Bautista sweep WSBK on standard Pirelli tyres

Ducati rider Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won both the Superpole Race and Race 2 to widen the gap in the World Superbike Championship 2023 standings. There was a double win for Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) with the WorldSSP Championship title becoming closer. The WorldSSP300 victory went to Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki), who also claimed first place in the 300 standings. Tyre supplier Pirelli’s SC1 front and SCX rear were used by almost all the riders on the starting grid

“We are filing away the Aragón round in the black, particularly in terms of our standard tyres, but not only,” said Giorgio Barbier, Motorcycle Racing director at Pirelli. “In both WorldSBK and WorldSSP, the super soft SCX was undoubtedly the most used tyre in the race – in the case of Superbike, paired with the standard SC1. This is positive because we once again received confirmation that ours is an extremely solid and versatile range, capable of ensuring outstanding performance with different bikes and on different circuits.

“On the other hand, this is precisely why these products are standard, which means that they are available for purchase by riders all over the world. Nevertheless, we cannot overlook the fact that in the Superpole Race, the three riders who finished on the podium used three different rear options, with the standard SCX, the SCX B0800 development solution, and the SCQ C0004 development tyre, all equally protagonists. And the fact that we are able to offer the riders three solutions which are all valid is certainly a good thing because it lets them choose the one that best matches their riding style and bike setup.

“Now, in less than one week, we will be headed for the next round in Portugal where we will be the Event Main Sponsor. We’ll see if the world titles are assigned then or if we’ll have to wait for the grand finale in Jerez to see who our 2023 champions are!”

In the Superpole Race, almost all riders chose to start with the standard SC1 medium front tyre. The only rider who used the new SC0 C0927 development solution was Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team). As for the rear, the riders who finished on the podium used three different solutions: Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won with the super soft standard SCX, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished second with the SCX B0800 development tyre, and Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was third with the extra soft SCQ C0004 development solution. Rea was the only rider to use the SCX development tyre, whereas the standard SCX and the SCQ development solution garnered more or less equal preference among the riders. Bautistawon the race moving into the lead on the final lap after starting from the third spot on the grid.

In Race 2, the standard SCX remained the most popular choice by far for the rear. The only ones who opted for the SCX B0800 development tyre were the two Kawasaki riders, Jonathan Rea and Florian Marino, as well as Ducati riders Phillip Oettl and Danilo Petrucci. At the front, the standard SC1 was chosen unanimously. Álvaro Bautista confirmed his thirst for vendetta after an unlucky Race 1 and, after winning the Superpole Race, he went on to win Race 2 as well. Finishing behind him was the other title contender, Toprak Razgatlioğlu and, once again in third place after an outstanding performance was Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), the Race 1 winner from yesterday.

In Race 2, won once again by Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), the riders substantially confirmed the solutions already seen in action during yesterday’s race. At the front, most of them opted for the SC1 B1333 development solution, whereas at the rear, the standard SCX was the choice for almost everyone. The exceptions were Glenn Van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), who preferred racing on the harder SC0. The race was red-flagged due to Niki Tuuli’s crash in the final lap. Finishing behind Bulega were Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in second place and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team), third.

Nicolò Bulega is also the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2023 winner for the WorldSSP class, being the rider to have done the most race fast laps (10) this season.

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) (Photo: Pirelli)