The Spanish rider needed just two points to become a back-to-back WorldSBK Champion and he duly did so in Race 1 with victory. Bautista is now a back-to-back WorldSBK Champion, sealing a new historical mark for Ducati. Read all the race reports from Jerez below… Race Reports: WorldSBK.
Race One
Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) record-breaking campaign culminated in securing his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto after he won Race 1. The reigning Champion needed to score only two points to become a back-to-back Champion and he did just that to add his name to an exclusive club as he fended off Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) to end his hopes of taking the title fight until the last day of the season.
Bautista got the holeshot when the 20-lap race got underway and immediately looked to pull out a gap over his rivals, while Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) started from seventh but made his way into second by the end of Lap 2 knowing he had to win the race to have any chance of delaying Bautista’s coronation. With the #1 a few tenths clear, the #54 set about closing the gap and was faster in some sectors, while the Ducati was faster in others.
However, despite the Turkish rider’s pressure in the first half of the race, the reigning Champion was able to start edging clear with the gap reaching just under a second by the start of Lap 11. As the margin increased, so did his grip on the Championship. Needing just two points to win his second title, the #1’s victory by just over a second, after backing off on the final lap, meant he wrapped up the World Championship, to become the first Ducati rider to retain his title since Carl Fogarty in 1998 and 1999.
Razgatlioglu came home in second despite his valiant efforts in the early stages of Race 1, with the Turk finishing just over a second behind the now double WorldSBK Champion, with the #54 immediately congratulating his rival on the cool-down lap. The win was Bautista’s 25th win of the season, while it was his 87th podium in his WorldSBK career. For Razgatlioglu, it was his 114th rostrum to move him level with Tom Sykes as he took his 19th second place of the year.
The fight for the final spot on the podium was a three-way fight between Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), who started from the fourth row, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the early stages before the #22 dropped down in the closing stages. ‘Loka’ came through on Lowes at Turn 13 for P4 on Lap 12, before making the same move on future teammate Rea two laps later to claim third and his 14th career podium. Rea finished in fourth, just under a second back from the Pata Yamaha rider.
With Lowes dropping down the order, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) battled for fifth, with the #9 taking P5 by just 0.887s. Petrucci was able to close in on Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the Independent Riders’ battle as the #47 crashed out after an incident with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at Turn 9 on Lap 14. The #21 was given a Long Lap Penalty for the incident and finished in eighth; six seconds behind Lowes who was able to stem his drop down the field for seventh. In the fight to be the second Ducati rider in the standings, Bassani’s non-score and Rinaldi’s eight points have allowed the latter to close the gap to just three points. For the Independent Riders’ battle, Petrucci now trails Kawasaki-bound Bassani by 28 points.
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) claimed ninth after being unable to take advantage of Rinaldi’s penalty with the Italian coming out ahead of the #7 after serving his Long Lap Penalty. He was three seconds clear of teammate Xavi Vierge, while Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 11th. With Kawasaki Puccetti using a factory ZX-10RR this weekend, the Spaniard was able to equal his best result in WorldSBK. He was two seconds clear of Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) in 12th, while Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was the lead BMW rider in 13th. He fended off teammate Garrett Gerloff as he recovered from a Turn 2 crash on Lap 10, with the American able to battle back for two points. Malaysian rider Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Honda) rounded out the points scoring positions.
Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) narrowly missed out on his first point of the year in 16th, as he finished less than a tenth away from the Malaysian. Late substitute Leandro Mercado (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) was 17th, just a few seconds away from his teammate, while Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 18th. The #77 tumbled down the order in the opening stages after suffering a technical problem but was able to finish ahead of wildcard Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) in 19th.
After an impressive Tissot Superpole performance, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out at Turn 8, after making contact with the back of Bassani’s Panigale V4 R, with the #47 able to stay on his bike despite the contact. The Australian was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following his crash and he will be reassessed tomorrow morning before Warm Up after suffering a deep abrasion on his right elbow. Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) had been fighting for top BMW honours but a technical issue around the halfway stage forced him into the pits. ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team riders also retired. Scott Redding brought his bike into the pits after completing seven laps, while Michael van der Mark crashed at Turn 13 a few laps later.
Check out the results from Race One here…
Tissot Superpole Race
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed his second victory of the Prometeon Spanish Round in the penultimate race of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season, while Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) stormed to a maiden podium after he finished 1.5 seconds away from the two-time Champion. The fight for third went to the final stages of the red-flagged Tissot Superpole Race at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in a race that’ll live long in the memory.
The first two laps were action-packed with changes everywhere you looked. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) got the holeshot but his lead only lasted until Turn 5 when Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) came bundling through for the lead. The lead group featured about six riders fighting for the lead, including Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). However, towards the end of Lap 2, the race was red flagged due to track conditions. Aegerter’s engine had smoke pouring out of it, and he pulled off at the side of the track, while Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) crashed at Turn 5; the Spaniard went to the medical centre for a check-up and declared fit.
As three laps hadn’t been completed, the restarted eight-lap race got underway with the original grid; giving Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) a second chance after he crashed on the opening lap of the original race at Turn 6, while Aegerter and Lecuona were also able to restart. The restart was similar to the first one, with the #77 getting the holeshot again and this time leading for longer. Despite Lowes going through on the opening lap, Aegerter came through again at Turn 13, although Bautista passed him on the run into Turn 6 on Lap 2. On Lap 3, Lowes went down at Turn 1 and made contact with the bike of the Turkish rider’s bike, and the Brit went to the medical centre for a check-up. He was later declared unfit with a facial trauma and eyelid wounds.
