WorldSBK Aragon | Rea marks new-gen Kawasaki ZX-10RR bow with Aragon pole

Jonathan Rea made the ideal start to his bid for a seventh WorldSBK Championship title with an impressive pole on the latest generation Kawasaki ZX-10RR’s debut.

On the weekend the Ulsterman could become the first person in WorldSBK history to reach 100 wins, Rea gave himself the best possible chance, showing a greater turn of speed on the sticky qualifying tyre during the final revolutions of the session.

Finding 0.9secs on his own time with the quicker Pirelli rubber to leap up the order when it mattered, Rea ended the session a comfortable three tenths clear of the man expected to be his biggest rival for the title in 2021, Scott Redding. 

Completing the front row will be Tom Sykes, who showed the long winter period hasn’t softened his razor sharp abilities over a single lap, giving the new BMW M 1000 RR a front row start for its inaugural race.

Rea’s Kawasaki team-mate Alex Lowes looked capable of an upset at one stage after spending a long period at the top of the timesheets, before being overhauled and demoted to fourth. 

Chaz Davies, racing in Go Eleven Ducati colours for the first time this weekend, will start fifth in one of his better qualifying showings for some time. It will be even more satisfying for the Welshman considering the man who replaced him in the factory effort - and won at Aragon in 2020 - Michael Ruben Rinaldi could only manage tenth.

Having appeared the cautious favourite for pole based on practice performances, Toprak Razgatlioglu’s form deserted him in Superpole even if he still ended up the best placed Yamaha in sixth, from Garrett Gerloff.

Despite the long off-season, the grid for the 2021 WorldSBK opener bears a striking resemblance to last year, with Honda no doubt disappointed to be circulating in eighth and ninth with Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista on the CBR1000RR-R.

The same could be said for BMW, who despite Sykes’ strong showing in third, will be alarmed to see the crucial new M 1000 RR ‘homologation special’ only 14th in Michael van der Mark’s hands. The Dutchman has endured a torrid weekend that has included a large crash and bodywork unravelling itself in FP3, while satellite additions Eugene Laverty (RC) and Jonas Folger (MGM Bonovo) are 12th and 18th.

As for the rookie contingent, Tito Rabat will start his first WorldSBK race from 11th, with WorldSSP champion Andrea Locatelli in 14th and Kohta Nozane in 16th.

2021 WorldSBK Aragon - Superpole Qualifying Results