HAD ALVARO Bautista (Aruba Ducati) won Race 1 at Motorland Aragon instead of falling off he would have left with three race wins and one hand firmly on the championship trophy for a second consecutive season.
But another niggly no-score leaves things not quite as wrapped up in Ducati-red robes as they ought to be.
A resurgent Jonathan Rea (KRT) was a thorn in the side of both Bautista and Razgatlioglu in the races, but before that he showed he had the sharpest lance, steed and jousting skills when he had the grip of a fresh and sticky tyre in Superpole qualifying.
In delivering one of his Superpole specials, Rea secured his 42nd career pole position, thanks to a new track best of 1m47.973s. Despite the windy conditions he was stoked by his own performance, even though he knew he was losing whole tenths to the best
