Dorna recently announced the full rider entry list for the 2024 World Superbike Season. The entry list features 23 riders, the majority of which are return riders from last season. There were a number of seat and manufacturer changes. The most notable being Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW and Jonathan Rea’s move to Pata Yamaha. The entry list is as follows:
| # | Rider | Bike | Team |
| 01 | Alvaro Bautista | Ducati | Aruba Ducati |
| 11 | Nicolo Bulega | Ducati | Aruba Ducati |
| 55 | Andrea Locatelli | Yamaha | Pata Yamaha |
| 65 | Jonathan Rea | Yamaha | Pata Yamaha |
| 22 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki | Kawasaki Racing |
| 47 | Axel Bassani | Kawasaki | Kawasaki Racing |
| 77 | Dominique Aegerter | Yamaha | GRT Yamaha |
| 87 | Remy Gardner | Yamaha | GRT Yamaha |
| 7 | Iker Lecuona | Honda | Team HRC |
| 97 | Xavi Vierge | Honda | Team HRC |
| 21 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | Ducati | Motocorsa Ducati |
| 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | Barni Ducati |
| 31 | Garrett Gerloff | BMW | Bonovo BMW |
| 45 | Scott Redding | BMW | Bonovo BMW |
| 54 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | BMW | BMW Motorrad |
| 60 | Michael van der Mark | BMW | BMW Motorrad |
| 29 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | Go Eleven Ducati |
| 5 | Philipp Oettl | Yamaha | GMT94 Yamaha |
| 28 | Bradley Ray | Yamaha | Motoxracing Yamaha |
| 27 | Adam Norrodin | Honda | MIE Racing Honda |
| 95 | Tarran Mackenzie | Honda | MIE Racing Honda |
| 53 | Tito Rabat | Kawasaki | Puccetti Kawasaki |
| 14 | Sam Lowes | Ducati | Marc VDS Ducati |
Dorna has released the entrant lists for the 2024 season. 87 riders have been announced across the Superbike, Supersport and WorldSSP300 classes.
Superbike
Supersport
WorldSSP300
After a hard fought second place in the World Superbike Championship. Toprak Razgatlioglu starts work at his new home with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in preparations for the 2024 season. During the first pre season testing session there were some early technical complications. However by the end of the day Razgatlioglu had the following words:
“On the first lap, I was just smiling. Especially on the corner exit. I know my old bike very well after 4 years but on the exit of the last corner, I felt unbelievable power and over the hill, it was still going. This bike keeps getting faster. I had to adapt the braking at the first corner because I was trying it like I had before but I stopped a lot. Also, after the problem at Turn 1, there was oil on the left side of the track so we used the middle. This wasn’t easy for me to turn into Turn 1. Anyway, every lap I was getting better, understanding the bike and the traction. The throttle connection is much better. I’m very happy and we have many parts to try.”
Despite finishing on the podium the majority of the season behind Alvaro Bautista Razgatlioglu seemed to always be behind a challenge for the top spot in the championship race. Whether the move to BMW will be beneficial from a performance stand point is yet to be determined. However, for now Toprak seems to be right at home as he begins to find chemistry with his new team.
Alvaro Bautista finished the season with perfection winning all three races at the Prometeon Spanish Round this weekend at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. Bautista had the championship wrapped up in Race 1. You can read more about race 1 here: Bautista Reigns Supreme in Gold. In the Superpole Race and Race 2, Bautista tripled down on his weekend success.
Bautista had the following words after the race weekend, “I think it’s been a practically perfect season as well as this last weekend. We have won all the titles and I am very happy for the team. For me it was an even bigger emotion. To win in front of so many fans and my family, was great. In Race 2 I had a lot of fun, the duel with Toprak was fantastic: we fought in every corner but always in a fair way. I think everyone who saw the race got emotional. Now it’s time to celebrate even though from tomorrow we will start thinking about testing on Tuesday and Wednesday and the MotoGP Wild Card in Malaysia. The season is not over yet”.
