The FIM and Dorna WSBK Organization (DWO) have announced updated rev limits in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship category, starting from this weekend’s event at the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round.

After receiving the analysis of the relative performance of the machines over the first three rounds of the 2023 season, the maximum rev limit for Ducati will be decreased by 250 rpm – as per article 2.4.2.2-3* of the regulations. Also starting from this weekend, Kawasaki has elected to use 5 concession points to benefit from a 250 rpm rev limit increase as per article 2.4.3.3 of the regulations.

*The rev limit may be updated (according to Art. 2.4.2.3) at the end of every 3rd event provided at least 3 events remain in the season.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is well up and running as round four from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya comes into view with the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. Get instant thoughts at the reigning World Champion makes a major decision on his future, a sort-after seat is hotly contested and upgrades arrive for bring an ex-World Champion further into contention.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I’m so happy to keep racing… I asked Ducati for a MotoGP™ test, for sure we’ll do it”

“I’m so happy to keep racing with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati for 2024. It wasn’t an easy decision, as I feel I am in one of my best moments of my career. However, in my personal life with my two daughters becoming older, the family is more and more important. However, at the end, we took the decision to keep racing for at least one more season and try to keep this feeling and fun with the bike. In 2022, I signed one more year for 2023 and then one more for 2024, so I just go year by year. I don’t have any intention to know how many years I can be here, it’s just in the moment. I don’t have a preference for my teammate, it’s not an easy decision for Ducati as many riders want to ride this bike, but it’s not my problem! I asked to Ducati to have a MotoGP™ test but like a prize for winning the WorldSBK title. For sure, we will do it but it will be very soon, before the summer break.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “We have some new parts… kudos to all the crew and Kawasaki”

“When the temperatures rise, this is a circuit that consumes the front quite a lot and it’s an area we can’t hide behind and it’s a weak spot of the bike. We had a great test a few weeks ago where we learnt a lot and we found that at Assen, the bike was working quite well too. We have some new parts that have arrived; chassis items that we hope to be able to help in this area. It’s a new item that we haven’t had the option to test; it’s a chassis component which gives us more parameters to move the bike in. Kudos to all the crew and for Kawasaki reacting. We just need to understand on Friday morning that if this compromise allows us to be fast. Everyone’s been working so hard to try and improve the bike. Let’s see what the weekend brings, I’m not pessimistic to start.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “Kenan’s looking and working for next year; everybody asks why I don’t go to MotoGP™…”

“It wasn’t an easy round for us where we tried to fight for the wins, but it wasn’t possible. Alvaro was very strong. We come to the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit; I’ll just try and do my best again this weekend. This is not my job; I am just looking at my job and trying to ride my bike very well. Kenan’s looking and working for next year. Now, I am focused on my job this weekend and this year. We will see, we have options, but everybody asks why I don’t go to MotoGP™. It’s not easy. We need to understand. It’s not possible to say now yes or no. This year is important for me because it’s possible we’re fighting for the Championship and the gap is not far.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I’m not worried about Axel, Danilo or Nicolo… if I do my job, I won’t lose my seat”

“Barcelona is one of my favourite tracks; we tested here before and it was successful as we were able to try many different items that can bring us to the front this weekend. Assen was difficult so first of all, I want to get back to my feeling with Panigale V4 R and then we’ll see. For me, it’s too early to talk about 2024, as we’ve only done three rounds. In the factory team, you need results, but everyone is like me and in the same situation. I’m not worried; I know we can be at the front all the time. Assen has been one round that we need to understand what happened, but it’s one race apart. This year, I’m stronger than last year, so I’m not worried, will try to do my best, with more podiums and try to win a race. I think all the grid want my bike so I’m not worried about Axel, Danilo or Nicolo! Nicolo is doing a great in WorldSSP and I wish him all the best to win the Championship as he’s a good guy and he deserves it. If I do my job, I won’t lose my seat; it’s all on my shoulders and not the results of others.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “I hope the factory team starts to watch me and after, calls me! I want a factory Ducati; it’s my first goal.”

