The heat makes for a tricky Superpole for Alcoba and Aegerter at MotorLand Aragon

The sixth WorldSSP round got underway today at Motorland Aragon, located close to Alcaniz in Spain.

Friday brought very hot and sunny conditions, as the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team and riders Jeremy Alcoba and Dominique Aegerter took to the track for free practice, a session they used to prepare for the afternoon’s Superpole.

This is a home round for Alcoba, who placed fifteenth (1’54”095), while Aegerter positioned twenty-fourth at the end of this practice (1’54”603).

Superpole took place in the afternoon, on an even hotter track that was a lot less grippy. For this reason, Aegerter improved slightly to qualify twenty-first (1’54”579), ahead of teammate Alcoba (1’54”610), who was unable to improve on his best time of the morning.

These results mean that the Swiss rider will line up on row seven of the grid and the Spaniard on row eight for Saturday’s race 1.

Jeremy Alcoba: “This first day of my home round was complicated by the heat, which really reduced the tyre grip. It was really tough to brake and turn. Definitely not the Superpole we were hoping for, but we need to stay focused. The team and I will analyse the data we’ve collected, to try and do better in Race 1, though that won’t be easy considering our starting position. Thanks to my whole team and all our supporters.”

Dominique Aegerter: “The conditions couldn’t have been tougher today, with the extreme heat and temperatures of around 35°C. Despite this, we worked hard to improve on our results, even if the feeling with the bike isn’t yet what I’d like it to be. We were able to take a step in the afternoon, but our rivals did the same, and so we’ll be starting Race 1 fairly far back. I hope we can find something more in tomorrow’s warm-up. We’re all working hard to find small improvements and I’m confident we can achieve better results as soon as I am able to find better feeling with my bike. Tomorrow we’ll do our best to score points and then build on that base. Thanks to the team for all their help.”

Positive Start In Scorching Conditions For Gerloff

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) ended day one at a fiercely hot Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain as the first non-Ducati or bimota rider in the combined timesheets, in 12th place overall.

The afternoon FP2 session, despite the arrival of 53°C track temperatures, proved to be the best one for Garrett and his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR. He improved on his FP1 best lap time, and was one of only two riders to do so on the opening day at the always popular 5.077km long Motorland circuit.

Of the three WorldSBK races soon to be played out in Aragon, both 18-lap races will be held in the heat of the afternoon. Race One on Saturday 30 May will start at 14.00 while Race Two on Sunday 31 May is scheduled for a 15.30 start time.

The now-traditional ten-lap Superpole Race will take place on Sunday morning at 11.10, before the track temperature reaches its maximum.

Garrett’s attention now turns to Superpole Qualifying, at 11.15 on Saturday, so that he can start the first Motorland race from an advantageous grid position.

Garrett Gerloff: A pretty hot day at Motorland today, but speaking as a Texan boy, it didn’t feel too bad. I did my best time at the end of the day, in the hottest conditions, so I think that has to mean something good for bike set-up and so on. I did struggle a bit in the morning FP1 session, but it is going to be hot for the long races in the afternoon this weekend, and that is when I went the fastest. Let’s see how Saturday goes, but I am feeling good.”

Alcoba Fights Through For Strong Finish At Home

Kawasaki WorldSSP Team rider Jeremy Alcoba started in 21st position but finished 11th in the opening WorldSSP race at his home round of Motorland Aragon. Jeremy’s team-mate Dominique Aegerter improved from his starting position of 20th to take 17th place in the Saturday race.

In Superpole Qualifying, held on Friday afternoon, Aegerter was 21st fastest and Alcoba 22nd, after a difficult opening day in very hot conditions. They would each gain one place on the final Race

One starting grid after another rider was penalised and had to start from the back row.

Even from his difficult starting position on track, Alcoba would put in one of his best race performances to finish not only in a points-scoring place, but at the head of a large group of riders. In winning his own ‘race-within-a-race’, Jeremy took five championship points away from the opening raceday in Spain.

