Source: WorldSBK.com

Teams and riders in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will have plenty of tyre choices at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto with Pirelli unveiling their solutions for the season-ending Prometeon Spanish Round. The SCQ tyre returns after being dropped from the allocation for Portimao, while the soft, medium, and hard compounds are available for the front tyre choice to give everyone lots of potential options throughout the round.

SCQ RETURNS: Superpole tyre is back; soft and super soft solutions available at the rear

Pirelli opted not to bring the SCQ tyre to Portimao but have added it back into the allocation for the season-ending visit to Jerez. It will, as always, be available to use in the Tissot Superpole session and Tissot Superpole Race. For the feature length races, teams will have a range of solutions available. There are two SCX super soft tyres available with the standard once again alongside the B0800 development SCX-A compound. The SC0 soft is the other compound available for the rear.

FRONT SOLUTIONS: choices throughout the range

At the front, there are three different options for everyone to choose from. The SC0 development soft continues to be evaluated with the C0927 specification, designed with a different compound compared to the B1148 to provide more grip at the front axle. Also available at Jerez are the standard SC1 medium and SC2 hard solutions, meaning teams and riders have lots of decisions to make with regards to tyre choice at Jerez.

CHOICES IN WorldSSP: three at the front, two rear options

In WorldSSP, there are three front tyre choices as well. The standard SC1 soft and standard SC1-B medium solutions, the WorldSBK tyre still being evaluated for use in WorldSSP, are joined by the new SC1-A development soft in B1333 specification. It made its debut at Magny-Cours and was widely used at both Aragon and Portimao and is designed to last longer and guarantee more consistency over a race distance. At the rear, two standard compounds are available. The SCX super soft is joined by the SC0 soft as the only available options.

PIRELLI SAYS: “This season, our efforts have focused above all on the development of the SCQ”

Discussing the tyre allocation Pirelli’s Motorcycle Racing Director, Giorgio Barbier, said: “The Jerez round marks the end of Pirelli’s twentieth season as sole supplier for all classes of the Superbike World Championship. For the grand finale that will decide the 2023 Champion in the premier class, we have brought practically our entire range with the three front options and all the rear ones that have been used most during the year. This season, our efforts have focused above all on the development of the SCQ to increase its mileage and allow its use in the Superpole Race, an objective we achieved with the new C0004 specification which has been used successfully in recent rounds. However, we still have some open points regarding the front SC1 solution for the WorldSSP class, let’s see how the new B1333 specification will behave in Jerez and then we will decide whether or not it can become the new reference SC1 for the Supersport class starting from next season. In this class at Jerez, we will have several wildcards and one event riders who race with Pirelli in national teams and who, also thanks to the co-presence of Pirelli in the World Championship and in the national championships, can demonstrate their talent on an international stage.”

Watch every moment from Jerez LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto hosts the final round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and there’s plenty to enjoy at the iconic circuit, and the surroundings, if you attend the Prometon Spanish Round. Several titles are still up for grabs as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) looks to secure his second consecutive Riders’ Championship. WorldSBK and WorldSSP are set to entertain fans on track but there’s also plenty of off-track activities to enjoy in the south of Spain. You can get your tickets HERE.

WorldSBK and WorldSSP will headline the Spanish Round as they conclude their campaigns in style, with plenty to be decided still in WorldSBK. The reigning Champion will look to wrap up the title on Saturday, needing a top 14 finish to secure it with two races to go, but there’s still other battles to decide. The Teams’ Championship looks like it’ll go to the wire with seven points between Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, while Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) are still scrapping it out for top Independent Rider honours. In WorldSSP, the Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Championships are decided but Ten Kate Racing Yamaha and MV Agusta Reparto Corse are still battling it out for the Teams’ Championship.

Away from the track, the not-to-be-missed Paddock Show returns with more interactive activities. There’s chat shows with riders from both WorldSSP and WorldSBK taking part on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, you can celebrate with the riders on the podium as the rostrum is placed in the heart of the paddock, while there will also be interactive games to take part in as well as meet and greet sessions to get close to your favourite riders.

There’s also a special parade taking place at the end of Sunday’s action. The top three in the Championship will be joined by fans who purchase moto parking on the circuit website, meaning spectators will be able to ride on track with Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and one of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) or Razgatlioglu’s teammate, Andrea Locatelli, to give spectators a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not only this, but those who register for the Jerez bike gathering will have special grounds as well as being entered into a prize draw to win several incredible prizes.