“I’m really happy to be back in Barcelona. I like the track, the last three years we had really good races, so I feel good. We arrive from Assen and we did a really good two races, twice in the top five. We are really close to the podium and I hope to continue on this path and defend my fourth place in the Championship. I hope I can get the podium, but there are really strong riders. From my side, I try to push 100% to get a factory bike. To try and battle for a Championship, you need a factory bike. I hope the factory team starts to watch me and after, calls me! I want a factory Ducati. It’s my first goal. If it’s not possible to go to the factory Ducati, I’m happy to go to another factory.”

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “I think we can fight for a podium”

“It was unbelievable to go back to the MotoGP™ paddock again, meeting with old friends and old rivals and jump again on a MotoGP™ bike. The feeling was really good and I’m really happy. I don’t want to talk a lot because last time, I said Assen would be good because last year I was on the podium and this year we struggled a lot but it’s true, in the test, we went very fast and were very competitive. I think it’s one of the best tracks for us. It’s a good track for us, for Honda, so I hope we can do well. I think we can fight for a podium if everything goes in the way we hope.”

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “We have quite high expectations with the feet on the ground”

“I think Iker did a really good job, of course it’s an amazing opportunity but, at the same time, it’s not an easy one. This is a track that our bike fits well and we are strong here. We had a two-day test here and that went really well. We have quite high expectations with the feet on the ground, but we know we have some potential and we will give our best from the beginning to fight in the top positions. I’m completely focused on now; I’m so happy with Honda. We have a job to do to fight for wins, but I think we are on the right path. We’ve seen some potential this year, we achieved the podium and the goal is to be on the box again as soon as possible.”

Marc Bongers (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director): “Without Mickey being here, it’s a further deficit… fighting for the podium will be too optimistic”

“Michael is starting to recover, and he feels well with the rest. It’s still too early to give an indication of when he will be back, but we wish Michael all the best. With such a big injury, we have to wait and see when he can return. From our side, there are no expectations on Ivo. He should be given the chance; we’ve been in contact with him previously during Michael’s injury. Low grip tracks for us are, in general, more difficult. Without Mickey being here, it’s a further deficit. The test was quite positive for us, but we’ll have to see where we’re at. I think fighting for the podium will be too optimistic.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend for the 2023 Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round with contract news dominating the talk on Thursday, following the announcement that Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) would remain with the team in 2024. With Bautista’s future confirmed, attention now turns to who will join him in the factory Ducati squad next season.

THE INCUMBENT: will Rinaldi remain with Ducati?

Michael Ruben Rinaldi joined the factory Ducati team in 2021 after a race-winning campaign with the Independent Ducati Team GoEleven squad in 2020. Three wins in 2021 made for a solid if unspectacular season when he finished fifth in the standings, but he went winless throughout 2022 and only scored four podiums compared to seven the year before. In 2023, Rinaldi has shown strong pace, with two podiums in the dry races in Australia and fourth in Indonesia Race 2 after leading for most of it. However, he had a difficult weekend at Assen with a best result of tenth and in the wet in Australia he finished 14^th. There was also a non-score in Race 1 at Mandalika when he collided with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) at Turn 1 on Lap 1.

Discussing his future, Rinaldi said: “For me, it’s too early to talk about 2024 because we have only had three rounds. When you are in a factory team, you need results. Everybody’s like this. I’m not worried, I know that we can be at the front as always. I think the whole grid wants my bike! I’m not worried about Bassani, Danilo or Nicolo. I’m happy Nicolo is doing great in WorldSSP and I wish him all the best to win the Championship because he’s a good guy and he deserves it. If I do my job, I will not lose my seat. It’s all on my shoulders, not on everybody else’s results.”

THE CONTENDERS: who could join Bautista if it isn’t Rinaldi?

One rider who has made a name for himself in his short WorldSBK career so far is Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who has made no secret his desire for a factory seat. Speaking ahead of the Catalunya Round, Bassani spoke on his future and said: “I want to know my future but, at the moment, I don’t know what will happen. From my side, I try to push 100% to get a factory bike. To try and battle for a Championship, you need a factory bike. I hope the factory team starts to watch me after calls me! I want a factory Ducati. It’s my first goal. If it’s not possible to go to a factory Ducati, I’m happy to go to another factory. The plan is trying to win a Championship is good, I want to be on a factory bike. I don’t want to go to a factory team to be a second rider. I want to win.”

