Rea snatches top spot from Razgatlioglu in penultimate Aragon WorldSBK session
Rea maꦬnaged to do so by snatching top spot away from main rival after Toprak Razgatlioglu led most of thℱe FP5.
After topping FP4, Alvaro Bautista was no match for Rea and Razgatlioglu following the pair’s intense🦋 duel for top spot.
- 🌄Alvaro Bautista strikes back with top time in FP4 at Aragon WorldSBK test
- Rea, Ra💮zgatlioglu under Aragon race lap record as battle intens🔴ifies
- Fernandez: 'I learned how to do a MotoGP race', is this 𒀰the turning point🐻?
Both riders exchange꧋d top spot on several occasions before a time of 1:49.268s saw ൲the reigning world champion move four tenths clear.
Rea managed to reduce that margin on his very next lap, however, the gap remained over📖 three tenths.&🌜nbsp;
Then came a surprise…
Loris Baz shot up the leaderboard to go second quickest after it appeared BMW were once♔ again struggling - +0.115s down on Razgatlioglu.
An impressive turn of pace from the f💖ormer Kawasaki and Yamaha rider, who was also the qu🐼ickest BMW rider on day-one.
With ten minutes remaining Garrett Gerloff jumped ahead of Rea for third, whil🦂e GoEleven Ducati rider Philipp Oettl was displaced by Lecuona as the top rookie in ninth, after the German took that hon💧our in FP4.

But as the seconds wound down, Rea set the first sub 1m 49s lap of the two-da꧅y test to go top - a lap time that was enough to put three tenths between him and Razgatlioglu.
Rea’s effort also means hꦛe’s gone under the existing race lap record💮 - set by himself - for the second consecutive day.
World Superbike Test Aragon, Spain - Free Practice 5 Results | ||||
Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
1 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | 1:48.943s |
2 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK | +0.325s |
3 | Loris Baz | FRA | Bonovo Action BMW | +0.440s |
4 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | +0.689s |
5 | Alvaro Bautista | SPA | Aruba.It Racing Ducati | +0.701s |
6 | Michael Rinaldi | ITA | Aruba.It Racing Ducati | +0.920s |
7 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK | +1.180s |
8 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | +1.283s |
9 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | Team HRC WorldSBK | +1.310s |
10 | Xavi Vierge | SPA | Team HRC WorldSBK | +1.382s |
11 | Eugene Laverty | IRL | Bonovo Action BMW | +1.503s |
12 | Philipp Oettl | GER | GoEleven Ducati | +1.796s |
13 | Scott Redding | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | +1.929s |
14 | Ilya Mikhalchik | UKR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | +2.089s |
15 | Kohta Nozane | JPN | GRT Yamaha | +2.102s |
16 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Ducati | +2.121s |
17 | Roberto Tamburini | ITA | Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK Team | +2.128s |
18 | Lucas Mahias | FRA | Puccetti Kawasaki | +2.219s |
19 | Luca Bernardi | SM | Barni Spark Ducati Team | +2.795s |
20 | Christophe Ponsson | FRA | Gil Motor Sport Yamaha | +3.857s |
21 | Hafizh Syahrin | MAL | MIE Honda Racing | +4.014s |
22 | Gabriele Ruiu | ITA | Bmax Racing | +4.600s |
23 | Oliver Konig | CZE | Orelac Racing Kawasaki | +4.675s |
24 | Loris Cresson | BEL | Pedercini Kawasaki | +4.928s |
Free Practice 4
Bautista started off the final day of WorldSBK testing in Aragon fastest from day-one pa🌜cesetter Rea.
Bautista, w🍌ho was more than six tenths down on expected 2022 title rivals Rea and Razgatlioglu during day-one, po💧sted a solid time of 1:50.097s to go quickest in FP4.
Rea managed to pit Gerloff to second, with the latter continuing to impress ahead of what’s a big 2022♉ season.
An eight-time winner around the MotorLand Aragon Circuit, Rea set a time quicker than the official race lap record on Monday, as did reigning world champion Razg🎉atlioglu.
The Pata Yamaha rider started day-t🐭wo with a si𝓰xth place finish - eight tenths down on the Aruba.it Ducati rider.
While Ducati, Kawasaki and Yamaha continue to loo﷽k strong, Honda, who were very impressive in Catalunya, sat out the session ♒with both its factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge.
Replaced once again by Ukrainian rider Ilya Michalchik, Michael Van Der Mark has offici♈ally been ruled out of this weekend’s season-opener.
Van Der Mark, wh🐼o suꦇffered a recent mountain bike accident, said: "It has been a difficult decision but unfortunately I will not try to ride at MotorLand Aragón.
"At this mom♉ent we have to be smart and stay calm because this is the only way forward in my recovery.ꦯ
"I really miss working with the team and riding my BMW M 1000 RR but right now my 𝐆goal is to be fit again as soo🎉n as possible."
More results to follow👍 from the final day of pre-season World𒐪SBK testing.