Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) enjoyed his strongest MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round to date despite a Race 2 technical problem at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Fourth in the Tissot Superpole Race gave him his best result in his rookie season during the Pirelli Portuguese Round and he looked to build on this in the final battle of the weekend, but the technical problem dropped him out of contention before the halfway stage.

Gardner enjoyed one of his best weekends of his rookie season in Portugal as he showed strong one-lap and race pace throughout. He was ninth in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session after setting a 1’40.207s although he did have a faster lap time of 1’39.764s deleted due to it being set under yellow flags. For the Race 1 grid, the Australian was promoted to eighth due to a penalty for Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). In the opening race of the weekend, the #87 gained two places as he finished sixth, just six tenths behind Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in fifth.

Things got better for Gardner in Sunday’s Tissot Superpole Race as he went from ninth – ‘Loka’ started from third this time – to claim a top-four finish, his best in WorldSBK. He gained three places on the opening lap – including as Lowes and teammate Jonathan Rea crashed at Turn 5 in separate incidents on the first lap – and was fifth until Lap 9. Then, he passed Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) to take fourth and finish just three seconds away from a maiden podium. This gave him a good platform for Race 2, but a technical issue forced him to retire when he was running in the top seven.

Discussing his weekend, Gardner said: “It had been really great, up until Race 2. I started ninth in the Superpole Race, and I knew we could have a good race. We had our lap time deleted in Superpole so I knew I could go forward. I had a really good last two laps, fighting it out with Michael and Iker. I managed to get a good fourth and I was quite happy with that. I used that as a springboard into Race 2 and I was into third for a bit, but I was honestly missing a little bit of pace when the tyre was newer. The guys did get away from me a little bit. I started getting back in my rhythm and started closing up on Iker quite a lot. I think I could’ve had a really good pace towards the end of the race but not even halfway through, we had a little bit of a technical problem and I had to retire from the race unfortunately. It’s an unfortunate away to end but a positive weekend overall.”

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One round remains in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after a rollercoaster of emotions swept through the paddock at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in southern Portugal. As always, stats were everywhere you looked and stories were written with each passing number. We’ve put them all in one place for you to enjoy, with some heavy hitters throughout.

262/220 – 262 career podiums for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in Race 1, his 220^th for Kawasaki.

56 – 56 wins for Ducati means Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is now the rider with the most wins for Ducati in WorldSBK, surpassing Carl Fogarty who is on 55.

43 – 43 poles for Rea in WorldSBK, level with Troy Corser.

31 – The 31^st podium of 2023 for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in Race 2 at Portimao, the most he’s had in a single season.

25 – 25 wins for Ducati in 2023, the most wins they’ve enjoyed in a single WorldSBK season.

23 – With 23 fastest laps in 2023, Bautista continues to set the record for most in a season.

23/9 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took a ninth podium of 2023, the most he’s had in a single season. It’s his 23^rd podium, equalling Akira Yanagawa.

16 – Bautista P1 with Razgatlioglu in P2 happened 16 times in 2023, a record in a single season.

12 – For the 12th time in WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu missed out on victory by less than half a second in Race 2 at Portimao; the 11^th time happened in the Superpole Race, both to Bautista.

10 – Ten points-scoring finishes in a row for Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), the first time he’s achieved it.

7/8 – Seven straight top ten finishes for Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), his best streak since he achieved ten from the Superpole Race in Barcelona to San Juan’s Race 2 in 2021. In contrast, it’s been eight races without a top ten for Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Gerloff is now the top BMW in the standings in his first season with the Independent Bonovo Action team on 135 points compared to Redding’s 118. Gerloff is just five points off the top eight in the standings.

6 – Six poles for Jonathan Rea at Portimao, the joint-best for him along with six at Magny-Cours.

5 – A top five for Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in the Superpole Race with P5, a first since Most’s Race 1.

4 – Fourth for Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in the Superpole Race, the first top four for Australia since Troy Corser was P3 for BMW at Misano in Race 1, 2010 – his last rostrum.

2 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) led two laps at Portimao in Race 1, the first laps he has led since Phillip Island’s Superpole Race in 2022. He’s led a total of 60 laps in his WorldSBK career.

2 – Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) is the first rider in history to take two titles in the class.

1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) is the first FIM Supersport World Championship for Ducati in their second season back in the class.