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) has enjoyed an impressive start to his rookie WorldSBK campaign as he fights consistently in the top ten on the Independent Panigale V4 R despite not being “100% comfortable” on the bike. In a feature interview, the two-time MotoGP™ winner for Ducati expressed his desire to be join a factory team so he could fight for the title. He said: “I’m here for this reason in WorldSBK, to at least try to win a race. I would like to join a factory team to see if I am able to win the Championship. I can’t quit my career without trying!”

From WorldSSP, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) recently tested a Panigale V4 R at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto and, when he spoke about the test, he revealed his ambitions for the future. He said: “I think, if I continue to be first in WorldSSP, my target is trying to get to WorldSBK because I think this is normal. If you win the first category, then, I think, you have to go to the second one. At the moment, no, but I would like to stay with Aruba because I think they are a very good team, and also Ducati. They took me from Moto2™ at a bad moment in my career because I didn’t finish my career there in a good way, but they believed in me; they gave me a very good team and a very good bike. I would like to stay with them and try to make my first year in WorldSBK.”

DUCATI’S THOUGHTS: Foti, Bautista share their feelings

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Team Manager, Serafino Foti, said when asked about Bautista’s teammate in 2024: “Our priority was to understand Alvaro’s decision. We don’t have a favourite rider, but the favourite rider is Rinaldi because he is our current rider. We aren’t in a rush. We have time to decide, to understand the performance of our riders and also understand what the best for our future is. Also, even Bulega is doing a really good job in WorldSSP. Let’s see. I think we will decide not now but in the middle of the season, in August/September. Every rider who wins the title in WorldSSP, their goal is to jump into WorldSBK.”

Bautista was also asked about who he would like as a teammate in 2024 and he said: “I don’t have a preference for my teammate next year. I have a really good relationship with Rinaldi, he’s a nice guy and also very strong on track. This year, it seems like he made a step forward. I always focus on myself and my team. It’s not an easy decision for Ducati because there are a lot of riders who want to ride this bike. Let’s see, it’s not my problem!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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.”

Stefano Cecconi, Team Principal at Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, added: “We are extremely happy to have extended our relationship with Alvaro and it will be a pleasure to continue a collaboration that has always been excellent both on a professional and human level. Alvaro has brought our team the first great success, the one we have been chasing since 2015, when we decided to embark on this fascinating adventure with Ducati; but instead of giving us only satisfaction, this success is spurring us to do even more. The determination and commitment that have allowed us to achieve this target have also ensured excellent results in the first three rounds of the current season: our common goal is, therefore, to continue in this direction in order to achieve other important successes together in the future.”

Luigi Dall’Igna, General Manager at Ducati Corse, said: “The world title win, but also the sensational start to the season that we have witnessed this year, are yet another demonstration of the magical moment that Bautista is going through. Alvaro is a very talented and experienced rider and with our Panigale V4 R, he has found a fantastic balance that currently allows him to make a real difference. We are therefore very happy to be able to continue with him in 2024. Now the goal is to stay focused on the current season and try to maintain this positive trend in the future as well.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has landed in Barcelona for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but some riders took a detour on Thursday to visit the Barceloneta promenade in Barcelona. Six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was joined by 2021 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) for the event on Barcelona’s stunning beachfront. Check out the best images from Barcelona in the gallery at the top of this article!

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The second round of the hotly contested 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship will get underway this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, alongside the fourth round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship.

The series’ opening races last month at the ‘Cathedral of Speed’ in Assen provided extremely close racing and unpredictable results as the 19 young contenders showcased their talent on board their R3 machines. Italy’s Emiliano Ercolani came out on top in Race 1, with Spain’s Marc Vich and Brazil’s Kevin Fontainha completing the podium.

