The whole weekend in the Czech Republic saw the championship leaders with their elbows out at every chance they got. The weekend ended with the final MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC Czech Round being another incredible affair at the Autodrom Most.
Tissot Superpole Qualifying
With spots of rain in the air after an overnight shower, riders were forced to exit onto the circuit straight away. With no SCQ tyres available and the SCX tyre only available for Superpole and the Sunday morning Superpole Race, the session gave extra challenges compared to others. Getting the most out of the 15-minute shootout, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) stormed to a 1’30.947 for a new lap record and a second consecutive pole position at Most.
Riders flocked to the circuit instantly and it was clear that everyone wanted to bank a time in case of rain, whilst the likes of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and his teammate Alex Lowes all waited a little longer, the latter two on their own with Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was at the head of the field on track and the first rider to set a lap time of a 1’32.608, whilst Razgatlioglu stormed to a 1’31.578, just outside his Free Practice lap record from FP2.
Further times came in behind with Rea going second ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), whilst Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was fourth. Bautista was down to ninth but soon went up to fourth, with Lowes and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) getting ahead of Mahias who was left in seventh with just under ten minutes to go. Having been a top five rider in FP2 on Friday, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was ninth ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) at the end of the first stint. Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) waited until the end of the first stint before getting a time registered, slotting him in third.
With the threat of rain abating for the time being, the second runs and the pole position attacks came in, with Rea one of the first riders to leave the pits. Out-laps completed, red sectors and personal best times were coming, although Rea had a big moment at Turn 13, and his advantage of two tenths of a second through the first half of the lap had been squandered. However, at the head of the field, by 0.011s, Alvaro Bautista had taken provisional pole, although Razgatlioglu was responding already on his own flying lap. Turk went top momentarily, but it was Rea who smashed in a lap time in, the first ever 1’30 lap time, with a 1’30.947.
WorldSBK Autodrom Most Front Row (Full Results Here)
1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’30.947s
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.330s
3 Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.559s
Race One
History was made in Race 1 at the Prosecco DOC Czech Round as Ducati claimed their 1000th MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium placement after Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled his way to victory at the Autodrom Most. The Championship leader started from the second row but was able to fight his way into the lead battle in a race held in mixed conditions.
Championship leader Bautista started from the second row but soon was able to take advantage of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battling to close the gap. Bautista moved into second place on Lap 11 with a move into Turn 20 on the reigning Champion, before he followed that up with a move on Rea into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 12. He was able to clear his charging rivals to win by more than two seconds, going on to take his seventh win of 2022 and 23rd victory of his career, while it was also a historic milestone for Ducati as they claimed their 1000th podium placement.
The battle for the podium went on to the last lap between Razgatlioglu, Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Rea. Razgatlioglu made a hard move on Redding at Turn 13, with Redding running a little bit wide and allowing Rea to close in on the BMW rider. At Turn 15, Rea looked to make a move on Redding to move into the podium places but Redding was able to hold on, with Razgatlioglu and Redding completing the podium. Razgatlioglu now has 67 podiums in his WorldSBK career while Redding is on 39, with the British rider going level with Scott Russell at 25th in the all-time list.
Places fifth to seventh in Race 1 were taken up by Italian riders. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) claimed fifth place and finishes as the best Independent rider. In the early stages, Bassani had been running in fourth but was eventually passed by Redding and dropped back from the lead group. He also lost time to Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in the closing stages but was able to finish a second clear of Locatelli, who in turn had a three second margin over Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in seventh. Rinaldi had started from third place but lost ground through the opening corners before coming home in seventh place.
On his first visit to the Autodrom Most, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) continued his run of top-ten finishes that has lasted his entire WorldSBK career, with the Spanish rookie finishing in eighth place. It is the best points-scoring streak in WorldSBK since Michael van der Mark scored 19 consecutive points-scoring positions in 2016. He was just over half a second clear of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth place with Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRY Yamaha WorldSBK Team) rounding out the top ten; Gerloff had started from the second row but dropped back at the start of the race. The top ten at the end of the race were separated by just 13.1 seconds, the smallest gap covering the top ten riders in a full-length race since Race 1 at Phillip Island in 2020; 11.922s covered the top ten.
Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) finished in 11th place, four seconds back from a top ten spot, while he was almost ten seconds clear of French compatriot Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 12th place. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) finished in 13th place, less than a second behind Mahias, with Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) in 14th and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) completing the points-scoring places with 15th.
Home hero Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in 16th place in Race 1 for his home round, his best result in his short WorldSBK career, with Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) in 17th place. Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) claimed 18th place ahead of Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW), whose future was made known shortly before Race 1, and Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) with the Frenchman rounding out the top 20. Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) were the last classified runners in Race 1.
Wildcard and home rider Michal Prasek (Rohac & Fejta Motoracing) retired shortly after being lapped by the leaders, while Malaysian rider Hafizh Shyarin (MIE Racing Honda Team) suffered from technical issues in the closing stages of the race.
WorldSBK Autodrom Most Race One Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +2.109s
3 Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +2.603s
Tissot Superpole Race
It was another battle that went right down to the final lap in the Tissot Superpole Race, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming victory at the Autodrom Most during the Prosecco DOC Czech Round after a last-lap battle with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Victory for Razgatlioglu gave Yamaha their 100th victory in WorldSBK.
