World Superbikes and supports - 2023 season

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Rea now up to 4th and Toprak up to 5th with Bassini down to 6th. The first three have made a small break of about a second from the pack which in itself is forming little sub groups of 3s and 4s.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Sykes has thrown it down the road . Again.
Lowes up to 5th ahead of Toprak and Bassani but that little group are having a ball, 4 wide into T1 last time round.

Locatelli starting to look lonely in 3rd as he drops back from the leading Ducatis..... Bautista gapping Rinaldi now.

4th -11th now becoming one group. Great stuff.

Half way and all the interest is in the big gaggle behind the podium places. Just over a second covers 4th-11th!

[Everso Biggyballies]

There will be tears before the race ends for some of the gaggle. Some are very keen to get a few places.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Well that was a great race away from the leaders.

There will be tears before the race ends for some of the gaggle. Some are very keen to get a few places.

Indeed there were.... in the form of Toprak and Lowes, Suprised that was the only incident. Razgatlioglu looked to make a move around the outside of Lowes heading into Turn 4 on Lap 17. Lowes lost the front of his ZX-10RR machine heading into Miller Corner, the right-hand hairpin, which collected Razgatlioglu.

Rea struggled towards the end, dropping from 6th to 8th on the last lap.

There was never any real doubt who was going to take the win, with Bautista tying up his weekend hat trick (his 5th overall and second one here at PI) with a faultless and controlled ride. He was 6 seconds clear at the flag with another 3 seconds to the first non Ducati. His 35th win now makes him the 5th most winning rider in WSBK.

Bautista’s hat-trick means he became the first rider to take a second hat-trick at one circuit following his 2019 triple while he also became the first rider to take five WorldSBK hat-tricks. It was also his eighth win at ‘The Island’, making him the most successful rider at the circuit

Rinaldi came in 2nd so a Ducati 1-2, and at this stage it looks like they have the all round package. You would have to be a brave person to bet against them repeating this form. Locatelli took a lonely 3rd for the final spot on the podium. At least he finished with is something his teamate couldnt, and he now leads the Yamaha battle with Toprak by 11 points
The rest ended up with Bassani in 4th from Oetti, Leceuna Aegerter Rea Petrucci Vierge and Gardner just missin the top 10 with 11th..


Oh just heard I think it was Oetti just done for overtaking under yellows and given the closeness of the group dropped out of the top 10 to 11th for his troubles. So Gardner got a Top 10 despite having to take a long lap penalty for his Superpole nonsense with his team mate Aegerter.

Kawasaki have a lot of homework to do if they are to be a contender.

RACE 2 FULL RESULTS


Championship standings

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 62 points

2. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 34

3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 31

4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 31

5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa racing) 25

6. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 23

[Everso Biggyballies]

Probably a good place to put the 2023 season calendar. 11 confirmed and 1 more TBA

[img Deleted previous calendar
/img]

REVISED WSBK CALENDAR


Re above the 12th event has now been confirmed.....

Imola returns to complete 2023 WorldSBK calendar

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola is confirmed as the host of the seventh round of the 2023 season

Imola will host the Italian Round as it returns to the WorldSBK calendar after three seasons away, with the legendary venue hosting the seventh round of the 2023 season from the 14th to the 16th of July. All three classes will take to the track at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola,

Featured on the calendar for the first time back in 2001, the iconic circuit was the scene of unforgettable moments such as the season finale between Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss in 2002 and Bayliss’s second title in 2006. The 2023 Italian Round also promises to be a thrilling event with Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista who will be fighting to retain his title.

Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK Executive Director, was delighted to welcome Imola back onto the calendar: “After three seasons away, we are thrilled to welcome back Imola to the calendar in 2023. This second round in Italy confirms the popularity of the Championship amongst the Italian fans as there is a lot of passion for our sport there with many Italian riders and teams in our paddock. Imola has an illustrious history within World Superbike, and we look forward to the 2023 Italian Round, which promises to be an exciting event for the fans.”

So the full calendar is now:

[Everso Biggyballies]

Superbikes at Mandalika this weekend. We just had race 1. Toprak got the pole.... Highlight of race 1 was some good dicing (sadly not for the lead after an early lead change).... and a brilliant last few laps from VdM, a nice change to see him going better, even if it was for the lower placings. He was the fastest guy on track in the last few laps though, scything through to 6th. Kawasaki still in the crap though, and barely top 10.... im sure there will be words in their garage as well after a bit of a non team mate sort of desperate move from Rea trying to and getting past Lowes a couple of laps from the end.

[Vassago]

Bautista running away with the Superbikes again while I see Supersport has become "who's who" of Moto2 drop outs & otherwise. Bulega winning four of six races somewhat suggests it's more because of Ducati rather than the rider?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bautista remains with Ducati for the 2024 WorldSBK campaign

No real surprises following his form and the bike clearly suiting his needs but all is now confirmed.