What are you waiting for? Purchase your tickets for the season finale HERE!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. That was the goal that created the World Superbike class in the 1980’s. When the FIM Superbike World Championship started in 1988, motorcycle sales in Europe and North America were still dominated by sportsbikes. Back then winning machinery on the track translated into the sales of bikes on the roads. The world is different now but the challenge facing manufacturers is to find a way to showcase their speed and development. No-one in WorldSBK disputes that the resources Ducati has ploughed into the WorldSBK programme deserves success but is it what’s best for the series?

MINIMUM COMBINED WEIGHT AND FUEL CHANGES: two major headlines for 2024

Solving a problem of a dominant team and rider isn’t a new challenge in WorldSBK. With Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) all but confirmed as a double WorldSBK Champion, the series has made moves to create a more competitive field in 2024. The new technical package for 2024 – set out by the FIM, Dorna WSBK Organisation the MSMA and wider members of the SBK Commission – is headlined by the introduction of a combined bike and rider minimum weight limit, similar to what we already have in the Supersport and Supersport 300 classes, but there is also a collection of other technical regulations which should help. In a bid to increase the importance of fuel consumption and reducing performance there has been a reduction of three litres to fuel capacity. Combined with the introduction of E40 fuel (40% Ethanol) it will be an interesting engineering challenge for teams to maintain performance for the full race distance.

NOT ANTI-BAUTISTA: moving with the times and needs

It’s easy to view the changes in a vacuum and think this is an anti-Ducati or anti-Bautista shift in ideology. It would also discount what we’ve seen in the past. This is just the latest in a long line of such changes. When Kawasaki had the dominant bike, from 2012 until 2018 the green machine was the best bike on the grid, the attention they faced was on par with Ducati now. With the dice rolling slightly differently, Tom Sykes could have been a triple World Champion before Jonathan Rea stared his run of six consecutive titles.

For Sykes, the changes – which saw limits to development of the crankshaft, fixed gear ratios and lower revs – hurt him. He moved from being the top dog in the series to a supporting cast member. That Rea could still win showed his talent and speed but year on year the ZX10-RR was restrained more and more. It was subtle and gradual rather than the new raft of changes.

PREVIOUS SPORTING CHANGES: not just different on the face of it

Whilst the technical changes were gradual, the sporting changes were where the real teeth of regulation changes were made. For 2017, the podium finishers from Race 1 had to start Race 2 from the third row of the grid. Coming through the pack would, in theory, make for more exciting races and make it harder for one rider to dominate. It didn’t quite work out that way and as a result, the Superpole Race was introduced with an extra 12 points available each weekend. It has helped to maintain a title race for longer. The 10-lap race has been a great success and something that has genuinely been met by enthusiasm by teams and riders.

LOOKING AHEAD: testing starts immediately after Jerez

Hopefully the new technical package for 2024 will be met with similar success. The goal for manufacturers in the series is to sell more motorcycles. If you aren’t winning races and showing your speed it’s harder to sell bikes. The new package should maintain integrity, create a more competitive balance front to back and still see the best team and rider winning. We might have one round to go in 2023 and a World Champion to be crowned but I’m already excited for 2024. With two days of testing coming immediately after the race it will be interesting to see the testing plans for manufacturers. It’s highly unlikely that teams will bring full specification of machinery for 2024 but they’ll use the test to evaluate some new parts and gear up for the full winter testing which starts in earnest in November.

Read the full regulations update here, whilst getting further clarification with WorldSBK Executive Director, Gregorio Lavilla, here.

Watch the season finale LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The season is drawing to a close in the FIM Supersport World Championship and with the much-loved Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto making a return to bring a conclusion to the year, there’s a lot of pride at stake and personal honours to try and uphold. The final opportunity for many riders to star strongly and with a lot less thinking about the title race, now that has been wrapped up by Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).