Razgatlioglu got the jump into Turn 1 ahead of Rea and took the lead of the race and was able to open up a gap to the six-time Champion. Rea looked to make his move for the lead in the second half of the race, with Razgatlioglu able to respond immediately. On the final lap, Rea tried to make a move at Turn 1 but Razgatlioglu was able to get the cutback through Turns 2 and 3, before Rea tried again later on in the lap but ran into the gravel, allowing Razgatlioglu to claim victory while Rea finished in second place. They will be joined on the front row for Race 2 by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), after the Championship leader gained places from fifth on the grid.
The second row of the grid will be made up of Italian riders. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will start Race 2 from fourth, after starting the Superpole Race from third, with Rinaldi pressuring his teammate all race. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) will line up from fifth ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in sixth place. Bassani gained positions in the Superpole Race to secure a second row start for Race 2.
Spanish rookie Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) claimed seventh spot and therefore a third row start for Race 2 as he looks to continue his run of top-ten finishes, with Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in ninth and taking the final third row grid spot for Race 2. Redding and Gerloff were the highest-placed riders using Pirelli’s harder SC0 tyre, with both dropping back from their second row starting position in the Superpole Race.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who has been suffering from an intestinal infection, crashed out of the race from inside the top nine on Lap 4 of 10 at Turn 10 after he lost the front of his bike. Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) crashed at the end of Lap 3 at Turn 21, putting the British rider out of the race. Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSBK) was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start and finished in 20th place. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) had a crash at Turn 17 in the closing stages of the race, with the Czech rider taken to the medical centre.
Tissot Superpole Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.327s
3 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.406s
Race Two
The final Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC Czech Round was another incredible affair at the Autodrom Most, with reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claiming victory after a titanic battle with his title rivals. The battle raged on from the start until the final few laps of the race as Razgatlioglu claimed his fifth win in the last six races.
Razgatlioglu was able to get the jump into Turn 1 at the start of the race but was always under pressure from both Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). On Lap 7, Rea made a move at Turn 1 on Razgatlioglu to move into the lead of the race but Toprak at the same corner a lap later. On Lap 11, Bautista attempted to pass both Razgatlioglu and Rea into Turn 1, with Rea coming out ahead of Bautista in second and Razgatlioglu in third.
Two laps later and Bautista utilised his straight-line speed to pass Rea into Turn 1, while Razgatlioglu made his move on Rea on Lap 15 at Turn 1 for second place. Soon after, he was on the back of Bautista and, on Lap 16, made his move for the lead at Turn 20 for first place. From there, Razgatlioglu had to defend into Turn 1 on a couple of occasions but he was able to pull out a gap over Bautista and Rea to take his 24th win in WorldSBK and the sixth of the season. Bautista came home in second place to take his 16th podium of the season and the 43rd of his career; while it was also Spain’s 160th in WorldSBK. Rea now has 230 podiums to his name, which is exactly 100 more than Troy Corser who lies second in the all-time list.
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made it five top-six finishes in the last six races as he finished in fourth place after a thrilling battle with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the opening two-thirds of the race. Bassani made a stunning start to immediately fight for the podium places but dropped back to fourth place, before running wide on Lap 5 which allowed Redding through. Bassani was able to respond quite soon after that move but Redding re-passed him at Turn 1 on Lap 10 to demote the Italian into fifth; Bassani claimed three five place finishes at the Autodrom Most.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) claimed sixth place after taking advantage of Garrett Gerloff’s (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) late technical issue, after the American had passed him earlier on in the race. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) claimed seven place, his best result since he finished fourth in the Tissot Superpole Race at Misano, while Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) finished eighth. That is the German’s best result since he took seventh place in the Superpole Race at Assen.
It was Lucas Mahias’ (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) best finish of the 2022 season with his second appearance in the top ten, while Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top ten. It is Bernardi’s first top ten result since he moved into WorldSBK at the start of the 2022 season.
Italian rider Roberto Tamburni (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) equalled his best result of the season with 11th place, ahead of Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team). Syahrin claimed the best result of his WorldSBK career with 12th place and it was a double points-scoring race for the MIE Racing Honda Team with Leandro Mercado in 15th; Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Peter Hickman (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) separating the two MIE Honda teammates in 13th and 14th.
Czech rider Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) bounced back from a Superpole Race crash to finish in 16th place in front of his home fans, equalling his best result in WorldSBK, with Ryan Vickers (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) in 17th and Gerloff in 18th after his late technical issue.
Ahead of Race 2, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) were both declared unfit through illness and injury respectively. Wildcard Michal Prasel (Rohac & Fejta Motoracing) did not start the race. At the start of Lap 4, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out trying to pass Rea for third place at Turn 1. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) retired from the race following a Lap 5 crash at Turn 20. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) had a technical issue with two laps to go with the Spanish rookie retiring from the race, ending his streak of top-ten finishes at 17 races.
WorldSBK Autodrom Most Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.756s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.833s
Championship Standing After Autodrom Most Round (Full Standings Here)
1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 298
2 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 267
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) 260
