Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) has been in complete control of the world Superbike championship. Last years champion and this year’s championship leader has shocked the field since the season opener and has not let off of the gas. Bautista has now won 16 of 18 races this season. The last two rounds Bautista won all three weekend events totally to 4 hat tricks this season. Yet, this weekend that achievement was denied. Having sat behind Bautista the majority of the season. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon) denies Bautista the hat trick in the super pole race today. This was a much needed win for Razgatlioglu if he is to have any chance of competing for the championship title. The race seems all but over but today Razgatlioglu proved Bautista can be beaten.
It was a marginal win, the gap only being 3 tenths between Bautista and Razgatlioglu in the Superpole race. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) secured a second podium on the weekend in the superpole race. While his championship fight is nearly over. It is good to see some diversity on the podium.
The big story this weekend came in Race 2 for Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing). Petrucci has struggled to find chemistry with his Barni Spark Racing V4R. After making the transition from the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship in the USA to World Superbike. He has struggled to compete for podiums. Today that wait came to an end as Petrucci secured his first podium of the season after nearly securing the feat in race 1.
Petrucci Addresses His first Podium of the Season
After the race, Petrucci stated to WorldSBK.com, “I didn’t have the pace in Race 1. I reached Jonny because he did two or three laps that weren’t perfect but, in the end, I was not feeling good with the bike. Today, I smelt the podium and I said, ‘I need to try’. It was good because I passed Gerloff, Loka and Lowes, I said ‘no, Jonny again for the podium…in England, a six-time World Champion and 250 podiums… how can I do it!?’. I immediately found a way and I passed him. I had a really good pace. We made a small modification of the setup but not major things. The confidence is growing.”
The top six from WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +2.650s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +7.936
4. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +9.198s
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +9.506s
6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +9.960s
Fastest lap: Alvaro Bautista, Ducati – 1’26.089s
Championship standings
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 357 points
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 264
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 175
4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 163
5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 146
6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 102
The World SBK championship lands at Donington Park this weekend for round 6 of the season. Alvaro Bautista once again established dominance early winning Race 1. Although it hasn’t been complete dominance this weekend as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) stole the show in Superpole to set the grid for the Superpole race. Bautista will start from P2 but is well withing striking range to win the Superpole race.
The race 1 win marks Bautista’s 11th straight win this season and 15th overall win in 16 races. Bautista’s lead has now extended to 323 points; 91 points ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon). Razgatlioglu has secured a number of podiums this year but cannot seem to break the pace of the Aruba.it Racing Ducati V4R of Bautista. As we head towards the Superpole race and race two Baustista has the potential to extend his lead to over 100 points on the season.
Honorable mention goes to fellow Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing). Petrucci struggled to get acclimated with his V4R after making the transition from the MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Championship series to WolrdSBK. Petrucci just missed out on his first podium of the year by 1.7 seconds. He had a seemingly costly mistake late in the race which made him unable to catch third place finisher Jonathan Rea. His first podium in WorldSBK will have to wait.
Full WorldSBK Race 1 Results are Below
Alvaro Bautista will participate in a testing event at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” aboard a MotoGP bike. The FIM Superbike World Championship heads to the United Kingdom for the next round in three weeks time. This break between rounds offered Bautista the opportunity to get some testing in on a MotoGP bike. The test will take place on June 20th and 21st at Misano where Bautista claimed a hat-trick of wins in WorldSBK this year.
In an interview with WorldSBK.com, Bautista stated, “After I won the World Championship in WorldSBK, I asked Ducati to have a test with the MotoGP bike because, from the outside, it seems like a really fun bike. We will do the test very soon. I don’t do the test with an intention to do a wildcard. I’d like to do the test and let’s see what happens. I don’t think there’s a lot of chance to repeat what Troy Bayliss did in 2006. It was another time and it was different. At the moment, in my mind, it’s only the World Superbike Championship. I just take the test like a prize and don’t think about Troy Bayliss.”
Bautista is the second Ducati rider to undergo testing on a MotoGP bike after Danilo Petrucci stepped in for an injured rider earlier this season. We don’t know if this testing event will have implications on Bautista’s future in WorldSBK but we do know that he has signed na extension for the 2024 season so he won’t be jumping shit just yet. You can read more about that here: Bautista Signs Extension.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing) seemingly cannot be beat. Bautista completed his fourth hat trick of the 2023 season. The title feels already decided as no one can match his form this year. The win marks his 15th win this season awarding him a total of 298 championship points. He currently sits 86 points ahead of second place sitting rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). The rider fo note this weekend was Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). Bassani had a solid qualifying finishing 5th fastest. After a late mistake by Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Bassani was able to capitalize and secure his first podium of the season. Bassani spoke to WorldSBK.com and stated, “It’s a really special place for a first podium of the year. I’m really happy for the team because we worked really hard and never gave up. I’m really happy and want to continue in this way but now we need to enjoy the moment and then focus on the next races after…I don’t have a lot of words to say! To have a podium at home is like a victory!”
Bassani finished 4th in Race 1 and will walk away from this weekend with a large chunk of points. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) finished 4th in race 2.
Full Results are Below
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Alvaro Bautista claimed another win after a dominant performance in Misano for the Superpole Race. After making a tire gamble opting to use the Pirelli’s SCX tire versus his rivals using the SCQ. Bautista was able to extend his tire due to a shortened race. On lap 8 of 10 Bautista shortly over took Toprak Razgatlioglu. The race was red flagged due to and incident involving Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona crashing. Lecuona was declared medical unfit to continue racing this weekend. The incident was investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards with Petrucci given a Long Lap Penalty for his role in the collision. Axel Bassani had a strong battle for 3rd but fell short to Michael Ruben Rinaldi and had to settle for 4th.
Full Race 1 results are below
The top nine from the Tissot Superpole Race
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.101s
3. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.738s
4. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +2.239s
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.390s
6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.955s
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.
You can view the events at Misano LIVE and uninterrupted using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
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!