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock descended on the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve last weekend and it was a weekend for Ducati to celebrate. The Italian brand wrapped up the Manufacturers’ Championship in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP on Saturday during the Pirelli Portuguese Round. Perhaps Twocati would be more appropriate given their double Manufacturers’ Championship celebrations at the weekend but, terrible puns and wordplay aside, it was a memorable achievement for Ducati especially given their WorldSSP crown came in only their second season back.

DEFENDING THEIR TITLE: a second successive crown in WorldSBK

After taking the 2022 title, when they claimed it from Yamaha, Ducati set out to retain it in 2023. A new Panigale V4 R was introduced and that bike, in the hands of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, has won 25 out of a possible 33 races this year with one round spare (although the Manufacturers’ Championship was won with their 23^rd win of the season, in Race 1 at Portimao). Bautista has 24 of them as he goes in search of a second Riders’ Championship in two years. Rinaldi’s sole win came at MotorLand Aragon as he took advantage of his teammate’s crash to win the race. It means Ducati now have 19 titles to their name, 13 more than their nearest competitors.

THE OTHER CONTRIBUTORS: Ducati’s Independent stars shine

On the rare occasions where Ducati’s factory riders faltered, two Independent stars were there to pick up the baton for the manufacturer. Kawasaki-bound Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) both scored valuable Manufacturers’ Championship for the factory. Bassani was top Ducati on two occasions – when he finished fifth in the Tissot Superpole Race at Mandalika and second at Imola – while ‘Petrux’ was on one occasion, when he took third at Most in Race 1.

TWO SEASONS AND A RETURN TO THE TOP: WorldSSP title goes to Bologna

With the introduction of a new ruleset for 2022, Ducati returned to WorldSSP with their Panigale V2 machine. They finished second in the Manufacturers’ standings with no wins and 17 podiums, but with a year of experience under their belt, 2023 was a different story. 15 wins so far this year meant they secured the Manufacturers’ Championship – their first in WorldSSP – with three races to go, having won it in the same race Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) won his title. Bulega took 14 wins for Ducati with the other coming from Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team), who was top Ducati on three occasions: Mandalika in both races, including his Race 2 win, and Barcelona in Race 2 when he was sixth. Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) also contributed to the Manufacturers’ standings with his seventh in Race 2 at Most.

DUCATI SAYS: “a special thank you to our riders, who with their results, have allowed us to reach these goals”

Reflecting on Ducati’s 2023 success, Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager said: “Today is a really important day for us. For the second consecutive year, Ducati are the best manufacturer in WorldSBK with the Panigale V4 R, but not only that. The Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider Nicolo Bulega was crowned World Supersport Champion and for the first time we too are Champions in WorldSSP with the Panigale V2, which made its debut in the World Championship last year. We are extremely proud of these results, a sign of the great commitment we have always put into the production-based World Championship. I thank all the men and women at Ducati Corse who, with passion, did their job impeccably. Congratulations to Nicolo and his team for this incredible success and a special thank you to our WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders, who with their results, have allowed us to reach these goals. Now we just have to stay focussed: the WorldSBK riders’ title is still open, and we will do our utmost to defend the title obtained by Alvaro last year.”

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Saturday at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve will be a day that Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) won’t forget. Victory in Race 1 in the FIM Supersport World Championship enabled him to clinch his first title. Following his incredible achievement during the Pirelli Portuguese Round, top Ducati personnel who have been involved in Ducati’s WorldSSP project, as well as Bulega’s 2024 teammate, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), have reacted to his stunning success.

A JOURNEY TO THE TITLE: Foti leads Bulega plaudits after ‘difficult moments’

Saturday was a day of celebrations for Ducati. They won the Manufacturers’ Championship in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP, as well as Bulega claiming his title and Bautista winning Race 1. Speaking about the day, and Bulega’s journey to be Champion, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Manager, Serafino Foti, said: “It was an amazing day because we won the Manufacturers’ Championship in WorldSBK, Alvaro won the race and Nicolo won the Manufacturers’ and Riders’ titles in WorldSSP. This title for him is amazing. He had a difficult moment in the last two or three years. From our point of view, he was the best rider, and he won the Spanish championship in the past. He did a really good job this year. He won 14 races. I would like to congratulate all the team, all the people around this project and all the people from Ducati who worked at home. He was a talent. If you saw the story, he was a talent and he was in the VR46. I remember two years ago, when Alberto Martinelli, his manager, called us and I said, ‘why not?’. If you know the story, if you understand racing, you can’t forget the results in the past. It was a hard challenge but now we are here to enjoy it.”