After dropping hints, Alvaro Bautista’s future has been revealed as he commits to Ducati and WorldSBK for the 2024 campaign

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field descends on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Round for the 2023 Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round and one of the key figures in the silly season has had their future confirmed. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had been discussing his future in recent weeks but it has now been confirmed that he will remain with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad for the 2024 campaign.

Bautista had become a key player in the silly season for the 2024 grid after he dropped hints at Assen that his future was unclear and that he had two choices for next year. However, Bautista and Ducati have opted to renew their partnership for next season after his strong start to his title defence. Bautista has won eight out of nine races so far in 2023 heading into the Catalunya Round, where he took a hat-trick last year, as he looks to become a double WorldSBK Champion after his title success last year.
Bautista made his WorldSBK debut with the team in 2019 and took the Championship by storm by winning the first 11 races of the season as he looked to stop Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) run of titles. However, a series of crashes throughout the second half of the season meant he finished second behind Rea and he left Ducati at the end of the 2019 season to join Team HRC, where he remained for two seasons.

During his time at Honda on the CBR1000RR-R, Bautista took three podiums across two campaigns and took a best finish of ninth in the Championship standings. After two seasons, Bautista made a return to Ducati for 2022 and he returned to winning ways instantly as the season got underway at Aragon. He claimed victory at all but two tracks on the 2022 calendar as he racked up 16 wins and 31 podiums from 36 races to become Ducati’s first WorldSBK Champion since Carlos Checa in 2011. His title defence, on the new model Panigale V4 R, has started strongly with eight wins in nine races and he sits 56 points clear of nearest rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK).

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.”

.https://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/2023/S ... 20campaign

[Vassago]

Bautista wins the first Barcelona race by 8 seconds. The streamroller keeps going...

[Vassago]

Meanwhile Toprak R. will leave Yamaha at the end of 2023 season. The Ducati deluge continues so it's no surprise he "needs" a new challenge.

https://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/ra ... /10472056/

Razgatlioglu has been a mainstay on the WSBK grid since his debut in 2018 with the Kawasaki-backed Puccetti squad, with which he took his first wins in the series in 2019.

For 2020, Razgatlioglu moved to Yamaha and ended its title drought dating back to Ben Spies in 2009 when he clinched the championship by 13 points from WSBK dominator Jonathan Rea.

Runner-up in 2022, Razgatlioglu currently sits second in 2023 but is already 69 points behind Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista – who has won all but one race so far this season, with the other taken by Razgatlioglu.

In April, Razgatlioglu tested a Yamaha MotoGP bike at Jerez in an outing attended by the team’s top brass, with the 26-year-old linked to a move to the series in 2024.

Yamaha team boss Lin Jarvis played this down when asked about it at the Americas GP, noting that the Japanese marque is unlikely to have a satellite squad again next year and will need an experienced hand in its factory outfit should Franco Morbidelli be moved on.

In a team statement Razgatlioglu says “there was an opportunity to go to MotoGP” next year, but he “didn’t feel the same connection with the MotoGP bike” that he does with a Superbike.

As such, his Yamaha split looks like it has shut the door on a MotoGP move in 2024.

“I want to say to the whole Yamaha family a very big thank you for the love and respect they have shown me,” he said.

“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.”

Razgatlioglu’s two-day test at Jerez in April ended with him just under a second behind Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow, which already put some doubt on the Turk making the switch in 2024.

Yamaha has already set out a timeline for Morbidelli to save his seat with the team in MotoGP, with Jarvis wanting a decision made by the summer break at the end of June.

Morbidelli, who sits 13th in the standings on 40 points having managed a best result of fourth in 2023 so far, told Motorsport.com during the French Grand Prix that he felt “trust” from Yamaha about his future.

Current Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin has been linked to his factory Yamaha seat, with the Spaniard’s current contract stating he can leave Ducati a year early if he is offered a factory team deal.

Razgatlioglu’s destination in WSBK is unclear at this stage.

[Vassago]

Toprak will join BMW. This makes little sense unless he waits for some opening elsewhere rather than stay with Yamaha despite the MotoGP door being closed. Not exactly the best choice while in his prime IMO.

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/ ... /10472471/

[Everso Biggyballies]

Toprak will join BMW. This makes little sense unless he waits for some opening elsewhere rather than stay with Yamaha despite the MotoGP door being closed. Not exactly the best choice while in his prime IMO.

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/ ... /10472471/

That makes no sense to me in a career progression sense. Maybe a big pot of gold at the end of the rainbow......
Hopefully he has an ejector seat clause in his BMW contract, allowing easy exit for if something better comes along

This outcome seems a long way off the (admittedly idealistic) talk of Yamaha and MotoGP and indeed a test we had just weeks ago.

I have always thought he had the talent to go all the way but this and the mention of his preference to a WSBK style of bike, seems to point to a lack of MotoGP ambition, and that I dont understand.

I would have understood a jump to a Ducati WSBK ride more, but I guess the Ducati ladder already has more people on it than steps

[Everso Biggyballies]

A new livery for Ducati....