RACING FOR THE FINAL GLORY: Bulega vs Manzi one final time

Bulega may already have the Championship in the bag and he’s already got a graduation to WorldSBK penned for 2023, so his aim this weekend will be to continue making history and to continue making sure he leaves the class with his name firmly etched into the record books. For Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), it’s also a final chance for him to show that when he’s on form, he can beat his arch-rival. Manzi has second in the Championship already in his pocket, so he’s going for wins for his own pride. Neither have raced in WorldSSP at the track, although Bulega took a JuniorGP™ win in 2015 and a second place in Moto3™ a year later at the venue, whilst Manzi’s best is a P9 from 2020 in Moto2™. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) aims to get ahead of both in what is his final chance to be a rookie winner in 2023 at a circuit where he was fifth in Moto2™ last year. The German will also remain with the MV Agusta squad for 2024.

CLOSE BEHIND: Caricasulo clear of battle for fifth overall

Federico Caricasulo has fourth locked down and can’t progress further but he’s a double winner at Jerez in World Supersport, in 2017 and 2019 for Yamaha, so keep an eye on him this weekend. The battle all eyes will be on is fifth place, with the top four all sealed up already. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) currently occupies fifth place and has three top seven finishes in the last four races. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) is eight points behind the Turkish star, with the Magny-Cours podium finisher eager to shine at a track he knows well.

Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) is another nine further behind but after a heroic double top ten at Portimao after Aragon’s hefty crash, he could feature in the podium fight and make gains; he also has his future sorted for 2024, moving to EAB Racing who switch to Ducati for next year. A podium last time out for Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) hauled him back into contention for fifth, 23 points back of Sofuoglu in eighth place; he’s tied on points with Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), who is fresh from a first WorldSSP podium last time out. Completing the top ten but not really in contention for the top five, Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) hasn’t had a podium all season; it’d be the first time since 2013 that he’s gone a full year without a rostrum if he doesn’t take one for the first time at Jerez.

NOTABLE NAMES WITH POINTS TO PROVE: van Straalen, Huertas and Oncu aim to shine

Eight points outside of the top ten overall, Dutchman Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) gears up for his final race with the team and seeks to return to the rostrum to put himself in the shop window. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) will replace Nicolo Bulega at the Aruba.it Racing outfit for 2024 but hasn’t had a podium in 2023; in fact, he’s had four DNFs in the last four races, so he certainly has reason to have a strong weekend. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) returned from injury at Magny-Cours and has had points in three out of the six races since. He’ll strive for a return to the top ten. Elsewhere, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team), Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) and the returning Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) will all aim to finish their season with a flourish.

HOUSEKEEPING: tidying up the final few details of 2023

As there’s no WorldSSP Challenge at this round, which was won by Tom Booth-Amos (ME Air Motozoo Racing), there’s a host of wildcards to watch out for. Yeray Ruiz (MDR Offitec Yamaha) and Miguel Pons (Zeus Motorsport) are back in WorldSSP action, as is Filippo Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura). Multiple Moto3™ Grand Prix winner Khairul Idham Pawi is a third rider at PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team), alongside Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin, whilst Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (D34G Racing), the reigning WorldSSP300 runner-up, gets a taste of World Supersport. Gabriele Giannini (ProDina Kawasaki Racing), Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team), Emanuele Pusceddu (J.Angel by Edafos) and Melvin Van Der Voort (Team SWPN) round out a packed 31-rider field.

Get the FREE Official Programme here, catch-up on Portimao’s highlights and watch the season finale LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED with the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

So, this is it then; after 11 rounds, 33 races, countless battles and head-to-head final lap showdowns, the title decider has arrived. The Prometeon Spanish Round from the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto has a history of crowning Champions and 2023 will be no different. However, statistical stories are never far away and there’s plenty to look out for this weekend too.

116/119 – Yamaha are at their third chance to equal Honda for wins. Yamaha have 116, Honda at 119, the latter occupying the third all-time place. The top two are Ducati (417) and Kawasaki (178).

96 – With three starts, Loris Baz will (Bonovo Action BMW) equals the record of races run for BMW, 96, held by Tom Sykes.

59 – After becoming the most successful Ducati rider at Portimao, passing Carl Fogarty, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) can take the 2^nd all-time spot for wins, held by Fogarty at 59. With 56, he needs a triple to achieve this.

37 – In four Yamaha years, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) set records for the brand: most wins (37, Noriyuki Haga 27), podiums (98, Haga 71), poles (12, Ben Spies 11).

34 – If Toprak takes three podiums, he’ll equal the season record of 34 set by Jonathan Rea in 2019.

