Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) at the Circuito de Navarra at the Ducati test drives in early May – behind Jonas Folger, the young Italian was “best of the rest” at the Aragon tests and is considered one of the more promising rookies for this season. Like the German, Lucas Mahias is not a real rookie, as he was already in the WSBK in 2016 and Folger had two wildcard appearances in 2020.

The many unknowns – from Gil Yamaha & MIE Honda to ORELAC Racing

Now that Lucas Mahias has finally received his new 2021 Kawasaki ZX-10RR, he can still do a few laps in Misano before the first lap starts a few days later in Motorland Aragon. With this miserable preparation, however, the Frenchman will not be alone in Alcaniz on May 21, when it comes to the track for the first time. Like the Frenchman, Leandro Mercado from the MIE Honda Team has never been there with the Honda CBR-1000RR-R. Loris Cresson and Samuele Cavalieri from the Pedercini Racing Team were also absent from the tests. Of the so-called underdogs, only Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing Ducati), Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) and Chris Ponsson (Gil Motorsport Yamaha) have been in Aragon over the past few weeks.

Loris Cresson in January 2021 in Jerez de la Frontera, when he and his team had travelled to Andalusia in vain. The young French rider is one of the many unknowns before the new season starts and his performance is difficult to assess beforehand.

Who will be “best of the rest” in the 2021 season?

First, it would actually be Lucas Mahias’ turn, as the reigning WorldSSP 600 vice world champion. But for him, it looks as if his team boss Puccetti considered splendid hospitality to be more important than serious preparation for the new season. We heard critical voices behind closed doors in the paddock. Similar to BMW privateer Eugene Laverty, the fast Frenchman hardly has any driving experience on his new bike before the first race. There are two more races after Aragon within 3 weeks and this fact makes it a Herculean task for these two as well as Cresson and Mercado to establish themselves straight away.

Leandro Mercado when Orelac took photos of our Kawasaki riders in the paddock in 2019 – the Argentine had anything but optimal preparation for the season and last year he was unlucky to be injured when Tom Sykes was shot down in Aragon. Nonetheless, in terms of his driving skills, he undoubtedly has what it takes to consistently finish in the points.

Question marks also at MIE Honda – but there are some points contenders
The only private team with the Honda CBR-1000RR-R Fireblade SP was rarely seen on the racetrack with its only fixed driver. In any case, the modern LED box walls from MIE Honda are of absolutely no use to the Argentine when it comes to the last fractions of a second. In Corona times, of all times, few visitors will be able to admire it, which also applies to the Puccetti Hospitality. Nevertheless, Leandro Mercado belongs together with Bassani, Mahias and Viñales to the promising contenders for the points. On the other hand, Ponsson, Cavalieri and Cresson should have to hope for failures in order to make it into the top 15. The outsiders of the WorldSBK before the start of the 2021 season are almost certain, at least for the time being.

WorldSSP Start in April 2019 by us in Assen on Sunday, photographed from the front with Thomas Gradinger (Kallio Yamaha) Lucas Mahias (Puccetti Kawasaki) and Corentin Perolari (GMT Yamaha). While the Austrian is celebrating a comeback on a Yamaha this season with the 600s, the Frenchman in the centre of the picture is very ill-prepared in the WSBK.

Why Rabat instead of Redding drives Le Mans MotoGP before Aragon

Some may have wondered why Pramac Ducati’s Tito Rabat, along with Jerez, is also used in Le Mans instead of the injured Jorge Martin in MotoGP for the French GP. The answer to that is very simple, if you look closely at the past few years of WorldSBK. Except for Chaz Davies, Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea’s own teammates, there have been no serious challengers in sight in the battle for the title since 2015. With Scott Redding it was closer than it has been for a long time. The title decision was only made in the final round of a season that was, however, greatly shortened. Using the fast Englishman as a MotoGP replacement for Pramac Ducati shortly before the start of the season would mean too high a risk for Ducati. To be at the forefront in MotoGP you need 100 percent risk and the risk of injury is simply too great. Ducati therefore opted for the Spaniard, who had also ridden the MotoGP Ducati last year, albeit the older model.

Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Ducati) -the “Marathon Man” is driving another MotoGP race for Pramac Ducati instead of the injured Jorge Martin just one week before the start of the season. As a very experienced pilot, he is considered to be exactly the right man with the forecast rain for the French Grand Prix.

>Aragon preview: see separate report on this page.

Unless otherwise stated, this applies to all images (© WorldSBK).