Aegerter was less than a second away from scoring points for his eventual 17th place in Race One, having put in a strong effort throughout the 15-lap contest.

Despite Alcoba’s consistently fast pace to come through the field, he was unable to set one of the fastest lap times of the opening race, which means he will start from his original 22nd place on the grid. Aegerter will be one place ahead of his team-mate again for Race Two, in 21st grid spot.

Manuel Puccetti: “Both riders were playing catchup in today’s race. Starting from twenty-second on the grid, Alcoba finished just outside the top ten, at the front of his particular group. Aegerter, from twenty-first, finished less than two seconds from his teammate, just outside the points zone. These results leave us optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s race.”

Jeremy Alcoba: “I was really happy with the feeling during today’s race. It was hot again today, but we managed it well and made a good comeback. Our pace was good. This almost feels like a podium because I did not feel like I could be as fast as I was today. I enjoyed it a lot because the fight with the other guys was really good. I ‘won’ the race inside my group, so that makes me even more motivated for tomorrow. We made a really big step from yesterday, and I hope for Race Two we can make another one. We will start inside the pack again, so let’s see if we can make another comeback like today, or an even better one.”

Dominique Aegerter: “To finish out of the points is for sure frustrating and disappointing, but I gave all that I had, every corner, every lap. Right now, we are not finding the best things to go faster. I am trying to adapt my riding style to the bike, and the team tries to help me a lot. We have a lot of work in front of us, and I am sorry to all the Kawasaki family that I am not performing better. We want to be better, and I hope we can show our potential soon. We never give up, and in the morning warm-up on Sunday, we will try again, and I hope that we can finish the weekend with some good points in Race Two.”

Top Ten for the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team in Race 1 at Aragon

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) took his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR to a ninth-place finish in the first WorldSBK race of the Motorland Aragon race weekend, after qualifying on the fourth row of the grid.

The intense and punishing heat of Friday was turned down a little for Saturday, 30 May, but it was still hot work all round for Garrett Gerloff and his entire Kawasaki WorldSBK Team.

In the morning’s Superpole Qualifying session, Gerloff qualified 12th fastest, but would start Race One from 11th place on the grid after the rider who qualified third fastest was made to start on the back of the grid for a yellow flag procedure infringement.

In the opening race, Garrett got away well enough to finish lap one of 18 in 11th position. He was tenth on lap two and then ninth on lap three.

He would remain in that ninth position until the chequered flag was shown, although he was right on the heels of the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team rider Axel Bassani across the finish line.

Only 0.314 seconds separated Bassani and Gerloff at the end.

Manuel Puccetti: “Gerloff’s race was conditioned by a less-than-ideal start. Our rider then ran with P4 or P5 pace but was forced to fight with other riders in his group and deal with very hot conditions, with a track temperature of almost 60°C. He finished inside the top ten, in ninth place, which is a very strong result anyway. And he has the chance to do more in tomorrow’s races.”

Garrett Gerloff: “I felt like it was a good day for us and that I was riding really well. I did my best ever lap here today in Superpole Qualifying. So there were positives, but it felt like all the positives are overshadowed by other guys going even faster. We had a good start and got a ninth place in the end. We maybe want to be a little bit higher for sure, but I think we can be happy with a top ten at a difficult track like this. We will make some changes and try again tomorrow.”

Alcoba Tenth After Determined Race Two

Kawasaki WorldSSP Team riders Jeremy Alcoba and Dominique Aegerter took part in the second and final race of the Motorland Aragon race weekend on Sunday 31 May, with Alcoba finishing tenth and Aegerter 18th.

Once again, Jeremy and Dominique started from less than advantageous grid positions, with Aegerter 21st and Alcoba 22nd.