28 – In 2019, Jerez became the 28^th track that Yamaha won at. The 27^th track had been Silverstone, nine years earlier, when Cal Crutchlow achieved a double. At the moment, they’ve won at 34.

19 – On 19 now, Ducati can become the first manufacturer with 20 Jerez podiums. There’s a chance also for their best competitors, Kawasaki, at 16.

18 – Razgatlioglu has finished 2^nd 18 times, a new season record, beating the 16 of Jonathan Rea in 2019. The rival for them is common: Bautista. In 2019, Rea was second to him 12 times, this year, the Turk 16.

9 – Only one win here didn’t come from the first six grid places: that was Jonathan Rea, winning from 9^th in 2017, Race 2.

9 – Ducati is the most successful manufacturer with nine wins at Jerez.

8 – The last eight wins here (starting from 2019) came only from the first two positions on the grid.

8/9 – Eight years out of nine, we had a rider winning twice at Jerez: 1990 (Roche); 2013 (Laverty); 2014 (Melandri); 2016 (Davies); 2017 (Rea); 2019 (Bautista: Race 1 and Superpole Race); 2020 (Redding: Race 1 and 2); 2021 (Razgatlioglu).

7 – Seven wins for Razgatlioglu in 2023 so far, his lowest amount in the last three “full” seasons (since 2021). He won three races in 2020. Even with a triple, ten will be his worst tally at Yamaha since 2020 (13 wins in 2021, 14 wins in 2022).

4 – The best winning streak at this track belongs to Aprilia: four from 2013 to 2014. Yamaha can match and surpass that this weekend.

3-3 – It’s a tie for the most successful rider at Jerez: Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies, three wins each.

2 – Bautista is set to be the first back-to-back Riders’ Champion for Ducati since Fogarty in 1998 and 1999. It will also be the first time since 1999 that a Ducati rider with the #1 has taken the title.

1 – BMW only have one podium at Jerez, courtesy of Marco Melandri’s P2 in 2013’s Race 1. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) has had three fourth-place finishes in the last three rounds; he took his first WorldSBK top ten at Jerez with P8 in 2020’s Superpole Race.

SHORTHAND NOTEBOOK

2021 race winners:

• Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha, Race 1 and Race 2)

Last three pole-sitters at Jerez:

• 2021: Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) 1’38.512
• 2020: Scott Redding (Ducati) 1’38.736
• 2019: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’38.247

Manufacturer podium places (and wins) from all WorldSBK races at Jerez:

• Ducati: 19 (9)
• Kawasaki: 16 (4)
• Yamaha: 10 (3)
• Aprilia: 9 (4)
• Honda: 5
• BMW: 1

Key gaps from Jerez in 2021:

• Front row covered by: 0.102s
• 1 second in Superpole covered… the top 8: 0.911s
• Closest race gap between 1^st and 2^nd: 0.113s (Razgatlioglu 1^st, Redding 2^nd, Superpole Race)
• Closest race podium: 2.155s (Razgatlioglu 1^st, Rea 2^nd, Redding 3^rd, Race 1)

Manufacturer top speeds at Jerez in 2021:

• Honda: Alvaro Bautista – 290.3km/h, Superpole
• Ducati: Chaz Davies – 287.2 km/h, Race 1
• Kawasaki: Jonathan Rea – 284.9 km/h, Superpole
• Yamaha: Toprak Razgatlioglu – 284.9 km/h, Race 1
• BMW: Tom Sykes – 281.2 km/h, FP3, Superpole and Race 1

Watch the season finale LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Another piece of the 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship rider market has fallen into place. After securing five rostrums in his first season with the Barni Spark Racing Team, Yari Montella will stay with the outfit for a second year after inking a new deal. The one-time WorldSSP race winner will enter his third full season next year as he looks to build on the rapid pace that he’s shown this season to fight for podiums more consistently and to be in contention for race victories.

2023 has been a rollercoaster season for Montella. He was involved in a crash with Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) at the season-opening Australian Round in Race 1, which meant he missed Race 2 and all the action in Indonesia a week later. He returned at the TT Circuit Assen where he recorded eighth in Race 1 and a DNF in Race 2 after an opening-corner crash with former teammate Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Barcelona proved tricky with a best of 11^th but the #55 has shown impressive speed ever since his first home round at Misano.

