WSBK Start 2022 in Aragon

10.04.2022
The first Saturday of the 2022 WorldSBK season brought plenty of excitement to the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team.

Firstly, the riders showed good teamwork in a convincing qualifying session (P2 for Alvaro Bautista and P4 for Michael Rinaldi) then they took part in an electrifying Race-1 at the Motorland circuit of Aragon (Spain).

Alvaro Bautista fought a spectacular duel first with Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) and then with Rea (Kawasaki). From the middle of the race, the battle with the Welshman got more exciting thanks to an endless series of overtakes and counter-overtakes. At the final corner, Bautista made a decisive attack but he was eventually unable to contain Rea's response, finishing just 90 thousandths of a second behind him at the chequered flag.

Michael Rinaldi confirmed in the race the fourth place obtained in qualifying. The Italian rider stayed with the podium group until lap 10, trying to push to attack Razgatlioglu. In the end, however, his race pace was not enough to fight for the podium and he secures a valuable fourth place.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #19)
"I'm very very happy with this race. If have to be honest, winning wasn't my only goal. After two years that weren't easy, I needed to rediscover those sensations that you only get when you're fighting for the win. I immediately felt that feeling which allowed me to try until the end. The battle with Toprak first and then with Jonathan was exciting. I had a lot of fun and I hope I was able to entertain my fans as well. We just need a small step forward for tomorrow."

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"I'm pretty happy with the way we started the season. I was sure I could have a good race and I felt good in the first few laps. Unfortunately, when the rear grip dropped, the feeling with the bike dropped and I couldn't stick with the podium group. We already know what we can do to improve and for this reason I'm very confident ahead of tomorrow's races."

Two victories for Alvaro Bautista and two star-studded races for Michael Rinaldi: these were the highlights of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team's extraordinary Sunday. The Pirelli Aragon Round, the first round of the 2022 WorldSBK season, ends with the Spanish rider topping the Superbike World Championship standings.


Superpole Race

P1 - Alvaro Bautista dominates the race right from the start and finishes first, 5 seconds ahead of Rea (Kawasaki).
P4 - Michael Rinaldi battles with Razgatliogliu (Yamaha) and Rea (Kawasaki). The fight is intense and the Italian rider pushes his way into the second position. At the last corner, however, he is overtaken by Razgatlioglu and he eventually settles for fourth place, just 59 thousandths from the podium.


Race 2

P1 - Alvaro Bautista gets off a good start, battling with Rea (Kawasaki) on the first lap and then pushing hard to create the gap that allows him to end the race with more than 4 seconds of advantage.
P4 – Since the start, Michael Rinaldi is glued to the podium group. On lap 5 the Italian rider takes the second position, trying to stay with his teammate. From the middle of the race, however, the rear grip drops visibly, not allowing him to conquer a potential podium.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #19)
"I'm really happy. It's been a very positive weekend, we've obtained important results but the crucial thing was to regain confidence with positive feelings: with the bike, with the team, with my fans. I was satisfied yesterday for the second place too, but I felt that something was missing. Since the warm-up the feeling was very good and so I tried to push harder. It was a very good start of the season. I can't wait to be in Assen."

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"I close this weekend with mixed emotions. I'm very satisfied with the work we've done especially because in every race we've been in a position to easily fight for the podium. On the other hand, however, it is clear that something was missing. The balance is certainly positive, but we will have to work to fix those details that can allow us to be even more competitive."

Race results

Pos.	Nr.	Driver	Bike	Time-gap to Leader
1	19	A. Bautista	Panigale V4R
2	65	J. Rea	ZX-10RR	4.393
3	1	T. Razgatlioglu	YZF R1	6.223
4	21	M. Rinaldi	Panigale V4R	8.817
5	22	A. Lowes	ZX-10RR	12.247
6	47	A. Bassani	Panigale V4R	15.775
7	76	L. Baz	M1000RR	23.925
8	97	X. Vierge	CBR1000 RR-R	24.790
9	31	G. Gerloff	YZF R1	25.406
10	7	I. Lecuona	CBR1000 RR-R	25.570
11	44	L. Mahias	ZX-10RR	27.641
12	50	E. Laverty	M1000RR	28.867
13	5	P. Oettl	Panigale V4R	29.325
14	2	R. Tamburini	YZF R1	29.555
15	37	I. Mykhalchyk	M1000RR	31.843
16	29	L. Bernardi	Panigale V4R	43.246
17	16	G. Ruiu	M1000RR	45.734
18	23	C. Ponsson	YZF R1	46.349
19	55	A. Locatelli	YZF R1	55.354
20	35	H. Syahrin	CBR1000 RR-R	59.398
21	36	L. Mercado	CBR1000 RR-R
22	52	O. Konig	ZX-10RR
23	84	L. Cresson	ZX-10RR
RET	3	K. Nozane	YZF R1	5 Laps
RET	45	S. Redding	M1000RR	7 Laps

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