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea Say Farewell
With new seats secured for the 2024 Razgatlioglu is headed to BMW for the 2024 season marking an end to his journey with Yamaha. While Razgatlioglu didn’t win the championship he was a strong contender all year finishing on the podium multiple times this season. The 27-year-old has logged 131 race starts with Yamaha in WorldSBK since 2020. In this time he has achieved 100 podiums, 37 wins and 12 pole positions for the Yamaha side. Yamaha released the following farewell video:
Razgatlioglu Had the Following Words
“I passed the checkered flag in P1, this is good for me! I touched the green, track limits – but I am not understanding any penalty, I don’t see – just I feel my rear wheel sliding.” Razgatlioglu was penalized for exceeding track limits taking away his win. “I am not taking an advantage, but rules are rules. It is not easy to say anything more – I feel like I am winning, but Phil say I am P2 when I come into pit lane.
My last race with Yamaha, I just try to do a good position – especially P1! I try for good memories for my last race and to win with Yamaha. I am a little bit sad, but I gave it more than 100% like Portimao but I need some luck – and last races I have not had much luck. In general, I am happy – a nice battle with Alvaro but just the last corner.”
Razgatlioglu Reflected on the Last 4 Years
“After four years, thanks to my team – incredible job and I am feeling Yamaha like a family. I still have respect for Yamaha – we have very nice memories, many wins – we are World Champion in 2021 – and this is also my first World Championship so Yamaha is very important for me. All the team, all the guys are incredible. I am really enjoying four years with this team – especially last two years.
It was the first time for me in 2020 working with a factory team, 2021 after we are champions I am feeling more and more warm working with the team. Everybody tries their best, this weekend all Yamaha here and everybody coming to see me for the last race. I am very happy for this – and I am sad because it is the last race and next year we are not together, but maybe in the future we are again.
Jonathan Rea to Yamaha
As we’ve previously reported, Jonathan Rea will make the move to Yamaha next year. Rea had a very poor result in his final race with the team finishing P17. While the performance was under whelming it did not overshadow the success he has had with the program over his tenure.
Jonathan Rea on the grid at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for Race 2 of the weekend. Photo Courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team
He had the following words, “Strange feelings overall to be honest, not from a performance or results side but because I’m leaving an incredible team. My last day in green and that’s what is strange. Obviously, not the result I wanted to finish off with for my team, they deserved a lot better. What we did prove was that the Ninja ZX-10RR still has potential and up until that point of the race, I felt quite in control with a really good rhythm.
There were times when I was like ‘ooof, I’ve got a magic tire’! The bike was hooking up well and going forwards. Pere made a bold decision to make an incredible change, something quite big on the bike that we wanted to try. We didn’t go down without a fight and it was really frustrating to lose the front. Potentially, I could have just gave up the corner a bit, I was a bit fast on entry but I tried to pull it down and with too much lean angle, I was down.”
Rea Continued
I wanted to finish the race as it would be too easy to pull in. My footpeg had broken off and my handlebar bent forward but I was still able to lap in the 1’41s. It makes me even more disappointed with what could’ve been but that was our race. It sums up the highs and lows we’ve had this year; some incredible highs but difficult moments but it can’t darken the moments I’ve had at KRT. It’s been a whirlwind journey and something I’ll never forget.”
Full Race 2 Results are Below
With the season now completed riders will look forward to some downtime through testing days and time with family as we head into the off season.
Alvaro Bautista clinched the 2023 World Superbike title today after winning Race 1 at Jerez in dominant fashion. Baustista finished the race just under 1.2 seconds ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu’s chances at the title were eliminated in that moment and the celebrations began. Baustisa changed into his gold race suit for the victory lap and podium celebrations as the fans cheered. The win marks two world championships in a row for Bautista. He has already committed to a return next season.
After the celebrations Bautista had the following words, “It was an unforgettable year also because we managed to win by beating the competition of strong riders like Toprak and Johnny. Defending a title is always very difficult and for this reason I am really proud of what we have done this season. I chose at the beginning of the year to put the number one on the bike to make this challenge even more exciting. I want to thank the whole team for the extraordinary work that has allowed me to have a fantastic feeling with the Panigale V4R.
My goal was to have fun and I had a great time. And thanks of course to Aruba.it and Ducati for believing in me. To win here, in front of my family and so many fans was an immense joy. Next season we have an even tougher challenge ahead of us, also because of the new rules regarding weight balance. But now it’s time to celebrate, even if only for a few hours, because tomorrow there are two more races and I want to continue to… have fun”.