Fifth in Race 1 was backed up with his first two podiums of the year when the Championship hit the historic Donington Park venue, with Montella third in Race 1 and second in Race 2. He was back on the rostrum at Imola in Race 2 with third, but it would take until Aragon before he was back there, again he took third before following that up a week later with another P3 at the rollercoaster Portimao venue. Currently, the 23-year-old is eighth in the Championship; only 13 points away from Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fifth.

Montella’s WorldSSP debut came in 2021 when he made an appearance as a substitute rider for GMT94 Yamaha. For 2022, the Italian linked up with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and Turkish star Oncu, winning Race 1 at Phillip Island to end his first full campaign on a high. Before this, he competed in Moto2™ in 2021 although didn’t score points; this came off the back of his dominant 2020 FIM CEV Moto2™ European Championship, when he beat now WorldSSP rival Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) to the title.

Explaining his thoughts on his renewal, Montella said: “We have worked hard to be competitive and get good results, so I am very happy to be able to continue the path I started with the same team. I feel the esteem from Barni, and I have great confidence in my squad, I think this is the most important pillar. I want to round out the season in the best possible way in the last two races at Jerez, then we will immediately start planning for 2024.”

Team Principal Marco Barnabo added: “I strongly wanted to confirm the two riders both in WorldSBK and WorldSBK to give continuity to the positive work we have done this season. In Supersport, Montella’s growth has been clearly noticeable, but if we can be more consistent in races we can improve even more. I have great faith in him, and I believe that next season we can take great satisfaction from him.”

Watch the final two rounds of the 2023 WorldSSP campaign using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the 12^th and final round of the 2023 campaign. Two Championships will be on track with a slightly revised schedule. On Friday, the WorldSSP field starts the day with FP1 at 09:30 (Local Time, GMT+2) before WorldSBK at 10:30. WorldSSP FP2 is at 13:00 and WorldSBK FP2 at 14:00 to conclude Friday’s action. On Saturday, WorldSBK FP3 starts the day at 09:00 before jumping straight into Tissot Superpole, with WorldSSP setting the grid at 10:25 and WorldSBK at 11:10. Racing action starts at 12:30 with WorldSSP Race 1 before WorldSBK Race 1 at 14:00. The Daylight Saving Time hours end in some timezones on Sunday, including in Spain, with Sunday’s track action taking place at GMT+1 (rather than GMT+2). Warm Up sessions begin the day from 09:00 before the Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00. WorldSSP Race 2 is at 12:30 before WorldSBK Race 2 rounds out the weekend, and season, at 14:00.

Watch every moment LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass – for only €9.99!

Friday, 27^th October (all times Local Time, GMT+2)

09:30-10:15 – WorldSSP Free Practice 1

10:30-11:15 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1

13:00-13:45 – WorldSSP Free Practice 2

14:00-14:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2

Saturday, 28^th October

09:00-09:30 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3

10:25-10:45 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole

11:10-11:25 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole

12:30 – WorldSSP Race 1 (17 laps)

14:00 – WorldSBK Race 1 (20 laps)

Sunday, 29^th October (all times Local Time, GMT+1)

09:00-09:15 – WorldSBK Warm Up

09:25-09:40 – WorldSSP Warm Up

11:00 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)

12:30 – WorldSSP Race 2 (17 laps)

14:00 – WorldSBK Race 2 (20 laps)

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 35th anniversary season is coming to an end for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with another extraordinary year in the history books. The title remains alive but it would need a huge upset if Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) didn’t walk away with the crown. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) has kept him honest but perhaps the bigger weekend for him will be signing off his four years at Yamaha in style, whilst in the green corner and with third in the Championship all-but bagged, Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) nine-season tenure at KRT also concludes this weekend. It’s going to be emotional, so bring the tissues closer and get ready for our return to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.

ANOTHER MATCH BALL: Bautista’s title to lose

After a sensational triple at Portimao – completed with a belting Race 2 win against Razgatlioglu – the maths are simple for Alvaro Bautista to become Champion for a second season: finish 14^th or higher in Race 1 and hope that Toprak Razgatlioglu doesn’t win. If Bautista scores two points or more across the weekend, then he’s got the Championship bagged. On the other side of the equation, Razgatlioglu must win all three races. He won the last two races at Jerez in 2021 but he’s not enjoyed a triple all season. Even then, it is out of his hands, with reigning Champion Bautista certain to score his required haul – barring acts of God and misfortune. It’s been a sensational season by both and this is their last dance as we see them now, with Razgatlioglu’s departure to BMW awaiting.

