WSBK: Five things to take away from the 2021 Aragon Round

The 2021 WorldSBK season fired into life at MotorLand Aragon after the longest-ever winter break in the series’ history. Three thrilling races produced a classic opener and set some early benchmarks for the season ahead.

18 different racers scored points in the first meeting which is the highest number of point-scoring riders after three races under the current weekend format, underling how competitive the 2021 field is. And the records and excitement did not stop there.

100 and counting, the weather playing havoc, fortune and misfortune for manufacturers – it was a weekend to remember:

Psychological warfare

In a campaign that, on paper, is the most open and unpredictable in years, a number of riders and teams went into the season thinking the odds were in their favour. It must have been an unpleasant return to the ground when Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) yet again left the opposition for dust.

The reigning world champion led every lap of Race 1 to cruise to his 100^th victory, doubled up in the Superpole Race and concluded the weekend with runner-up in Race 2, beaten only by Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who had made a better tyre choice.

Rea describing the way to his landmark win as “effortless” will not help his opponents’ confidence either. It may have only been the first meeting of the year, but Rea already sent the competition a curb your exuberance-message. On track as well as psychologically it’s Rea 1, rest of the field 0.

“To be honest, it was effortless. Things were going well and I was just riding. We improved the bike in so many small areas and when we take it to the track it’s a good step forward – we reaped the rewards.”

Jonathan Rea

Frustration at Ducati

With arguably the best bike on the grid in the Panigale V4 R and setting off at what historically is one of their strongest tracks, expectations at Ducati were to get a dream start into 2021 and to set the benchmark early on.

However, the exact opposite became reality. Before Redding salvaged the weekend with victory in Race 2, it was the first time since 2014 that the Bologna factory did not feature on the Aragon podium and a run of finishing first or second ended.

Redding admitted after Race 1 that he “could not compete” with the grip the Kawasakis generated and that by the closing laps his tyres had dropped so much he was “lucky to finish”. According to last season’s championship runner-up, Saturday was “the worst the bike felt for a very long time”, a clear indication that Ducati still have their work cut out.

Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven), seven-time winner at Aragon, too said that his tyres in Race 1 “fell off a cliff” and he heavily struggled with stability and grip.

It also did not go unnoticed that Davies outperformed Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who replaces him in the factory squad for this season, reigniting debates around whether the rider swap was the right decision.

Could this be Toprak’s year?

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) is an accomplished podium finisher in the class with 24 rostrums to his name going into the season. However, it was a surprise to see him add a 25^th to the collection on Saturday.

Aragon, historically, is no happy hunting ground for Yamaha. Razgatlioglu’s third place was the factory’s best result at MotorLand since Marco Melandri was second in 2011 and the rise in performance appeared out of thin air.

Razgatlioglu continued the upswing and fought his way back into sixth following a grid demotion in the sprint race and concluded the weekend with another top 6 finish. Yamaha have introduced a new front fairing as well as an upgraded engine to the R1 and the changes certainly seem to pay off.

Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) confirmed the bike’s improvements with third in the Superpole Race and came back from a crash in Race 2 to finish seventh.

The strong start to the campaign should give Yamaha motivation heading to Estoril next where Razgatlioglu won twice last season.

“A little bit of engine performance, continued improvements to the chassis, less wheelie and a little bit less spinning. In general, it’s the same R1 but very, very careful work has just made the bike that little bit better. If we are to compete the new Kawasaki, the Panigale etc. it’s going to have to be better and it looks like it is.“

Paul Denning, Team Manager Pata Yamaha

Breakthrough for BMW

There were question marks in the BMW garage ahead of the first competitive outing of the brand new M 1000 RR. The bike had looked good in pre-season, but testing and racing are two very different things.

It is safe to say though that the BMW lived up to expectations. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is in the top 5 of the championship standings for the first time since Losail 2018 when he was still with Kawasaki and the last time a BMW was inside the top 5 on the table was in 2016 after Sepang Race 1 with Jordi Torres.

Despite retirement in the Superpole Race, Sykes’ weekend was positive with sixth and fourth in Race 1 and 2 respectively and his new teammate Michael van der Mark rounded out the weekend for BMW.

The Dutchman had a difficult start to life in his new squad when an early crash at T8 sidelined him in FP2 and he also missed most of FP3 due to work on the bike. But van der Mark came back swinging with fifth in the sprint race, aided by a bold tyre choice, and another fifth in Race 2.

The new bike comes with higher top speed, which allowed both riders to fly past the Kawasakis on the backstraight at Aragon, more downforce and less mass inertia. Further, it has adjustable winglets to maximise performance in different conditions and is looking good for the season ahead.

“It’s a big improvement which gives me motivation moving forward. I felt really strong with the package. It’s nice to finally have the engine upgrade, it makes my life as a rider a lot easier on the track, it gives me more passing opportunities and that was the biggest difference.”

Tom Sykes

Tyres and tyre life

All eyes were on the tyre choices up and down the grid when a damp and patchy track threw a spanner into the works of Sunday’s races. The majority of riders opted for Pirelli’s intermediate tyre in both races and although slicks proved the boldest but also best choice, the inters stole the headlines.

Despite the track drying up in both instances, the intermediate tyres did not only last but perform. They were tested to the extreme in fiercely contested three- and five-way scraps with hardly anyone going off the drying racing line to cool the tyres on the damper parts of the track. And yet the intermediates held up.

While the full wet tyres faded on the drying track and slicks were a calculated risk, the inters allowed the riders to go out on track relatively free of worries. Pirelli Moto Racing Director Giorgio Barbier confirmed that the intermediate tyre in mixed conditions is “incredible and very safe as well”.

Intermediates are hardly used in practice since many teams consider testing them a loss of time – you either go full wet or you go on slicks. However, the tyre performance this weekend showed that in wet to damp to drying conditions, the intermediates are a real option and added the intriguing aspect of different tyre strategies to this season.