The 25-year-old Turkish rider smashed the all-time record with a stunning 1'48.267 around the 5.077 km circuit, a lap that impressed many but just 0.006s clear of nearest rival Alvaro Bautista (Ducati). Teammate Andrea Locatelli completed a strong qualifying amongst stiff competition to put his R1 WorldSBK on the second row of the grid in sixth place.
Race 1 then set the stage for another “must watch” WorldSBK season ahead, as three manufacturers battled for the lead in the opening laps. Razgatlıoğlu led the way initially from Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea and Bautista, as the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK #1 set the fastest lap of the race on lap three – those at home would have also enjoyed watching the protagonists brake three wide into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 6!
By the middle of the race however, front tyre degradation hampered Razgatlıoğlu’s ability to fight for the win and he chose to bank the podium points available for third.
Locatelli maximised the performance of his package today, managing available grip with consistent pace throughout the 18-lap feature race to deliver a solid fifth-place finish – all despite a hectic opening lap which saw him initially slip to eighth.
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK will take to the track again tomorrow for the final day at Aragon, in the same format as 2021, with a short 15-minute Warm Up at 9:00 (UTC+2) that precedes the 10-lap Superpole Race at 11:00 and main 18-lap Race 2 at 14:00.