In Race 2, with several penalties imposed for track limits infringements, the eventual winner was Gustavo Manso – the young Brazilian completing a great comeback after missing Race 1 with an ankle injury. His two compatriots, Eduardo Burr and Fontainha finished second and third. Ercolani took a solid fourth in Race 2, which gives him a six-point title lead heading into Barcelona.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya track hasn’t been featured on the R3 calendar since 2021, meaning that for the majority of the field it will be a new experience. In fact, of the 20 riders due to compete this weekend, only Vich and Burr have prior R3 racing experience at the complex Catalan track.

With fair weather expected throughout the event, and the usual fervent Spanish crowd cheering on the stars of the future, it’s sure to be another unmissable weekend of action in the championship.  

Follow the Live Timing via the WorldSBK App, and follow all the news on the WorldSBK website as well as via the Yamaha bLU cRU Official social media channels.

Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descends on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, all eyes are on Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ahead of the round. The reigning Champion has been dropping hints about his future in recent weeks and a press conference has been called on Thursday ahead of the round by the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad for Bautista.

Speaking on Thursday at the Pirelli Dutch Round, Bautista first hinted about his future when he said “I don’t have a clear idea about my future.” He was then asked about this in further detail on Friday when he explained his two options beyond the end of this season are staying with his family or the possibility of remaining with Ducati. During his media debrief during the Dutch Round, Bautista reinforced the idea about time with his family becoming more important.

Talks about Bautista’s future come at a time where the vast majority of the grid do not have their futures beyond 2023 in place, with only Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) having a contract for 2024. Now, ahead of track action starting on Friday, Bautista will hold a press conference at 15:00 Local Time (GMT+2) on Thursday.

Keep up to date with Bautista’s press conference on Thursday on worldsbk.com and WorldSBK’s social media channels! 

Source: WorldSBK.com

While the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship had a weekend off between the Dutch and Catalunya Rounds, MotoGP™ was in full swing in southern Spain at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Spanish Grand Prix. During the weekend, five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo sat down to discuss WorldSBK, a potential move to the MotoGP™ paddock for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) as well as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) seasons.

ADVICE GIVEN, CHALLENGES LAID OUT: what would Lorenzo say to Razgatlioglu?

Lorenzo claimed three MotoGP™ World Championship titles for Yamaha in 2010, 2012 and 2015 as well as two 250cc World Championship titles in 2006 and 2007 and he spoke about what he would say to Razgatlioglu, as well as laying out the challenges he would face. Razgatlioglu has had two tests on the Yamaha M1 machine, at MotorLand Aragon and Jerez, with the first one heavily impacted by rain. His future, like a lot of the WorldSBK paddock, is not secured beyond the end of the 2023 campaign.

Discussing the advice he would give Razgatlioglu and the challenges the 2021 WorldSBK Champion would face, Lorenzo said: “What can he lose? I think he will always have open doors in WorldSBK to come back in case he doesn’t make it to be a winner or Champion in MotoGP™ but he needs to try. His talent is so big, he needs to give it a try and try to find the best option possible, in the best team he can get. If he’s not good, like Ben Spies for example who wasn’t as good as everyone expected, he can return to WorldSBK.

“I think he will find a way to be competitive on a MotoGP™ bike. It’s a matter of time. Obviously, MotoGP™ bikes have become so complex, you need to manage so many things compared to 20 years ago that all the small details are very important and you need a lot of experience to understand everything and to put together all the pieces to be competitive. He will need some time, but he could not be so aggressive with a MotoGP™ bike compared to a WorldSBK bike, because it’s a completely different type of bike.”

THE PERFECT MATCH: hoping Bautista and Ducati stay together

Bautista made his WorldSBK debut in 2019 with Ducati before switching to Honda for 2020 and 2021. He returned to Ducati in 2022 and he claimed his first WorldSBK Championship last year after a thrilling battle with Razgatlioglu and Rea, with the trio often not separated on track. Bautista’s form has continued in 2023 with the reigning Champion winning eight of the nine races held so far this season.

Lorenzo spoke about the Bautista-Ducati combination, saying: “Having everything match is like when you find the ideal match for you. Everything is easy. His riding style matches completely to the WorldSBK Ducati bike, which is very strong on the straight. He’s very small so he can be so fast on the straight but also be competitive in the corners. It’s a very difficult target for the rest of the teams and the riders so I hope they still stay together for a very long time, because they match perfectly.”