CECCONI’S VIEW AFTER STUNNING SEASON: “The level of the competitors was high!”

Team Principal Stefano Cecconi was jubilant for both team and rider, saying: “We were hoping for this, but it’s never easy to get the result. You’re nervous until the last lap so now we are enjoying the moment but the whole day was tough! At the beginning, there were many things that were completely unknown for us. A new Championship, a new bike, and a new rider who we didn’t know before. We used the first season to get some experience and to learn a lot about what to do. In the second season, we had the goal to do better than the first one. The level of the competitors was high even if, compared to last year, some of them moved to WorldSBK. Manzi and the others are really strong. It wasn’t an easy season, and nothing is free. Nicolo and the team did a perfect job.”

BAUTISTA ON HIS 2024 TEAMMATE: “An almost perfect season… I expect him to be fast from the beginning”

Reigning WorldSBK Champion and 2023 Champion-elect Bautista spoke with pride about Bulega’s success after the Italian clinched the title. He said: “I think it’s been an almost perfect season. He won a lot of races, and, for me, he was the strongest rider in the category. Congrats to him because he did really well in the second year with a new bike, with the Ducati. His riding style is aggressive, maybe because he’s a bit big, and you see him riding aggressively. He’s very precise. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, he’s very consistent with his lap times in a race and he worked really well with the team. I know his work method. He’s a very complete rider. I think he has a good level and he’s done a lot of tests with the WorldSBK machine, with the test team. He did really well, he impressed the Ducati guys because he went very fast at many tracks. I expect him to be fast from the beginning. It’s nice to have more riders with talent like him in this category because it makes the Championship, and the level will be higher.”

“HE RODE THE BIKE VERY GENTLY AND EVERYTHING SEEMED SIMPLE” – Zambenedetti

Ducati Corse’s Technical Coordinator, Marco Zambenedetti, added: “It’s an incredible day and a pleasure to represent the Ducati family. I want to see thank you to everyone, in the team in Bologna and everywhere else. Nicolo has had an incredible season. He rode the bike very gently and everything seemed simple. This is the feeling that we usually have when a rider is very fast and has everything under control. We are grateful to him for this title. We will enjoy having him in WorldSBK next year. Last year, we had one year of warming up to take some reference for the rider and the teams. I think, this year, we got back all the work done.”

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Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) bounced back from a difficult Saturday to climb onto the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium in Race 2 at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. He finished third, behind teammate Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) as he got the best seat in the house for their epic duel (if you want to catch up on it, or watch it again, click HERE) as he took a podium for the third time in six races despite some bad luck during the Pirelli Portuguese Round.

In Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session, Rinaldi was 13^th at the flag after setting a 1’40.385s but he had a faster time of 1’39.724s deleted as it was set under yellow flags at Turn 13. It proved he had more pace available to him, but he was unable to use it to full advantage in the 15-minute Superpole session. However, he did gain one position on the Race 1 grid. With Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) forced to start at the back of the grid, the Ducati star lined up 12^th.

In Race 1, the Aragon winner just a week ago moved himself into seventh by the end of Lap 7 before his race unravelled. He had a technical issue with his Panigale V4 R which forced him to retire and not be rewarded for his excellent early-race pace. In the Tissot Superpole Race, Rinaldi started from 13^th, with ‘Loka’ back on the front row, but finished the 10-lap battle in sixth to secure a second-row grid slot for Race 2 as he looked to salvage something from a difficult weekend.

While Bautista and Razgatlioglu were scrapping it out non-stop for 20 laps ahead, Rinaldi had worked his way up to third to give him the best view of the action. He moved into fifth on the opening lap before passing both Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Locatelli. From there, the #21 was able to gap the riders behind and stay close to the fighting duo ahead as he came home in third.

Explaining how he battled back for a podium, Rinaldi said: “It was a really good race. I pushed a lot to achieve this podium and, at one point in the race, I thought about getting in that fight for the win. I wasn’t able to, so I enjoyed the view! This weekend has been really unlucky. On Saturday, I was second in Superpole but then, because of yellow flags, they took away my time. It’s a shame because I had to start in 12^th in Race 1 and you start the race with that commitment to try to finish in a top position. After some laps, when I was improving my position, my bike had a technical problem and I had to retire because it was impossible to continue.

