosen one' keeps hammering

Nothing new under the Aragon sun: Nicolò Bulega was the fastest in the first practice of the weekend, ahead of the usual teammate Iker Lecuona. We're already getting ready to update the stats of the multiple winners.

The two factory Ducatis have already pulled away, with the only Bimotas of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani holding their own, even if the gap is substantial—about half a second. Behind the two Rimini-built, Kawasaki-powered bikes comes the usual army of satellite Ducatis: there are nine of them in the top eleven positions. One of these is ridden by Alvaro Bautista, who returns two weeks after smashing his right foot in the practice crash at Most. The Spaniard, eleventh fastest, has the courage of a lion. He will have to pass another medical check, but the deficit he incurred—just one second—suggests that he’s fit and ready for action.

While the attention of fans and media is focused on the Italian GP at Mugello, one of the most followed MotoGP rounds, Superbike is struggling in the Aragon desert. A beautiful track, no doubt, but one where production-derived bikes have never drawn big crowds. The overlap with the top class will deprive the sixth Superbike round of what little media attention remains. Strange that manufacturers and teams seem barely interested in this topic, while they squabble over hypothetical regulations and future technical strategies. Go figure...

Here in Spain, the World Championship will pass the halfway mark, and since Australia—that is, last February—we’ve been reciting the same talking points. In this opening shakedown, Nicolò Bulega wasn’t just quickest on the clock; he already has a pace that looks unmatchable: his 1'49"916 came at the end of a nine-lap run. The candidate for Ducati VR46 in MotoGP 2027 has won 19 races in a row—all 15 this year plus the final four of last season. Lecuona has finished second twelve times: in FP1 he was just 22 thousandths behind. Will the home track be the ideal stage for him to take his first win as a Ducati rider?

Jake Dixon’s World Championship begins at Aragon, the former Moto2 rider and new Honda HRC signing. The Briton was seriously injured in preseason testing at Phillip Island, only returning to the track during last week’s Misano tests. After just a few laps in this first practice session, however, Dixon lost control exiting the chicane (Turn 12) and got back up unhurt. The CBR-RR, on the other hand, was destroyed as it bounced back onto the track, forcing race direction to stop everything to remove the wreck left right on the racing line. Troubles keep pouring down on Honda.

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