Doesnt seem to have made them any slower. Bautista and Rinaldi gave the Italian fans something to cheer in race 1 by taking a Ducati 1-2 in race 1 at Misano



Bautista and Rinaldi were both able to gap Razgatlioglu in first and second place respectively to claim a home victory for Ducati on a special liveried Panigale V4 R, with the bike running yellow colours rather than red to pay homage to Ducati’s history. The win was Bautista’s 44th win in WorldSBK and his fourth at Misano, while Rinaldi equalled his podium tally from 2022 with second place to take his fourth podium of the season.

It was also the first win for a yellow Ducati since Sylvain Guintoli at Assen in 2012.

Full Results

[Everso Biggyballies]

The Marc VDS Racing Team and Sam Lowes will join the WorldSBK grid next year as they link up with Ducati for 2024...

A frontrunning team in the Moto2™ World Championship, Marc VDS Racing Team will bring Sam Lowes across to WorldSBK with their own Ducati-powered team

A new team will join the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid from 2024 as Moto2™ powerhouse Marc VDS Racing Team make the step into WorldSBK with Ducati machinery. The team will bring Sam Lowes, who rides with the outfit in Moto2™, into the Championship as he returns to the paddock he made a name for himself in by winning the World Supersport title in 2013. Next season will mark both the team’s and Lowes’ debut in WorldSBK.

The team have secured a deal with Italian manufacturer Ducati to run a Panigale V4 R next season as they make their WorldSBK debut, competing with the bike that has won most races this season in the hands of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

https://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/2023/M ... om%20Moto2


Sam Lowes will get to race against his (I think twin?) brother Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) next year, something the pair have openly spoke about wanting to do. Sam is one of four riders who have taken victory in Moto2 this season.

Edit: Yes they are identical twins.

Alex: I’m a bit taller and skinnier and better looking. And I’ve got a scar.

Sam: I’ve had a tough life mate.

You could be ageing prematurely, Sam.
Sam: I am.

Alex: He looks older than me for sure.

Sam: Yeah I do, I’ve had it tough mate. It’s hard winning Grand Prix.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Well, I didnt see this one coming after so many years in green......

Rea inks two-year contract to replace Razgatlioglu at Yamaha

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will switch from green to blue for the 2024 Superbike World Championship as he joins up with Paul Denning’s Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK squad after he leaves Kawasaki at the end of the season. The six-time Champion has spent nine seasons at the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK and won all his titles with them, as well as over 100 race wins, but will now start a new challenge in Yamaha blue in 2024 as he replaces Toprak Razgatlioglu, who switches to BMW for next year. The Ulsterman will line up alongside Andrea Locatelli, who also has a contract for the same period, with the duo currently engaged in a fierce fight for third in the Championship standings.

Yamaha were the manufacturer who ended Rea’s title streak back in 2021 when the #54 claimed the crown in a final-round showdown in Indonesia.

So this will be Rea's third WSBK team having started his WSBK life with Honda..... first race at Portimao in 2008, and then secured a full-time seat in 2009, Rea took 15 races with Honda before jumping to Kawasaki. That was home for the next 9 seasons and scored him 104 race wins and all of his six WSBK titles.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bulega replaces Rinaldi as Bautista’s teammate for 2024

The World Supersport Championship leader will head to the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati outfit for next year in WorldSBK, partnering reigning Champion and Championship leader, Alvaro Bautista

A new name will make his debut on the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid next year as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) gets the nod to race alongside Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The current WorldSSP Championship leader has long been linked with the seat next to the #1 and his future is now secure as Ducati puts faith in their World Supersport star. He will take the place of Michael Ruben Rinaldi whose future with the Ducati squad is coming to an end after three seasons, three wins and 16 podiums to date.

The Italian was the first rider signed for Ducati’s World Supersport comeback in 2022, the manufacturer’s first WorldSSP appearances since 2007. Bulega switched from the MotoGP™ paddock after competing in 50 Moto3™ races, taking two podiums and two pole positions, as well as three seasons in Moto2™ where he was unable to showcase his potential. Prior to that, the 23-year-old competed in the FIM CEV Moto3™ Junior World Championship (now JuniorGP™) and claimed the title in his second season in 2015, taking one win at Jerez.

However, his World Supersport success has been one of his main career highlights; 2022 promised a lot but a first race win eluded him all-season. A strong start to the year welcomed him into the class with eight podiums in 15 races, but then just one more podium was achieved in the final nine, leaving him fourth in the Championship with three fastest laps and a total of nine rostrums.

For 2023, Bulega was the second-highest placed returnee to the class from the year before, with Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) set to challenge him hard. However, a majestic start to the year saw him storm to a Phillip Island double, whilst Oncu and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) fought back in Indonesia at Mandalika. Four wins in the next five races came Bulega’s way however, whilst it was now Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) who was his main threat after Oncu’s injury. A double by Bulega at Donington Park saw his lead extend but fellow countryman Manzi retaliated with a double of his own at Imola, with his lead down to 41 ahead of Most.

https://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/2023/G ... for%202024