“On Sunday morning, our mentality was that I don’t have too many laps in the Superpole Race to try to fight for the win, but I had good pace, so I started to gain positions and get a good grid position for Race 2. We finished sixth and started Race 2 from there. In the second race, I gave my best. I’m happy about the podium but the regrets about twice losing an opportunity are a little bit more.”

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The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship may nearly be done and dusted for another season but the penultimate round at Portimao was absolutely breath-taking. The world reacted as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) put on an astonishing show which featured 35 passes for the victory and battle was completely unchained. An instant classic that reminded us all why we love motorcycle racing in the first place – as well as undoubtedly captivating new fans into our awesome sport – we look back at other elite battles that were just that little bit more special and still get our hairs standing on end.

Portimao Race 2, 2023 – two heavyweights go head-to-head and beyond the limit

Without a doubt, the best race of the season, perhaps in recent years, Race 2 from the Pirelli Portuguese Round will go down in history as one of the most unchained, unhinged and on the limit battles of all time. Doing everything in his power, Toprak Razgatlioglu knew what he had to do in order to stay in contention with Alvaro Bautista, with the Spaniard able to pass him or remain in contention himself with a brilliant final corner and top speed down the straight. In the end, 35 passes for the race lead occurred from lights out to the chequered flag and despite putting in the most extraordinary of efforts, Razgatlioglu was beaten by Championship leader Bautista on the final run to the line by just 0.126s, the 12^th time the Turk has been beaten by less than half a second. The scenes of dejection, elation, respect and sportsmanship in Parc Ferme afterwards were reminiscent of many before it, with one in particular springing instantly to mind.

Imola Race 2, 2002 – The Showdown

Otherwise known as ‘The Showdown’, Imola’s Race 2 from 2002 will long live in the memory for being the ultimate Championship decider. Colin Edwards, who at one time was 63 points down on long-time Championship leader and reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss with nine races to go, entered the final race of the year with a six-point lead after a sensational win streak in the final third of the year. In front of 90,000 fans, the battled played out from the start. The race had everything; drama, passion, passing, tension and tactics. For Bayliss to win the title, he had to beat Edwards and hope that teammate Ruben Xaus or another Ducati, such as Neil Hodgson, could push the Honda star back to third. With a handful of laps to go, Xaus was with them and the gap from first to third was less than a second, although the ‘Texas Tornado’ Edwards hit the front and pulled the pin. Despite it now increasingly unlikely that Bayliss could take the crown, both took their gloves off for a heroic final lap, eventually going the way of Edwards who took a second title. The scenes in Parc Ferme remain some of the most iconic in WorldSBK history. Watch our ‘Showdown’ documentary here!

Assen Race 2, 2007 – Bayliss beats Toseland in thrilling run to the line

Another classic involving Troy Bayliss, although this time, with a different rival five years later. WorldSBK’s youngest World Champion James Toseland was back to form in 2007 with Honda, three years after becoming the ‘underdog’ Champion in 2004 against teammate Regis Laconi. Early in the season at ‘The Cathedral of Speed’ Assen, the British star, from Sheffield, looked set for a career-first double, after the pair swapped and changed positions four times in the final lap and a half. On the last lap, a sensational move at the fast Hoge Heide in the final sector – like on the penultimate lap – saw the #52 ahead. However, he went deep on the brakes into the final chicane to prevent Australian Bayliss from attacking him at the iconic last overtaking opportunity but in doing that, compromised his exit. The result? A mad dash for the line which saw Toseland celebrating too soon, as Bayliss and Ducati boomed on by to take victory by 0.009s. The crowd were on their feet, the emotions raw in Parc Ferme but once again, the sportsmanship said it all.

Hockenheim Race 2, 1996 – a battle for the ages as Fogarty triumphs with Honda

1996 and the World Superbike season is wide open; Troy Corser is doing the business for Ducati, rookie John Kocinski is in contention from the start, Pierfrancesco Chili continues to put on a show for the fans and of course, being Frankie, take off his clothes and Aaron Slight for Honda is chasing a first title. However, where’s reigning double World Champion Carl Fogarty? A move away from Ducati to Honda saw him break up the winning partnership with Ducati in the search of a new challenge but it wasn’t going his way so far. Without a win or podium in the opening five races and also not the best of friends with title contending teammate Aaron Slight, ‘Foggy’ was seeing red by the time Hockenheim’s Race 2 was here. Five different race leaders, 13 overtakes for the lead and it came down to a final lap pass from Fogarty, who hit the front for the first time, into the stadium section against his teammate Slight, who tried to draft by on the run to the line but it wasn’t to be. Fogarty had delivered the goods for a first of four wins for Honda.

