Jonathan Rea opens up fastest in FP1 at Motorland Aragon ahead of round 10 of World Superbike Championship

Rea, who is entering his final stint as a Kawasaki rider following confirmation he will join the Pata Yamaha team for 2024 alongside Andrea Locatelli, posted his best time in 1m 50.309s to lead Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona by 0.032s.

Italy’s Danilo Petrucci was the leading Ducati in third on the Barni Spark machine, 0.342s down on Rea in the morning session, with American Garrett Gerloff in fourth on the Bonovo Action BMW.

Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu, a double winner two weeks ago at Magny-Cours in France, was seventh on the YZF-R1 ahead of championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati), who holds a 57-point advantage over his Turkish rival with three rounds remaining.

Razgatlioglu is also reaching the end of his time with Yamaha, with the 26-year-old moving to the factory BMW team in 2024 alongside Michael van der Mark.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati) was fifth quickest with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) completing the first six on the factory Honda Fireblade.

Ulsterman Rea is third in the championship and bolstered his position after a trio of third-placed finishes on the ZX-10RR in France.

His Kawasaki team-mate Alex Lowes has been ruled out this weekend after undergoing a left knee operation.

Briton Lowes has been replaced at Aragon by Kawasaki test rider Florian Marino, who was 13th.

Bradley Ray was 14th fastest in FP1 on the Motoxracing Yamaha while Scott Redding, who will leave the factory BMW squad and join Gerloff in the Bonovo Action team next season, was 19th.