WorldSBK: Blue skies and scorching temperatures greeted the WorldSBK paddock for their first trip to Spain in 2026.
Motorland Aragon is a challenging circuit that demands a lot of bike and rider but with temperatures of over 35°C it produces an even greater challenge. When practice began the performance of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team was clear to see with Nicolo Bulega topping the morning session and Iker Lecuona doing the same in the afternoon.
Bulega’s fastest time, set in the cooler morning temperatures, was a 1’48.916 but with nine Ducati Panigale V4R’s inside the top eleven places we had an indication of how strong the package is. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) suffered a crash in the morning that limited his running but the British rider was the fastest Independent Rider of the day and second fastest in the afternoon.
Lecuona set the pace in the second Free Practice session but his day ended early with a crash at Turn 8. The downhill right hander, which usually has an apex speed of 100 kmp/h, caught out the Spaniard rider having just set the fastest time of FP2. The Spaniard ended the day second fastest on the combined times less than a tenth of a second slower than his teammate.
The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team duo of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani were third and fourth fastest on the combined times. It was a strong performance from them with both riders completing 32 laps on the day.
Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) returned from injury and also completed 32 laps to finish the day 11th fastest. The afternoon saw him lap just three tenths of a second slower than Lecuona and that will have given the double WorldSBK Champion encouragement as he recovers from injuries to his left foot.
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) will make his long-awaited debut aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP. The ex-Moto2 race winner crashed in the early moments of FP1 at Turn 12 but bounced back in the afternoon to notch up 15 laps and lap within a second of the pace in Free Practice 2.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“Our first impressions are good. We did a great job today in very difficult conditions because the track temperature was incredibly hot. I’m happy with the feeling on the bike although we still need to improve in some areas, especially under braking. Iker was strong today and Sam was strong too so we have to keep working for tomorrow. We still need to improve but overall I’m very happy with the pace. These are not easy conditions because the track temperature is so high. You really feel it when riding the bike, especially on the straights because the bike produces a lot of heat. It’s difficult but it’s the same for everybody and in the end the best rider will win.”
P2 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I’m relaxed even with the crash because the run at the end of the session was really positive. I felt confident, comfortable and fast and the crash was just a mistake. I’m okay and I’m lucky not to be hurt because I was going very quickly when I hit the gravel but I don’t have any issue physically. It was extremely hot and very hard to ride in these conditions. Mentally it was difficult to stay focused and physically it was very demanding. Even the straights were probably the worst part of the track because of the heat. Let’s see tomorrow but I think for everybody it will be very tough to complete the full race distance.”
P3 – Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team)
“Aragon is a track that I enjoy and I had some good results last year. I probably didn’t expect to be in the mix with those guys today. The track temperature during the afternoon was in the mid-50s so it was really demanding. We did a longer run and I also tried something different with my riding position. It’s been a good day and I’m enjoying it. It’s going to be a long race because 18 laps in these temperatures will not be easy but I’m looking forward to it and trying to do the best we can.”
Combined Results after FP2
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’48.916s
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.022s
3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.526s
4. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.579s
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.635s
6. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.693s
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