Estoril Race 1, 2022 – a sign of things to come

Another Portuguese thriller between two modern heavyweights; we opened the article with Bautista and Razgatlioglu and we will close it with them too. Estoril 2022 would be one of the best weekends of racing in WorldSBK history, with all three winning overtakes coming on the final lap. The race featured Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea and Yamaha’s Razgatlioglu pass each other some ten times, mostly at Turn 1 under braking, however, as they did this, Alvaro Bautista was getting closer and closer. Rea made a crucial error at the start of Lap 16 which dropped him behind Bautista, who was now threatening Razgatlioglu for the lead. On the final lap, the defending Champion led out of the final corner but a small wheelie combined with Bautista’s Ducati power was enough to give the victory to the Championship-leading Spaniard. Almost a carbon copy of what would come a year and a half later 315km south in the Algarve.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: plenty of shootouts with Jonathan Rea

We can’t have the ultimate face-offs without a mention to the special rivalry between Razgatlioglu and Rea, which peaked on two occasions: the first at Magny-Cours in 2021’s title race during the Superpole Race where a late penalty for exceeding track limits gave Rea the win and the second when they took each other out at Assen in 2022’s Race 2. Other head-to-heads include the opening races of both the 2010 season – the closest WorldSBK finish ever – and the 2020 season, Toprak’s first win with Yamaha. The Turk then had an epic shootout with Scott Redding for victory in the first ever race at Most in 2021, whilst back in 2000, it was all about Colin Edwards vs Noriyuki Haga for victory at Kyalami.

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Where to start? The dust has settled from a titanic Pirelli Portuguese Round and the title race in 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship remains mathematically alive. However, we witnessed one of the greatest WorldSBK races of all time on Sunday in Race 2 and that was grabbing the headlines in the media room post-race. All the emotions on show and clear in the quotes. Portimao’s hot headlines are bombshells, more than the usual apimentado throughout the rest of the year.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “The devil knows more being old than for being the devil… Toprak is one of the toughest rivals I have ever fought with”

Giving his own version of the epic Race 2 fight, Alvaro Bautista said: “Basically, Toprak had nothing to lose and he tried everything. Sometimes when I was behind, I tried for a couple of laps to not stay so close to him to cool down the front tyre. When you are too close, especially in the flowing section, the temperature comes up and you lose a bit of performance, so I wanted some space. I tried to close the doors a lot but he always put the bike inside! It’s normal, I expected this from him. It was great because we saw a Toprak without anything more than that. He did his best in every moment and many times, I thought ‘shit, if he crashes, I’ll go down with him’. He entered on the limit and almost every time, I had to pick the bike up otherwise we’d touch. I enjoyed it; I didn’t just stay in second until the end or try and get points for the title. I wanted to fight with him and beat him. It was like a normal race, not a race that can decide a lot of things.

“In Spain, we say ‘the devil knows more for being old than for being the devil’. I expected this move from Toprak, he knew I’d try on the last corner on the inside and already, in the morning, I was on the outside but he was using all the kerbs and I changed the line! In Race 2, I kept the outside because I thought maybe he’ll close the corner. Instead, I saw him not open more the gas more to stay inside, so then I said, ‘he’ll close the corner’. So, I went full throttle with the bike spinning a lot and I can carry more speed exiting on the outside.”

Finally, talking about where Toprak stacks up in terms of Bautista’s career rivals, he said: “I have had many, many riders. Marco Simoncelli, Valentino Rossi… maybe they weren’t all direct for the title but also with Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez. These bikes are different to MotoGP™. It’s not easy to fight with him as he’s very aggressive and he can move the bike easily and make manoeuvres very on the limit whilst having a lot of control. Toprak is one of the toughest rivals I have fought with.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Everyone knows that Ducati is the best bike… it looks like BMW has more speed on the straight, maybe we have more chance”

Anger, disappointment and determination were just some of the emotions for Toprak Razgatlioglu, who gave it his all in a pulsating Race 2: “Normally, my character is not like this but I wasn’t thinking good. I was just focused on winning. I saw the chequered flag and Bautista on the inside. I picked the bike up but my bike didn’t accelerate, so he passed me on the outside easily. If my bike starts spinning, I have no acceleration. On the last lap, I did what I thought was a good line. pick the bike up and open the gas. This time, no acceleration.”