ONE MORE TIME: Rea’s final round in green

50 points clear of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and not able to crack the top two for the second season running, Jonathan Rea’s chapter in Kawasaki green is coming to a close this weekend. Six titles won, the first of which came at this very circuit, it’s been a remarkable era of WorldSBK. A new challenge awaits at Yamaha but for now, he’ll aim to conclude this extraordinary time in the best way possible. He wasn’t positive about the prospects of winning at Jerez in his post-Sunday debrief at Portimao but can the magic come back for one final time with Kawasaki? Locatelli’s fourth in the Championship is virtually a done deal but perhaps there’ll be a surprise behind.

SPICY BATTLE FOR FIFTH: Bassani being reeled in by Rinaldi

With contrasting form in recent rounds, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) are pretty tight for P5 overall, something that looked like ‘El Bocia’s’ until his factory Ducati counterpart kickstarted his form after summer. Both of them are keen to snatch that fifth place; Bassani has held it pretty much since the opening round, whilst Rinaldi wants to prove that the next-best Ducati after Bautista is still the factory one, even if he’s not remaining there for next year. They’ve been bitter rivals all year, are going to see a showdown to end the year? 28 points further back, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) has his final chance to become a rookie winner in 2023 but he’s always fast at Jerez.

A HUGE FIGHT FOR P8: six riders, five points

It’s a huge fight for eighth in the Championship too and there could be some huge plot twists to come; it is currently held by Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), tied with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Lowes has a best Kawasaki result of P5 at Jerez whilst Vierge’s not raced there in WorldSBK despite plenty of testing. One point behind them, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is likewise a point ahead of teammate Dominique Aegerter, with both having plenty of experience at Jerez from the MotoGP™ paddock days. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) is two points further back and has already raced a MotoGP™ bike at Jerez this year. One point further back of him, the in-form Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) could well finish eight in the standings and top BMW, a remarkable effort by the American.

FURTHER DOWN: Redding one of the key riders to watch

17 points adrift of Gerloff is the first of the factory BMWs, Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who is going into his final round with Shaun Muir’s squad before moving to Bonovo Action. He was a double winner for Ducati at Jerez back in 2020, whilst teammate Michael van der Mark found form at Portimao to return to the top ten and he’ll hope to finish the season strongly. Splitting the two, Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) is searching for a ride as Andrea Iannone is now confirmed with the team for 2024, whilst it’s a similar situation for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who remains on the market for next year.

POINTS TO PROVE: uncertain futures aim for one last 2023 sparkle

Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) won’t compete at Jerez and he’s just four points ahead of fellow rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), who is five ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team). His teammate Eric Granado hopes to score points in 2023 and this is his final opportunity to do so, as does Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO). Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) enjoys Jerez as he hopes to add to his tally before the year is out as well. IDM Superbike champion Florian Alt will make his WorldSBK debut with the Holzhauer Racing Promotion Honda team. None of the above riders have anything confirmed for 2024.

Get the FREE Official Programme here, catch-up on Portimao’s highlights and watch the season finale LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED with the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The sun is setting on the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and thus on one of the most iconic motorsport partnerships. Whilst the title race is alive up ahead of him, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) readies for his final dance in green and what a journey it has been. We look back on a stunning era below, with plenty of hair-raising moments in the history books.

RIGHT FROM THE START: spinning his first laps in 2014

People said that Rea’s first laps on the Kawasaki at an Aragon test in November were like watching a kid in a sweetshop or at Christmas; his pace was clear for all to see from the start, with him even saying himself: “I’m very excited, the initial impressions are quite positive and I’m enjoying it.” Plenty of tests later, Rea was the favourite for the season ahead and what would follow was breath-taking.

2015’S RECORDS: A year of firsts as Rea sweeps the floor

The Rea-KRT partnership started in style with a sensational first win in Australia on his Kawasaki debut, beating Aprilia’s Leon Haslam on an epic final lap. The season would roll on and Rea would take his first crown with five races to spare at Jerez – where the chapter will close. 14 wins for a whole season at the end and the birth of a rivalry with Chaz Davies, the Rea-era had only just begun.