Alcoba set about the task of recovering track positions with determination and pace. He got up to 17th place at the end of lap one, then steadily moved through the field to be in 12th place on lap eight. He got into the top ten with two laps to go and stayed there until he crossed the finish line on lap 15.

For Aegerter, the second race would be another challenging one. He had made it up to 17th place on lap eight, but lost two places until he regained one more position to finish 18th.

Jeremy is eighth in the championship at the halfway point of the season, with Dominique 17th. Alcoba has 87 points and Aegerter 25.

The seventh round of the championship will take place between 12-14 June, at the always popular Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli.’ This is effectively a home round for the team, which is based in Reggio Emilia, in the same administrative region as the racetrack.

Manuel Puccetti: “Alcoba made a great recovery, climbing from twenty-second all the way up to the top ten. Despite the high temperatures causing problems for our bike and making for a slippery track, Jeremy lapped consistently with times in line with those of the frontrunners and I think he achieved the best possible result. Aegerter crossed the line eighteenth, not far from the point and only around ten seconds from the winner, confirming just how competitive and challenging this championship is.”

Jeremy Alcoba: “I am really happy with how we ended Sunday. I didn’t necessarily expect it because normally on the second raceday of the weekend everyone makes another step. From this morning we tried a different step, and I did not feel so good on it in the race, but I put all my effort into it. All my family and friends are here so maybe it makes me push more than 100%? So, I am really happy because we started from 22nd place on the grid and we finished inside the top ten. Our pace was good but we were struggling a little bit with grip on the rear. I was pushing in all the braking points and that’s the way I could stay with the other riders. We made a real comeback today. I was not expecting anything from this weekend but the team did a really good job and we took important points for the championship.”

Dominique Aegerter: “We didn’t take any points in Race Two, and it was quite difficult to fight like this, but I tried my best to adapt to the bike and I pushed every lap. I was on the limit and had a few slides, and sometimes went over the limit. I could not ride any faster, so it was disappointing. I am fully motivated and I don’t give up. I am trying my best, so I hope all you guys keep the support and trust in ‘Team 77’. See you soon in Misano.”

Gerloff Sixth In Final Motorland Race

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has now completed the two final races on the Motorland Aragon schedule, on Sunday 31 May, taking an impressive weekend best result of sixth place in Race Two.

In recent rounds, Gerloff and his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR have posted some strong race performances, and that trend carried on into Sunday at the 5.077km Motorland Aragon circuit.

The ten-lap Superpole Race was not an easy one for Garrett as he could not get into the leading groups early on, and with so few laps to try and make up ground, he ended up 12th at the chequered flag – replicating his grid position.

In the second Sunday WorldSBK race, over 18 laps, the Texan rider made a better start from 13th position on the grid. He used his early opportunity to get into tenth place, a position he held for eight laps.

He relentlessly moved forward and finally took over sixth place with five laps to go. He finished close behind the BbKRT duo of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani, and was finally less than two seconds from Axel.

After scoring good points in both long races at Motorland, Gerloff is tenth in the overall championship rankings, tied on 85 points with ninth-placed Miguel Oliveira.

The next round – which starts the second half of the current season – will be held at the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team’s home venue of Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’ between 12-14 June.

Manuel Puccetti: “Gerloff achieved a brilliant sixth place today. We were at a pro-Ducati track and races in very high temperatures which are definitely not ideal for our bike, but despite that our rider and whole team have done an excellent job. We’re doing very well right now and are consistently able to fight for the top five or six positions, despite very tough competition. So we’re pleased and feeling optimistic as we head into the second half of the championship.”

Garrett Gerloff: “Not a bad day on Sunday at Motorland, but I am just frustrated with the Superpole Race. In Race Two, I felt I had a better start and was able to push and be closer to the BbKRT riders, Axel and Alex. But I was still hoping for more this weekend. In the Superpole Race, I had good pace, and again in Race Two, but I also had that good start in the second race. Thanks to Kawasaki and the whole team for their hard work, and we will try again at Misano.”