Stefano Cecconi (Team Principal Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“This result makes us extremely happy and proud not only because it highlights the extraordinary work carried out by Alvaro and the whole team, but also because it is proof that last year’s victory rested on extremely solid foundations that have allowed us to reconfirm ourselves. From the outside it may have looked like a season in ‘control’, but instead we had to overcome many obstacles, a few mistakes of our own, and opponents who were, as always, incredibly tough.
However, Alvaro and the whole team have always reacted with clear ideas, strong determination, and also some masterpieces like the last race at Portimao that I think will remain in the books of Superbike. That between Aruba.it and Ducati is a close collaboration, based on pillars such as technological innovation and performance but always accompanied by maximum reliability and sustainability. Being protagonists of successes that will remain in our history and in the history of Borgo Panigale is for us a source of deep satisfaction. Next season we will celebrate 10 years of this partnership that has seen us united and determined, both in the paddock and in our everyday work regarding IT and Cloud projects.
We are now reaping the fruits of long and intense work, with the hope and conviction that we will be able to remain so competitive in the future. I want to take this opportunity to thank our riders, all the team members, all the people of Ducati, and in particular Claudio Domenicali, Luigi Dall’Igna, Paolo Ciabatti, and Marco Zambenedetti, who have provided us with extraordinary bikes that the whole world envies us”.
Claudio Domenicali (Ducati CEO) Shared his Thoughts on the Title Win
“In this historic moment of the Superbike World Championship, Alvaro Bautista and the Ducati Panigale V4 R are the best combination an enthusiast could wish for. The incredible performance offered by the motorcycle and the technical and psychological mastery with which Bautista has managed this season, setting a new record for victories in a single Championship, have created a great spectacle in every race weekend.
The Bautista-Panigale V4 R combination has made it possible to achieve a result that fills us with joy and gives value to all the choices made in recent years by Ducati in WorldSBK. The reconfirmation of the World Riders’ Title, in addition to the World Manufacturers’ Title, is not something to be taken for granted: we have entered the 2023 season with the new Panigale V4 R characterized by a series of innovative technical solutions for the engine, and these have proven to be successful, confirming the Panigale to be the best motorcycle on the grid.”
Bautista has the opportunity to finish off the season with yet another hat trick. We the hard part done now he can focus on Superpole and Race to extend his win count this season.
Alvaro Bautista crashed out of FP2 today but avoided injury in his quest to clinch the World Superbike championship this weekend. Bautista needs 2 points to secure the title and he can do so starting on Saturday. While the feat seems trivial; anything can happen in motorcycle racing. Bautista and his Ducati V4R have been dominant this season. He has finished 28 of the 33 races thus far on the podium. Bautista enters the race weekend at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto with a 60 point lead in the championship standings. Unless something catastrophic occurs Bautista will be crowned world champion this weekend.
While the idea of Bautista not repeating his 2022 success seems outlandish we have seen crazier finishes to the season. With Bautista’s crash in FP2 he is lucky to have avoided serious injury. Otherwise the championship would have been wide open. Bautista stated the following after the session, “Today, we have to say half a day one! In the morning, the track was too wet and we didn’t want to take any risks so we decided not to exit. In the afternoon, the track was almost dry. Just a couple of water patches in some areas of the track…I crashed at Turn 6 because I went over a wet patch that was not easy to see when you were riding. I didn’t expect it, honestly! It seemed like it was completely dry in that area of the track. Fortunately, I don’t have any physical problems.”
Razgatlioglu Hoping for a Miracle
Toprak Razgatlioglu is hoping for a miracle this weekend. After running fastest in FP1 Razgatlioglu said, “Friday was difficult because FP1, nobody was riding because the track conditions were strange. In FP2 everybody was riding but I was feeling less grip – not just my problem, all riders feeling the same. I felt just spinning, no grip/no turning, but we have already some positive way. Just I need a little more grip for good pace. I did a good lap time, but I need good pace as well and tomorrow I think we are improving to fight again.
I did some laps following Alvaro, just to understand where his bike is strong – I am just trying to see which corners I can catch him in the race…I see and I understand, just I need a good set-up with my R1 – and it looks like tomorrow we can improve. I am still fighting for the win – first I need a good qualifying and after a good race, I hope I am fighting again like Portimão. When I fight like this I enjoy riding the bike a lot, we will see! I’m hungry to win.”