2016’S SUCCESS: head-to-head battles and another title

After battles with Davies in 2015, they continued at the start of 2016 at Phillip Island, where Rea made it a double to start the year. More success came and whilst he was caught by teammate Tom Sykes and Ducati’s Davies and the title going to the last race of the year, Rea had it all under control to become the first British rider to take back-to-back titles since Carl Fogarty in 1998 and 1999.

2017’S TRIPLE: Rea makes WorldSBK history

Despite a new rule in the reverse grids for Race 2, meaning the winner of Race 1 would start P9, Rea was still able to overcome a new challenge and take the title with two rounds remaining, the first of three titles achieved at Magny-Cours. Bigger than that however; whilst Rea joined Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss as triple Champions, he was the first rider ever in World Superbike to do it consecutively.

2018’S FOUR OF A KIND: more than an ace up his sleeve

Coming into the season injured, perhaps the opposition had the initial jump on Rea; Marco Melandri took the last two wins of his career at the season-opening Phillip Island event but Rea wasn’t taking it lying down. He came back with a bang, surpassing Carl Fogarty as the rider with most wins at Brno before going on to win the last 11 races, setting a new record for straight wins a season. The title was sorted at Magny-Cours with the iconic card celebration – although no joker could derail his efforts.

2019’S COMEBACK KING: from 61 points down to title #5

Rookie Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) arrived to WorldSBK with great gusto, destroying the opposition in the opening 11 races of the season to match Rea’s record of the year before. However, Rea was back to winning at Imola but the gap was still 61 ahead of Jerez’s Race 2. Bautista crashed at the following four rounds, blew his Championship lead whilst Rea stormed to the title against the odds, clinching it at Magny-Cours.

2020’S NEW RIVAL: Rea triumphs over Redding for final Kawasaki title

Nobody thought it at the time but 2020 would be Rea’s last title in green; he started the season with a crash at Phillip Island and had to fight rookie Scott Redding on Ducati, Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu and KRT teammate Alex Lowes in the early stages of 2020. However, Rea dug deep, won more races, capitalised on opposition mistakes and on WorldSBK’s Estoril return, bagged his last title (for now).

2021’S HEAVYWEIGHT RIVALRY: Razgatlioglu dethrones the King, back to #65

From a last lap showdown – later decided in the Stewards’ room – at Magny-Cours – to a stunning opening lap battle in Barcelona’s Superpole Race, Rea and Razgatlioglu left nothing on track. We got what we deserved: a master vs apprentice showdown at the brand-new Mandalika venue in Indonesia, where the title went to Toprak. For Rea, the highlight of 2021 was the 100^th win of his WorldSBK career at the season-opening Aragon round, the first rider to achieve this in WorldSBK.

2022’S BIRTH OF THE TITANIC TRIO: Rea continues to be a contender

With Bautista back at Ducati after two years at Honda and Razgatlioglu with the #1 on Yamaha, 2022 was the greatest hits of the three years previous. For Rea, Estoril was as an instant highlight as he stormed to a Sunday double, beating Razgatlioglu in the Superpole Race and resisting Bautista’s offensive in Race 2 in a final lap classic. Astonishingly, Race 2 remains Rea’s last dry-race win.

2023’S STRUGGLES TO STRATEGIC MASTERCLASS: another venue ticked off on the win list

2023 hasn’t been Jonathan Rea’s season. Bautista and Ducati elevated the level and Razgatlioglu at times seemed the only one who could go with the Spaniard. For Rea, a first dry podium didn’t come until Assen at the third round but it would be Most where the scenes of celebration burst through. A masterful flag-to-flag ride saw Rea take a first – and so far only – win of the year.

END OF THE ERA: Rea’s nine seasons of success with Kawasaki come to a close

Ahead of the next round in France, it was announced that Rea would move to Yamaha for 2024, replacing BMW-bound Razgatlioglu. The “excitement” that Rea started his KRT tenure with never faded and perhaps should be met with his quote from his first interview after the announcement of his Yamaha move: “My childhood dream was to be World Champion and I’ll always remember my time with Kawasaki as the people who gave me the chance to fulfil a childhood dream.”

REA’S KAWASAKI STATS: the greatest rider of all-time for the team in green

Starts: 270

Wins: 104

Podiums: 220

Poles: 39

Fastest laps: 93
Front row starts: 88

Total points: 4,573

Watch the season finale LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED with the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com