No one on the WorldSBK grid seems to have an answer for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) in 2023. Bautista has won 11 out of 12 races in 2023. The latest in his home country this weekend at Prosecco DOC Catalunya. This was Bautista’s third hat trick weekend and it feels like the championship race is already decided. Bautista finishes Round 4 with a 69 point lead over Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who has 11 podiums this season but only one win in the Indonesia Superpole Race.
Bautista commented on the weekend, “The weekend has been perfect. We won three races and each race was a bit different, especially the Superpole Race. It was a bit scary in the last few laps because it started to rain, but not regularly. It was sometimes raining in the first sector, the next lap in sector three, the next one in four and two… leading the way was quite difficult because you never knew what to expect, the amount of water is on the track, so I was discovering the track every lap. It was the longest three laps of my life!
For Race 2, the conditions were similar to Race 1 but maybe the grip was a bit lower because of the rain in the morning. I understood the track and I can keep my pace. I’m really happy especially to win three races here in Spain, in front of all the fans and my family, is always more special.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Yamaha YZF R1 Yamaha WorldSBK Team Superbike WSBK Barcelona 2023 (Circuit Barcelona) Photo by Lukasz Swiderek/www.photoPSP.comMichael Ruben Rinaldi shares his Comments
Michael Ruben Rinaldi was able to secure a podium in Race 2 after a crash in Race 1 and a P8 finish in the Superpole race. He lost out on a P2 finish on the last lap of the race. Rinaldi expressed frustration with the status of his tires, “Toughest weekend of the year as from Friday, I had the speed to fight for the podium. Yesterday, what happened, happened, and then in the Superpole Race, I fought for the podium and then the rain came.
In Race 2, I was second, but I finished the tire and couldn’t stand up! I almost crashed in every right corner and that’s why Toprak had the opportunity to catch me and pass me. It’s OK, as yesterday I didn’t race, and I didn’t have the experience of the tire or its drop. I didn’t have the strength in my hand to defend at the end of the race. It’s OK to finish with a podium after all the ups and downs.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi ITA Ducati Panigale V4R Aruba.It Racing – DucatiSuperbike WSBK Barcelona 2023 (Circuit Barcelona Race 1) Photo by Lukasz Swiderek/www.photoPSP.comOther Notes
Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) DNF’d after a Lap 1 crash. Malaysian rider Syahrin was taken to the medical center following the collision. Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) brought his bike into the pits and retired from the race. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retired after he had a technical issue in Race 2.
Razgatlioglu was able to overtake Rinaldi on the run to the finish line to take second place. The finished secure Yamaha’s 400th WorldSBK podium. Kawasaki rounded out the top 5 with Jonathan rea finishing 5th after not being able to catch teammate Alex Lowes.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing) who will be filling in for an injured Enea Bastianini on the MotoGP stage in French at Le Mans did not make it into the top 10 but comes away with points on the weekend.
Watch all the action from WorldSBK’s first visit to Italy in 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Championship standings
Race 1 has come to a close for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) completes secures his 9th win of the season further extending his championship lead. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) took out Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) who was seemingly the only rider on the heels of Bautista all through practice. The incident results in Rinaldi ending his race and Bassani finishing 7th. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) improved his championship standing with a third place finish in Race 1. Despite some complaints in free practice Rea seems to have found the pace to remain in podium contention. Kawasaki teammate Alex Lowes retired from the race.
On lap 4 of the race a red flag came out as Eric Granado PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team crashed. The race was later reset to run for 17 laps. This restart played into Bautistas hands. Having had a poor start in the first start Bautista was able to get away in the Race 1 restart and secure another win on what seems like an unstoppable performance in 2023. Bautista broke the lap record in Superpole. He does not appear to be slowing down this weekend with the Superpole Race and Race 2 still up for grabs. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea share their 4th podium together in 2023. Razgatlioglu teammate Andrea Locatelli finish 4th and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 5th. Three Yamahas finished in the top 5.
Danilo Petrucci who was just announced as the fill in rider for the MotoGP injured Ducati rider Enea Bastianini was only able to finish 10th in Barcelona. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) continued improvement for Honda finishing 6th with teammate Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) also finishing in the top 10.
Full Race 1 Results are Below
Alvaro leads the pack again setting the fastest lap in Free Practice 2 this morning at Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round 4 at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona. Bautista edged out Aruba.it Racing teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi by 4 tenths in the session setting a 1:41.486s to Rinaldi’s best 1:41.836s. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) show signs of improvement in Barcelona. Lecuona’s pace was in the 1’42s, ranking him 5th in FP2. Honda Teammate Xavi Vierge crashed in FP1 but was able to bounce back with an 8th fastest lap in FP2. There are signs that Honda is improving since the start of the season. Historically they have been successful here as the Spanish circuit seems to suit their bikes well in competition.
Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) afternoon wasn’t ideal as he ranked higher in best time in the morning session. Rea struggled in 11th place for the majority of the session but ultimately ran 3rd fastest. However, on track reports are that multiple riders were not able to fire up their tires and really put down effective and accurate lap times for race performance so it is yet to be determined if Rea is indeed as competitive as the FP2 results say he is this weekend. He will be in podium contention if these struggles continue for the rest of the grid. Teammate Alex Lowes was ninth overall. As predicted, Kawasaki struggling when temperatures come up and grip is at a premium. Rea seems to have found some short term success so we will see if it translates to the rest of the weekend.
Top six combined after Friday in WorldSBK
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’41.486s
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.147s
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.166s
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.233s
5. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.582s
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.593s
Full FP2 Results are below
Watch the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round unfold in style with the WorldSBK VideoPass! The Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round 4 at Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona features a 2.894 mile course with 14 turns. Average daytime temperatures are around 27°C (80°F) and average minimum temperatures at night are around 14°C (57°F).
After early speculation it is confirmed that Alvaro Bautista will return to WorldSBK for the 2024 season. Bautista signed a one year deal with Aruba.it Racing Ducati for 2024. In a previous press release Bautista stated that he either wanted to remain with Ducati or leave the sport entirely to spend more time with family. Bautista had the following comments.
Bautista Comments to WorldSBK.com
Discussing his contract for 2024, Bautista said: “After 21 years spent in the elite of world motorcycling, in the paddocks of MotoGP and WorldSBK, I now feel in excellent shape, both physically and mentally. I can say that I am in the best moment of my career: I have a lot of fun riding the bike and I have the pleasure of working with a team that I consider a second family.
By the way, on a personal level, my family is getting bigger, and the babies are growing up and that is why the decision to race in 2024 was a choice I wanted to make together with them. We decided to continue and I’m very happy to stay with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team with whom I’ve always had a wonderful relationship. I am happy that they still want me, even though I am a little old. One more year together, with the hope of keeping the fantastic feeling with the bike, the certainty of an extraordinary working relationship, and, of course, the goal of aiming at great results.”
Other Thoughts
Stefano Cecconi, Team Principal at Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, stated: “We are extremely happy to have extended our relationship with Alvaro and it will be a pleasure to continue a collaboration that has always been excellent both on a professional and human level. Alvaro has brought our team the first great success, the one we have been chasing since 2015, when we decided to embark on this fascinating adventure with Ducati; but instead of giving us only satisfaction, this success is spurring us to do even more. The determination and commitment that have allowed us to achieve this target have also ensured excellent results in the first three rounds of the current season: our common goal is, therefore, to continue in this direction in order to achieve other important successes together in the future.”
Luigi Dall’Igna, General Manager at Ducati Corse, stated: “The world title win, but also the sensational start to the season that we have witnessed this year, are yet another demonstration of the magical moment that Bautista is going through. Alvaro is a very talented and experienced rider and with our Panigale V4 R, he has found a fantastic balance that currently allows him to make a real difference. We are therefore very happy to be able to continue with him in 2024. Now the goal is to stay focused on the current season and try to maintain this positive trend in the future as well.”
Check out the video coverage of Bautista’s statement and interview at WorldSBK Video.
WorldSBK released a press release regarding the reduction of rev limits for Ducati and increased the limit for Kawasaki. These changes come in an effort to balance the performance of the grid. With Ducati’s continued dominance we expected a change such as this. The details on the limitations are below.
Changes will come into immediate effect for the fourth round of the 2023 World Superbike season
After receiving the analysis of the relative performance of the machines over the first three rounds of the 2023 season, the maximum rev limit for Ducati will be decreased by 250 rpm – as per article 2.4.2.2-3* of the regulations. Also starting from this weekend, Kawasaki has elected to use 5 concession points to benefit from a 250 rpm rev limit increase as per article 2.4.3.3 of the regulations.
*The rev limit may be updated (according to Art. 2.4.2.3) at the end of every 3rd event provided at least 3 events remain in the season.