If Bautista makes multiple mistakes this weekend anything is possible. We don’t think this will be the case. Superpole is just a few hours away.
Results From FP2 at Jerez
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) won a nail biting Superpole Race in Portimão this morning over second place championship sitter Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Prometeon Yamaha). Baustista followed that win with a win in Race 2 basically sealing the deal for his second championship title. Bautista would have clinched after race 2 if Razgatlioglu had finish third or worse but that was not the case. While Razgatlioglu is still technically in the running, Bautista only needs to score 2 points in the final round of the season at Jerez in three races to clinch. Bautista set a new record for number of World Superbike wins at 56 on Ducati machinery with his hat trick this weekend.
Razgatlioglu’s Title Hopes are All but Over
Razgatlioglu didn’t go away without a fight. Despite getting the hole shot in race 2 he suffers from corner exit speed throughout race 2. His passes were textbook but every time he got past Bautista Bautista would beat him on the exit in to the next turn. It was a bit of a game of cat and mouse but by the final lap Razgatlioglu’s pace dropped off which is likely attributed to the amount of back and forth fighting leading to progressive tire wear. He was visibly dissatisfied with the result as the fate of his season was all but sealed as he crossed the finish line. The pair traded track position a whopping 35 times in race 2 alone.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi secured a consolation third place at Portimão. While his title fight is long over it was a great result for the Aruba.it Racing side to finish with a double podium and a hat trick win with Bautista. It is hard to envision Bautista not scoring 2 points in the next round but we’ve seen weirder things happen. We will continue to report on the status of the championship as we head to the final round at Jerez. That race weekend will kick off on October 27th 2023.
Full Race 2 Results are Below
Championship Standings
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) extended his championship points lead to 52 points in Race 1 in Portugal. The win was imperative for Bautista with Toprak Razgatlioglu looming for an opportunity to cut into Bautista’s championship lead. That wouldn’t happen today though. Razgatlioglu had to settle for yet another second place finish and Jonathan Rea brought home third for the Kawasaki Racing Team side. It was a great day for Kawasaki with Rea and Lowes finishing in the top 5. With the win Bautista’s path to securing the championship got much easier.
Despite securing pole position Rea lost out early in the race making contact with Bautista. He dropped to 7th but was able to recover. Rea had the following words after the race, “It was so nice to take another Superpole. It was a good lap but so strange because it didn’t feel like a pole position lap because there were a few mistakes in there. At the back end of the session there were a lot of yellow flags so I got my time in early. It was so nice for Alex to be on the front row too, and good for the team. In the race I struggled at the very beginning because Alvaro cut back in T3 and he just picked me up a little bit.”
“Fortunately I stayed on the bike and then I had to regain track position. I got right back there but then the pace, for me, was just too fast. I couldn’t do 1’40s laps. All weekend I have been doing low 1’41s. So the front two were just getting away, getting away – and then in the last half lasted the race I just struggled in corner exit. The rear tire was spinning, the electronics were working too much and it was just a combination of things. So, there is room for improvement and hopefully tomorrow we can get a bit closer.”
Full Race 1 Results are Below
This follwoing article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff
From Kawasaki...
Axel Bassani has been confirmed as a Kawasaki Racing Team rider for the 2024 season and beyond. He will join established KRT rider Alex Lowes to complete the team’s line up for next season on the official Ninja ZX-10RR.
Bassani (24) is one of the most exciting talents to rise from inside the WorldSBK paddock in recent years. He has amassed six podium finishes since he made the jump to WorldSBK racing in 2021, finishing ninth overall that year and scoring his first podium at KRT’s home round of Barcelona – Catalunya, on his MotoCorsa Ducati.
The ambitious and increasingly skilled Bassani would score three podiums the next season as he finished seventh overall. He was the top competitor in the Independent Riders’ standings in 2022, beating his closest opposition by over 100 points.
At time of writing he is fifth in the overall WorldSBK standings in 2023, and easily the best Independent Rider with two rounds to go.
His relative youth and obvious talent has made him an attractive proposition for many teams and with Jonathan Rea leaving the KRT set-up for 2024, Bassani was seen as the best prospect to be teamed up with Alex Lowes for a full campaign next year.
Bassani has scored six WorldSBK podiums already and is looking forward to having his first ride on the official KRT Ninja ZX-10RR machine once his contract with his current team expires.