Asked whether or not he thinks he’d have more chance aboard a Ducati and whether his switch to BMW would help, Razgatlioglu responded: “It’s better that I don’t talk. Everyone knows that the Ducati is the best bike; I am with Yamaha. It looks like BMW has more speed on the straight, so maybe we have more chance. If I adapt immediately, I think we have more chance of winning here and at many tracks.

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW): “I’m excited for what BMW has to bring”

Another stellar round for American Garrett Gerloff, who has found form with BMW: “I feel really good on the bike and we’ve made such a big step in general in the last few weekends. We’ve found a good window for the setup and we just move around within this. In the Superpole Race and Race 1, there were so many places where I felt stronger than the riders that I was trying to catch and pass, so I felt positive about that. Rinaldi was riding so well and once I passed Locatelli, I just couldn’t get to his wheel. I’m excited for next year and for what BMW has to bring for improvements on the bike. I am happy that they’ve been able to listen to me and what I think can improve the bike. Even though the season is ending, it’s nice to be ending in a strong place; I prefer to do this than start strong! I haven’t heard any plans for testing but if we do have to wait until December, then we’ll wait.”

Talking about the top speed of the BMW vs the Ducati of Michael Ruben Rinaldi ahead of him, Gerloff said: “I was never really able to get close enough but it seems like their acceleration is very good but our top speed is similar. I’d say we need to improve acceleration and grip right off of the corner. I think we’re not too bad in some places but with a bit more grip, I think it’d be good.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “A day to forget… I made a f*****g mistake, I saw today as a chance to win my last race with Kawasaki”

A Superpole Race crash and a Race 2 collision, Jonathan Rea had a nightmare Sunday that left him thinking about what might have been: “A day to forget. Two big mistakes, with the first one being in the Superpole Race. I committed to pass Andrea but he was closing, so in order to not put him at risk, I entered the corner a little bit faster, touched the kerb and that was the end of my race. It had a huge knock-on effect for Race 2 then, starting from P10. I arrived at Turn 3 alongside Bassani, got squeezed and ran out of track a bit too fast. I was on the front brake, the rear brake, trying to slow down, but then I hit Xavi Vierge. I saw him straight after the race to try and apologise because I destroyed his race. Also Scott Redding as well. I made a f****g mistake in the Superpole Race but I saw today as a chance to win my last race with Kawasaki. I don’t feel like at Jerez we have a chance. I was so pumped for the race and wanted to make it happen, but it wasn’t to be.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Maybe these will be the last races of my career”

When asked whether there were team orders at Ducati to help teammate Bautista wrap up the title, Michael Ruben Rinaldi responded, before talking about 2024: “No, not at all. They said to me you can win if you want! We are not in the last race and the points between Alvaro and Toprak aren’t big. You can’t pass your teammate like crazy but it’s always like that. I’d like to find a good solution for my future. It’s strange that for a rider who scored podiums – nine this season – and the only rider to get a win in two years except the top three, someone proposed me a bike but without a salary. The mechanic gets a salary but I don’t. I don’t want a million euros like some riders or something crazy but at 27, with my results, I must have something that respects me. Let’s see if I find a good deal, I’ll race again next season and if not, then I don’t. Maybe these will be the last races of my career.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Bikes without wings don’t push down… we lose speed between the finish line and braking”

Sharing his thoughts on another area where some bikes struggle, Andrea Locatelli spoke of aerodynamics: “We have a good bike and we try to be strong and recover in the corner. It’s the one place where we can because in the straight we lose; It’s clear when we watch it on the TV. We need to work and be faster in the corners to close the gap. This is my approach. It’s important here too because onto the straight, we have the rise and for sure, the bikes without wings don’t push down and we then lose speed between the finish line until the braking.”

ONE ROUND REMAINS: the 2023 title is on the line; watch for €9.99 with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Yamaha star was back on the podium for the first time in 12 races with his third in the Superpole Race

Source: WorldSBK.com

The American star was on top form again as he took two fourth place finishes in Portugal and is now the lead BMW rider in the standings

Source: WorldSBK.com

All the emotions were shown after a race that will live long in the memory as Bautista and Razgatlioglu battled hard on Sunday

Source: WorldSBK.com