Jerez World Superbike Superpole Results: Bulega smashes lap record for Jerez pole

Nicolo Bulega delivered a milestone lap for WorldSBK at Jerez to take pole position for the final round of the 2024 season.

Bulega set a 1:37.596 on his second and final run in Superpole for this weekend's WorldSBK Spanish Round. As well as leaving him 0.606 seconds clear of the field and with a new lap record to his name, the lap was the first ever by a WorldSBK-spec machine in the 1:37s.

Bulega is the only rider mathematically able to beat Toprak Razgatlioglu to this year's world title, but if Razgatlioglu finishes Race 1 later today where he qualified - second - there will be nothing Bulega can do.

Razgatlioglu himself might've been capable of a 1:37, but his first lap on his final tyre was cancelled for yellow flags after Jonathan Rea crashed at turn six. Having already put half-a-lap on his tyre when he had to pull out of his first lap, Razgatlioglu didn't have the tyre left to finish his second lap in ideal form; he set a 1:38.202 which was good enough for second place.

Alex Lowes missed around 30 minutes of FP1 on Friday due to a bike problem, but he nonetheless managed a strong qualifying in third place.

Danilo Petrucci will start fourth, ahead of Iker Lecuona and Andrea Locatelli on the second row; while Xavi Vierge will head up row three from Michael van der Mark and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who was fastest in FP2 on Friday.

Garrett Gerloff rounded out the Superpole top 10, and will be joined by Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding on the fourth row.

Still-reigning WorldSBK Champion Alvaro Bautista qualified down in 15th, and Jonathan Rea was no better, thanks to his crash. It's a 16th-place qualifying for Rea to end his season with Yamaha, and he got a black flag for good measure as he didn't pit after his crash.