Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) has continued his dominance at Misano with a win in Race 1 for WorldSBK. The win marked 12 wins out of 13 on the season. Ducati pulls off the 1-2 with Michael Ruben Rinaldi for Aruba.it Racing Ducati. Toprak Razgatlioglu secured third which ushered his first podium of the weekend. Razgatlioglu has only missed the podium two times during the 2023 campaign. After a flying Superpole Danilo Petrucci retired from the race after crashing ending all possibilities of a chance at a podium. He was on track to finish 4th in the race at the time of the crash Jonathan Rea fell to P5 after showing promise in free practice. In an irregular finishing fashion, Axel Bassani (Team Motocorsa Racing) rode his Ducati to a top 5 finish.
Race 2 is tomorrow and the Ducatis look to be dominant on the weekend.
The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.221s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.971s
4. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +14.285s
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +18.595s
6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +19.021
Fastest Lap: Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) – 1’33.901s
You can find full results here
For more coverage from Misano on Sunday check out the WorldSBK VideoPass!
The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for the fifth round of the year at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. The weather stayed sunny despite early reports of rain for the weekend. As the riders headed into Superpole. Track temperatures appeared to be optimal for the early session. Championship Leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) led the field with 1’33.017. Despite Ducati securing a 1-2 finish in FP3 Toprak Razgatlioglu was able to find the necessary pace to secure P2 in Superpole. Bautista’s teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi settled for 3rd after running second fastest in FP3.
Jonathan Rea who was third fastest in FP3 fell to P6 in Superpole. It was a great session for Danilo Petrucci who has struggle to find chemistry with his Ducati V4R this season so far. Petrucci finished 4th fastest behind Rinaldi in his best finish this season.
Full Superpole results from Misano are below
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FIM Superbike World Championship returns to action at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” WorldSBK for the Emilia Romagna Round 5 of the WorldSBK championship. The circuit recently was subject to mass flooding which led to the cancellation of the Italian Grand Prix. The track conditions have improved but there does appear to be rain on the forecast this weekend. The track is 2.626 miles long and features 16 turns. It has been a long 4 weeks since the last race at the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. The rider entry list is below.
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Friday, 2nd June (all times Local Time, GMT+2)
09:00-09:30 – Yamaha R3 European Championship Free Practice
09:45-10:15 – WorldSSP300 Free Practice 1
10:30-11:15 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1
11:25-12:10 – WorldSSP Free Practice 1
13:30-14:00 – Yamaha R3 European Championship Superpole
14:15-14:45 – WorldSSP300 Free Practice 2
15:00-15:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2
16:00-16:45 – WorldSSP Free Practice 2
Saturday, 3rd June
09:00-09:30 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3
09:45-10:05 – WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole
10:25-10:45 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
11:10-11:25 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole
11:45 – Yamaha R3 European Championship Race 1 (10 laps)
12:40 – WorldSSP300 Race 1 (15 laps)
14:00 – WorldSBK Race 1 (21 laps)
15:15 – WorldSSP Race 1 (18 laps)
16:15 – Yamaha R3 European Championship Race 2 (10 laps)
Sunday, 4th June
09:00-09:15 – WorldSBK Warm Up
09:25-09:40 – WorldSSP Warm Up
09:50-10:05 – WorldSSP300 Warm Up
11:00 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)
12:30 – WorldSSP Race 2 (18 laps)
14:00 – WorldSBK Race 2 (21 laps)
15:15 – WorldSSP300 Race 2 (15 laps)
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) has announced he will be staying with the team through 2025. The news comes shortly after current teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu announced he would be leaving the team for BMW in 2024.
In comments to WorldSBK.com Locatellia stated, “My objective was to continue with Yamaha, so I’m very happy to have signed for another two years. One of the best things about Yamaha is the people who believe in me, starting with Eric de Seynes, Paolo Pavesio and Andrea Dosoli, but also Riccardo Tisci and all the engineers and technicians who work so hard to give me the best bike possible. The same is true of the team. Since I arrived in WorldSBK I have enjoyed incredible support from Paul Denning and Andrew Pitt, and everyone involved in the project.
All together we have achieved some good results but, more importantly, we have walked side-by-side on a path that has allowed me to feel more and more confident,” continued a philosophical Locatelli. We still have room for improvement in many areas, but I truly believe that with such a good relationship we will grow stronger together. If consistency is key as they say, then I think that with this extension, we’ve laid the groundwork for a bright future.”
Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli added, “It gives me great pleasure to announce that we will continue for two more years with Andrea Locatelli, in line with Yamaha’s vision of nurturing talent and forging a long-term relationship with our riders. Our journey with Andrea started in 2020 when he dominated WorldSSP aboard our R6, but his performance in 2021 when we moved him up to WorldSBK was equally impressive, finishing the season fourth and as rookie of the year.
We have seen Andrea mature as a rider, continually progressing to the point where he is now one of the strongest in the Championship. He has shown himself to be capable of making informed technical decisions during testing, whilst his determination in the short races is matched by his intelligent management of the longer feature races. These are all good signs, and this is what convinced us that, together, we can make further steps and secure even better results in the future. On behalf of Yamaha, but also from me personally, I would like to thank Andrea for the trust he has shown in us.”
With one rider leaving and one staying put the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team will be looking for a suitable replacement for Torpak Razgatlioglu. The only riders confirmed for the 2024 season are Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki), Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it), Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW).
Toprak Razgatlioglu has announced he will leave Yamaha Racing at the end of this year for BMW in 2024. The decision comes after a long stand off regarding his future with the manufacturer. Razgatlioglu will ride a BMW M1000RR in 2024. The announcement comes after long winded speculation that he might make a move to MotoGP.
In a press release from Yamaha he stated, “I want to say to the whole Yamaha family a very big thank you for the love and respect they have shown me. To win the world championship was my dream when I signed with Yamaha, and we reached that goal together. For next season I feel I need a new challenge and while there was an opportunity in MotoGP, I didn’t feel the same connection with the MotoGP bike that I have with the superbike.”
“But if I am to stay in WorldSBK then I need a new target, a new ambition. I am sorry to leave Yamaha, both the brand and the people, as we have a very good relationship, but change is part of any sport and normal for any professional. So, a big thank you to Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha Motor Europe, Yamaha Motor Turkiye, the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team and especially to my crew, who have all worked so hard for me.”
Yamaha Team Quotes
Team Manager Andrea Dosoli comments on Razgatloglu’s departure stating, “We will be sorry to see Toprak leave Yamaha at the end of this season. We wanted to continue what has been an incredibly successful partnership, with the obvious highlight being the triple crown of rider, manufacturer, and team world titles that we won together in 2021. We made what we felt was an offer that properly reflected Toprak’s value as a rider and an ambassador for Yamaha, as well as the competitiveness of our racing package and our racing strategy within the WorldSBK platform.”
He continued, “However, as the negotiations progressed it became apparent to both parties that Toprak is motivated to embrace a new challenge in 2024 and we respect his decision. Although our paths will diverge at the end of the year, we are now fully focused on the battle for the 2023 WorldSBK title, which resumes shortly in Misano. Finally, I would like to thank Toprak on behalf of Yamaha but also personally, for his invaluable contribution to our WorldSBK project. His first World Championship title in 2021 was a just reward for him but also for all the people who, since we returned to WorldSBK in 2016, have worked so hard to make this project a success. It is a memory that everyone at Yamaha will cherish. We wish Toprak every success for the future but, for now, we have a job to finish.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Extends their Warm Welcome
In a discussion with WorldSBK.com, Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director stated, “Toprak is undoubtedly one of the best riders in the field at the moment, which he not only proved by winning the 2021 World Championship title. But he’s not just a fast motorcycle racer, he’s also a great personality off the track. We are convinced that Toprak will settle into the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family very quickly. We are looking forward to our collaboration and to our future together.”
Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, “Welcome to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family, Toprak Razgatlioglu. We are delighted to welcome him to our WorldSBK factory squad from next season on. I am very proud that Toprak has opted to join BMW Motorrad. This is a forward-looking step for our project and a strong commitment of BMW Motorrad Motorsport in World Superbike.”
No MotoGP in 2024
After previous speculation that Razgatlioglu might be making a run for a MotoGP seat in 2024. The rumors are now put to rest. We are excited to see him compete on a BMW for the 2024 season. We will keep you updated on any new developments on this story.
For more WorldSBK 2023 season coverage check out the WorldSBK VideoPass!
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.com
Michael 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.com
Other 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!