Statements
Axel Bassani: “I’m really happy for the important opportunity that Kawasaki is offering me. I will give the best of myself on and off the track to achieve the best possible results, hoping to give all the Kawasaki fans great emotions and satisfaction! I want to thank my family for the sacrifices made and Lorenzo Mauri for the path we have taken together which has allowed me to stand out in recent years. See you soon on the track.”
Guim Roda (Team Manager of KRT): “Our 2024 strategy was set months ago, but Rea’s move made us rethink the organisational logic at KRT. We spoke internally with KMC and the decision was to take a younger rider with the potential to win races and who knew how to take advantage of all the KRT experience. His image is fresh, sincere, fun and has a lot of potential to represent Kawasaki’s image in the world. Alex Lowes will now need to apply all of his experience, while Axel will have a bit of time to learn. We are very happy with the structure we have proposed for 2024 and we are very motivated to enjoy racing and take advantage of the best aspects of the Ninja ZX-10RR. I hope the fans enjoy next season with this latest project we are working on.”
Steve Guttridge (Kawasaki Motors Europe, Race Planning Manager): “While we continue to compete for wins and podiums in the remaining races of the 2023 season with Jonathan and Alex, already the Kawasaki Racing Team is long-term planning for next season. It is almost impossible to express the impact that Jonathan has had within the Kawasaki racing family and as he leaves us at the end of the season there is a golden opportunity for a rider new to our racing project to make an impression. We are delighted to have signed Axel and our feeling is that his impressive track record so far is only a small indication of his future potential. We look forward to realizing that potential and seeing him blossom on the KRT Ninja ZX-10RR.”
Shigemi Tanaka (General Manager of Marketing and Sales Division, Kawasaki Motors Ltd., Japan): “Our WorldSBK racing project has achieved multiple manufacturer and rider World Championships in recent years; first with Tom Sykes and then thanks to Jonathan Rea. The news that Jonathan will move elsewhere in 2024 signifies the end of one incredible chapter and the beginning of another in Kawasaki’s illustrious racing history. The global Kawasaki family welcomes the news that Axel Bassani joins the KRT racing project for the coming season and we are confident that, in partnership with Alex Lowes, we will once again field two exciting and success hungry riders on our iconic Ninja machinery in the 2024 WorldSBK Championship.”
After a very disappointing start to the weekend at Aragon in race 1, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it) bounced back in the Superpole race and Race 2 to keep his championship lead healthy. Bautista increase his points lead to 504 points ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). While Razgatlioglu continues to podium earning good points on the weekend wins are what secure championships and his 47 point deficit to Bautista can be attributed to just that.
Bautista had the following words regarding his day 1 mishap. “I am extremely happy. I want to say it again: I learned a lot from yesterday’s mistake and these are things that help you grow. Even today the feeling with the bike was excellent and it allowed me to push hard in the Superpole Race, putting me in a position to have a great last lap. In Race 2 I stayed focused all the time, first during the nice duel on the first lap, then managing the lead. See you in Portimao”.
Bautista’s teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi secured two podiums this weekend to round off a very successful weekend for Aruba.it Racing. However the race left Rinaldi feeling like he missed out on an opportunity. He stated, “Maybe I could have attacked Toprak too…if I hadn’t had to slow down not to take risks when Locatelli had that technical problem. But it doesn’t matter because this is still a good result. Maybe I missed something in the Superpole Race but the balance of the weekend is really good. I want to continue having fun like this in the next two rounds”.
Toprak Razgatlioglu Discusses His Feelings on the Championship Race
“In general I am really happy,” he said after the race. “Friday for me was difficult, but together with my team we made a big improvement and this weekend I had three podiums in Aragon – this is fantastic for me! I was not sure if it was possible. Last race, my teammate Locatelli was very strong – his riding was very good and calm!”
“I saw Alvaro was very strong and impossible to follow, so I just follow my teammate to try to save the tire and wait for the last laps to start to fight. Then I saw Rinaldi coming and I know I need to pass for P2 – when I saw the smoke from Loka, immediately I pass him to be safe in this position. Loka made a big improvement, it’s bad luck for him to not finish the race – maybe we were fighting in the last laps and on the podium together! Now I am focused on Portimão and the last two rounds, I will try to do my best for Yamaha!”
Full Aragon Race Results
Current Championship Standings