[WSBK] Race 1 in Aragon: Ducati group shooting… behind Rea

During the Superpole, Marco Melandri (Ducati) took pole position ahead of the two Kawasaki officials of Johnny Rea and Tom Sykes. Xavi Fores (Ducati) made up the second row alongside the two Yamahas of Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.

Jordi Torres installed his MV Agusta on the third row, alongside Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Ducati) and Leon Camier (Honda). Chaz Davies (Ducati) fell during Superpole 2 without seriousness, but had to settle for eleventh position. Loris Baz (BMW) fell during Superpole 1 without injury but found himself at the back of the grid in nineteenth place.

Chaz Davies' fall in Superpole:

At the start of Race 1, the fastest to start was Marco Melandri ahead of Johnny Rea, Alex Lowes and Chaz Davies. Rea took first position ahead of Lowes, Sykes and Davies who came back magnificently after starting in eleventh position.

Rea retained the lead, 0.2 ahead of Lowes, followed at 0.4 by Sykes, Davies, Melandri and Fores. Loris Baz came back brilliantly, occupying 12th position on the second lap after starting 19th. On the next lap he was already ninth!

Torres, Camier and Savadori crashed together in turn 11. The race was stopped at the red flag.

A new procedure began for an event reduced to 17 laps. The grid was the initial one, unfortunately for Chaz Davies and Loris Baz for whom everything had to be done again. Camier was unfit and transported to hospital. Jordi Torres did not participate either.

Johnny Rea was fastest at the start, ahead of Alex Lowes, Marco Melandri, Tom Sykes, Xavi Fores and Chaz Davies. Loris Baz jumped to thirteenth place. Rea and Lowes stood out slightly, ahead of Melandri, Sykes, Davies and van der Mark.

Alex Lowes took the lead by overtaking Johnny Rea, followed quite closely by Melandri, Fores, Sykes and van der Mark. Loris Bas was eleventh in the third round.

Rea took first place again, this time ahead of Melandri, Lowes, Fores, Davies and Sykes. Xavi Fores attacked in front of his Spanish crowd and moved into third ahead of Chaz Davies and Alex Lowes.

Rea, Melandri and Fores opened up a small gap on Davies, van der Mark, Rinaldi, Lowes and Sykes. Loris Baz tenth fought against Toprak Razgatlioglu and Lorenzo Savadori.

Xavi Fores continued to attack and overtook Marco Melandri to take second position, two seconds ahead of Chaz Davies, and three ahead of van der Mark, Rinaldi and Lowes. At mid-race, Xavi Fores overtook Jonathan Rea, to the delight of the spectators. Marco Melandri remained in the wheel of the Spaniard and the Briton.

The fight between the top three Fores, Rea and Melandri was all the more interesting as Davies followed them quite closely, at 1.5. Loris Baz was fighting in the third group, in eleventh position. Leandro Mercado fell without seriousness.

Rea took the lead again, his Kawasaki being threatened by the Ducati Panigale of Fores, Melandri and Davies. The Yamahas were 6 seconds behind, with van der Mark fifth ahead of Lowes and Sykes.

In the final laps, Rea opened up a gap of two seconds on the chasing group made up of Fores, Melandri and Davies.

Johnny Rea consolidated his lead and won ahead of Chaz Davies and Xavi Fores, while Marco Melandri made a small mistake and had to settle for fourth place. Michael van der Mark finished fifth ahead of Tom Sykes and Alex Lowes, while Loris Baz finished eleventh.

Ranking of Race 1:

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

Photos © Kawasaki and Ducati