Check out exclusive video content on the 2023 season with the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Reigning champion and current championship point leader Alvaro Bautista has been dropping hints in press conferences all week regarding his future in WorldSBK. With the demanding time commitments of the WorldSBK season Bautista has hinted that his two options are to race for Ducati or be at home with his daughters. Naturally as racing fans it puts us in an odd predicament. We understand the demand that racers must adhere to continue a career at this level of racing. We also want to see Bautista extend his legacy. Regardless of his decision all we can do is support it moving forward. We anticipate multiple riders will be facing this dilemma.
Bautista previously stated, “Before the season started, I said after the third round, I’ll take a decision. I’ll have one and a half weeks at home with my daughters and I’ll ask them what their opinion is. My daughters start to get older and they realize that daddy is out, travelling, not at home, so it’s not easy. I’m really happy with my performance and my professional life, but now the personal life is becoming more special and more important. I’ll try to take a decision for me, my family and the team as soon as possible.”
Bautista has planned a press conferences for tomorrow to discuss his future. We will keep you posted on any developments with this story. For more information on developments with Bautista’s future check out WorldSBK.
It was all Aruba.it Racing Ducati this weekend at TT Circuit Assen. Alvaro Bautista continues to dominate the World Superbike Championship extending his points lead to 174 points; 56 points ahead of Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu secured three podiums this weekend with two P2 finishes and one P3 finish in Race 2. He made a challenge to take the lead but seemingly started to fade back by lap 8 preventing him from mounting any meaningful attacks on Bautista’s position. Jonathan Rea increased his championship points tally moving him into 5th place over all after a very successful weekend for the Kawasaki side. Andrea Locatelli salvaged the weekend for Yamaha in third, 7.4s behind Bautista.
Unfortunately for Jonathan Rea he had to retire the bike in Race 2 eliminating his chance for three podiums this weekend. Rea currently holds the record for the most wins at TT Circuit Assen at 16 but will have to wait until next year to extend this record. There were a total of 6 riders who retired from Race 2 after a number of on track incidents.
Ducati Celebrates 400th Win
Ducati celebrates its 400th win in World Superbike making them the most successful manufacturer in the history of the series. It was also the 700th podium for the manufacturer. Ducati riders have been in great form in 2023 and they do not show any signs of slowing down.
Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea on Podium. Photo by Luckasz SwiderekTop ten in the Riders’ Championship standings below
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 174
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 118
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 104
4. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 77
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 73
6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 54
7. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 51
8. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 50
9. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) 49
10. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 44
Full Championship standings are below.
For footage of the race check out WorldSBK.com
Championship standings leader Alvaro Bautista finished first for Superpole position and Race 1 today. Bautista received a grid drop penalty for slow racing on the race line that dropped him 3 grid places at the start. Bautista has now won 6 or the last 7 races he has entered. This however, proved to have no effect as Bautista was able to escape front runner traffic and win the race. Kawasaki Racing Team rider Jonathan Rea second place finishes ahead of the Superpole race and Race 2 tomorrow. Toprak Razgatlioglu complete rounded out the top of the table in third.
Last season Jonathan Rea won the Superpole race and Race1. He will be looking to repeat this result in addition to stacking a separate win in Race 2. A comprehensive recap will be provided after race 2.
The Top 5 WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.148s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +3.891s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +10.105s
5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +10.498s
Fastest lap: Alvaro Bautista, Ducati – 1’34.368s
For more information on where you can watch the WolrdSBK check out WorldSBK.com. More coverage to come after race 2 is completed.
Alvaro Bautista leads the field in FP2 again as the Spaniard has shown no signs of slowing down in 2023. The reigning champ was also fastest in FP1 with seemingly no one to challenge him. Second place championship standings sitter Toprak Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu comes back to WorldSBK fresh from MotoGP testing with Yamaha. Unfortunately, the day did not go his way and he had to settle for P10 in FP2. Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK are in need of some adjsutments if they are going to retain Razgatlioglu’s position in the championship point standings. Andrea Locatelli sits 5 points behind and ran 8th fastest in FP2 ahead of Razgatlioglu. The teammates will be looking to improve on these times as we head towards FP3.
Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea was able to run 3rd fastest which is a good indication that the team is moving in the right direction after two underperformances in the early rounds this year. Rea currently sits 6th in the WorldSBK championship standings. Rea is the most successful rider at TT Circuit Assen having won 17 races there over his career. Teammate Alex Lowes ran second fastest which is great progress for Kawasaki. Lowes was 2 tenths off of Bautista’s fastest time and will be looking to make a push for the tope spot in FP3 and qualifying.
FP2 was briefly red flagged due to an unsuspected track visitor. You can check out the WorldSBK footage here.
Full FP2 results are below.
