Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) wasted absolutely no time asserting his dominance at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, sweeping to the top of the timesheets in Free Practice 1 for the Pirelli Spanish Round. Setting a sharp 1’38.155s lap, the Italian machine was simply untouchable during an ultra-consistent opening stint where he outpaced the rest of the field on all but three laps of his 10-lap run.
That blistering pace left the competition scrambling, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) slotting into second place. Looking to bounce back from a tricky weekend at Estoril, the #14 posted a 1’38.407s to finish 0.252s adrift of the pacesetter. Right behind him was Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), completing the top three as the #7 clocked a 1’38.489s, sitting roughly a tenth back from the Brit.
Further down the order, the battle for championship positions started heating up immediately. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who has his sights set on securing third in the standings, steered his bike to fourth place with a 1’38.521s, finishing 0.366s slower than Bulega. Rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) carried his strong Estoril form straight into the morning session, snatching fifth with a late lap of 1’38.597s.
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) ended up in sixth place with a 1’38.625s. He remains the only rider mathematically capable of wrestling third place away from Montella in the standings, though he faces a steep 53-point deficit to the #5. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven)—fresh off confirming his contract renewal with GoEleven Ducati—landed in seventh, lapping just over half-a-second shy of the benchmark.
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) made sure both Bimota machines featured inside the top eight by posting a 1’38.580s. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounded out the rest of the top ten in what shaped up to be a frantic opening session of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship finale.