While the battle for second ignited between Aegerter, Razgatlioglu and Rea, Bautista was able to pull out a gap to make it two from two at Jerez, an take his 58th WorldSBK win. He also secured the Tissot Award for 2023. In the second half of the race, the Swiss star did close in but fell back to claim second and his first WorldSBK rostrum, and the first Swiss rider on the podium; taking full advantage of Rea and Razgatlioglu squabbling behind. The #65 got ahead of the Turk on Lap 6 for second, and he was able to resist any further challenges to claim his 263rd career podium. It means the Race 2 front row will be comprised of Bautista, Aegerter and Rea.
Razgatlioglu will line up from fourth, with his P4 the first time he’s finished a race off the podium this season, climbing a full row forward from his Race 1 starting position, and he’ll be joined by teammate Locatelli on the second row. ‘Loka’ started from tenth but fought his way up to fifth place to give him a better starting position than he had in the first two races of the round despite his crash before the red flag. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took sixth, and the team’s results meant they confirmed the Independent Teams’ title with one race to go.
German rider Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) continued his strong weekend with seventh, just three tenths behind Gardner. He will be joined on the third row by Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who finished eighth, three tenths back, and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in ninth. The #9 was in contention to snatch the Top Independent Riders’ title from Axel Bassani (Barni Spark Racing Team) but his single point wasn’t enough to keep the fight going into Race 2 despite the #47 not scoring; he was involved in an incident with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) at Turn 1 on Lap 6, which will be investigated by the FIM Stewards. Bassani therefore leaves Motocorsa Racing as a two-time Independent Riders’ title winner.
Check out all the results from the Tissot Superpole race here…
Race Two
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed a Prometeon Spanish Round hat-trick but he was made to work very hard for it as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) did everything he could to bid farewell to Yamaha with one more victory. Nothing could separate the top two in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, with the #54 demoted one place for a track limits infringement despite crossing the line in first after he and Bautista scrapped it out in Spain with an incredible 38 passes across their battle across the second half of the race, and 39 in total including the early laps.
Bautista initially got away well when the 20-lap race got underway, but his lead lasted only five corners as six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) forced his way through into the lead, looking to end his Kawasaki career on a high note. The #1 was in second but he ran wide at Turn 2 on Lap 2 which allowed Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) into P2 in the early stages.
However, Rea’s fairytale ended turned into a nightmare on Lap 5. He lost the front of his ZX-10RR into Turn 2 and crashed, dropping all the way down to 23rd and last; handing the lead to the #54 with double Champion Bautista, using a special yellow livery on his Panigale V4 R, into second. The 2021 Champion held a lead of just over a second although the #1 was hunting him down towards the end of the first half of the race.
From Lap 11, the gap between them was consistently reducing before one of the best races ever. On Lap 12, Bautista attempted a move on the inside of Turn 13 but the #54 was able to cut back and keep his lead before the Ducati rider claimed the lead on Lap 13 with a series of passes between the pair. The #1 got ahead on the back straight before his rival responded under braking at the Turn 6 hairpin, before Turns 9, 10 and 11 had three position changes: Bautista holding onto to lead at the end of the lap. On Lap 14, Razgatlioglu got through at Turn 1 but ran wide at the Turn 2 right-hander, allowing the Spaniard back through. Through the right-handers towards the end of the lap, the two rivals were exchanging positions, with Bautista finishing the lap ahead. On this lap alone, there were six changes of position at Turns 1, 2, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
The race continued to ignite with the pair fighting into Turn 6, Bautista getting the run on the straight with the Turkish star responding on the brakes. Later on that lap, at Turn 13, Bautista looked for a move on the inside before the Yamaha cut back to stay ahead on the start-finish straight, before a similar move on Lap 17. A lap later and the Spaniard tried a different move. He looked to outbrake the 2021 Champion at Turn 1, but ran wide which allowed third-placed Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to close in. It was a similar move on Lap 19 but again, he ran wide, setting up a last-lap showdown.
The Yamaha rider was leading throughout the final lap but his rival, once again, tried a move up the inside of the final corner. Razgatlioglu cut back to retake the lead and crossed the line in first, but he was demoted one place for exceeding track limits on the final lap, on the exit of Turn 13, which allowed Bautista to take his 59th win in WorldSBK, moving him level with Carl Fogarty. In total, the pair passed each other a scarcely believable 38 times from Lap 10 to Lap 20, with all but three corners on the Jerez circuit used to make a move. Razgatlioglu’s second place gave him his 100th podium for Yamaha in his final race with the manufacturer in his 131st race. In third was Swiss rookie was Aegerter, who was just three tenths away from victory, but still took his second podium of the season with third.
GRT Yamaha ended the season on a massive high. Two podiums on the final day of 2023 season kept their podium streak going since they joined WorldSBK, while teammate Remy Gardner missed out on his first podium by just a second behind his teammate in Race 2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was fifth ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in sixth. The #21 had been in the podium fight but dropped down the order in the second half of the race, eventually finishing more than three seconds down on ‘Petrux’.
Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) was seventh and only eight seconds away from Bautista after 20 laps after completing yet another strong weekend as he searches for a 2024 seat. The German was ahead of Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in eighth while stablemate Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) took ninth. The American had crossed the line in tenth, but a post-race penalty for Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) meant the Italian was demoted to P10. The penalty proved crucial in the outcome of the Teams’ Championship. Both Aruba.it Ducati and Pata Yamaha finished tied on 879 points, but the title went to the Ducati team due to having more feature-length wins.
Check out all the results from Race two here…