For more information on how to view the race check out WorldSBK.com
The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returns at TT Circuit Assen this weekend. The World Superbike Championship has taken a short early-season break since the round 2 in Indonesia. However, since that break there have been a ton of updates, on and off the track. Most of the riders attended testing in Spain earlier this month. You can read more about that here Catalunya-Barcelona Testing. Assen is now, so what are the riders saying about their time off. WorldSBK.com released a number of rider thoughts for the week and we share them here.
Toprak Razgatlioglu has probably had the most fun during the break. Razgatlioglu was fortunate enough to do some testing on a MotoGP bike with Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK):
“For the MotoGP test, I can say I enjoyed it and finally, I rode in good weather, as last year I only did 28 laps due to the weather. Thanks to Yamaha for the opportunity, now we’ll see in the future. It’s still a dream but we will see in the future. This is just testing, for me to understand the bike and for Yamaha to see the potential. It’s all young riders’ dream to one day, ride a MotoGP bike.”
He continued, “I’ve done it, enjoyed it but now I come back and do my job again, because for me, WorldSBK is important this season, to fight again for the Championship. This break was a lot, I was really bored and now I am fighting again. For me, the last two years at Assen, it hasn’t been a good race weekend at Assen, especially Race 2. This year, I was thinking not to ride in Race 2, because I always end up crashing! I’ll try again for this year, for the podium or the win. Jonny is always very strong at this track. Every year, this race weekend is different and I’ll try to do my best.”
Oliver Konig (52) and Loris Baz (76) in Indonesia. Photo by Luckasz Swiderek/photoPSP.comOur thoughts
There has been speculation that Razgatlioglu is going to make a jump to MotoGP for the 2024 season. While the test did not put the speculation to rest . One thing we can all agree on is that we would like to see Razgatlioglu on a MotoGP team at some point in his career. Whether or not that is with Yamaha is yet to be determined. However, he will use Assen this weekend as another opportunity to solidify his case to make the jump. Razgatlioglu is currently second in the championship standings behind the reigning champion Alvaro Baustista. Bautista also provided some thoughts on his future in WSBK.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I look forward to this weekend as I started the year so well. The feeling at the Barcelona test was incredible, I’m very happy. I have good memories at this track as I won with Ducati three times and last year, we were competitive, fighting with Toprak and Jonathan. I haven’t thought about my future because right now, we have only had two races; maybe after this round, I start to think about what I want to do. I am not old, but I have a lot of experience in motorcycle racing.
At the moment, it’s not my first worry, I just want to be focused on this weekend. I don’t have a clear of idea about my future. I will decide very soon, not just for me but for my team. In the case I don’t want to stay, they have to know as soon as possible and also for my side. We’ll see, but at the moment, I don’t have an idea.”
Other Riders Commented on the upcoming weekend at Assen
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)
“We are at Assen, it’s a special track for me as I have good memories from the first year in WorldSBK in 2021, so we’ll see what happens this weekend. We hope for good weather, but we’re ready to fight. It’ll be something special if I can get the first win here at Assen; it’ll be hard but for sure, we’ll try. Why not? We’re here after a really good start to the Championship; we’ll try to be fast and fight for the podium.”
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC)
“I started training and I don’t have any pain; I’ve been training with the practice bike and I don’t feel pain, so this is positive. I am here, ready to fight again. Honestly, I am very happy with the direction; I think we did a very good step with race distance, this is the area we’ve improved a lot because last year, we struggled with the tire performance as it was dropping a lot in the last laps. Almost every race, we lost this potential to fight for the podium or good results. I am really happy, also the team and Japan have done a very good step so then, the reality is that if the tire life makes it to the end with a good performance or not, but we are happy.
Returning to the grid is French rider Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) who suffered leg and ankle injuries in a crash with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) in Indonesia. He appears to have passed all preliminary medical checks and should be able to compete this weekend. It is yet to be determined if the injuries he sustained will affect his pace. After the examination, Baz said: “Just out of the medical check-up and I’ve been declared fit, so the first target is done. It was the main target that I had over the past six weeks so super happy. It was a big, hard job to get there so I’m looking forward to riding at this amazing track. I don’t have any special target, just to have fun and hopefully the weather is good.”
About the Circuit
The Pirelli Dutch Round takes place at TT Circuit Assen. The circuit is 2.822 miles and features 18 corners, 12 right hand and 6 left hand. Here you can see a break down of the circuit.
Below you can find an entry list for all riders competing this weekend.
Free Practice starts 21Apr2023 at 04:30 EST. We will keep you update on results throughout the weekend. You can find more information at WorldSBK.com