TAKING MORE RISKS: Lorenzo on Rea in 2023

While the race wins in 2023 have been shared between Bautista and Razgatlioglu, Rea has been fighting with them in the early stages of races before dropping back and has three podiums from nine races this season. Despite bringing an engine upgrade for 2023, Rea is yet to stand on the top step of the podium this year and it’s a situation Lorenzo related to when other manufacturers made a bigger step forward.

Discussing Rea in 2023, Lorenzo said: “I was in this situation a little bit in the past, especially in 2011. Honda made a clear step forward with their seamless gearbox that they were so fast on the straight, and I was trying to risk a little bit more with the Yamaha and I had many crashes. I had a terrible crash at Phillip Island and lost part of my finger. Everything becomes more complicated when you need these extra two or three tenths. Like Marquez, with the Honda and it looks like it’s also happened with Rea especially because Bautista and Toprak are very good riders and they have a very strong package. If your bike is a little bit weaker that year and you have very strong rivals, if you want to win, you have to take more risk.”

ON THE CATALUNYA ROUND: “spectators will see a great show”

WorldSBK heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Round 4 of the season, the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, this weekend. Lorenzo discussed the upcoming round and gave his thoughts on what might happen, as well as taking a trip down memory lane to remember some of the riders he watched when he was younger.

He said: “It’s nice to see WorldSBK again at Montmelo which is a really interesting track. Actually, I really love WorldSBK races. When I was a kid, I was following WorldSBK in the era of Carl Fogarty, Slight, Scott Russell and all these riders. Haga, Corser, Edwards… it was like a golden time for WorldSBK and it looks like now, WorldSBK is growing so much. Interesting races, interesting riders and now, in Montmelo, spectators will see a great show. I’m going to follow the Championship until the end.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

While race victories have been shared between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) so far in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, one rider has been impressing with his strong pace and consistency this season. Andrea Locatelli, teammates to Razgatlioglu, as the only rider to record a top-five finish in every race and challenging for podiums consistently. However, one thing still remains out of reach for the Italian is his first WorldSBK victory and he recently sat down to discuss the 2023 season, his strong start, aiming for a victory and his future.

BOUNCING BACK: difficult 2022, excellent start to 2023…

Locatelli is now in his third season in WorldSBK after he took the WorldSSP title in 2020 in dominant fashion with 12 wins in 15 races. Promoted to the factory Yamaha seat for 2021, he took four podiums in his first season and helped Yamaha to the Manufacturers’ Championship while Pata Yamaha took the Teams’ Championship and Razgatlioglu won the Riders’ Championship. Locatelli was fourth and finished as the highest-placed rookie. 2022, however, proved to be more challenging with only two podium finishes and a mid-season results slump. He ended the season strongly in Indonesia and Australia, with top-six finishes throughout, and has continued that run after three rounds in the 2023 season.

Looking back on 2022 and the start to his 2023 campaign, Locatelli said: “2022 was really difficult for me. Sometimes we lost the base setup a little bit, sometimes I lost the feeling with the bike a little bit. Now, I think we have a really good base setup. I have more experience so I can manage this situation, and this is the big improvement. 2023 started in a very good way. We scored some podiums and I’m really happy. It’s my third year in WorldSBK and I want to try to beat a little bit faster and closer to the front guys and to fight for the podium in every race. The focus during winter was important. We worked very well with Yamaha, we tried new parts on the bike, and we started the season in a very good way. I think I’m having my best year in WorldSBK and in my life.”

THE NEXT GOAL: a race win for Locatelli

Four podiums in three rounds in 2023 has Locatelli sitting third in the Riders’ Championship, 14 points behind teammate Razgatlioglu. He has already equalled his podium count from his rookie season and doubled it from last year with the majority of the season to go. He is yet to stand on the top step of the podium but, in 2023, has generally been closer to the race winner than in his previous two seasons. Locatelli will be hoping to claim his first victory in WorldSBK sooner rather than later.

Outlining his further goals, Locatelli said: “I think we made a really good step with the bike and I made a step with the feeling. I want to try to be in front in every weekend. The target is to continue in this way to get more podiums. I would like to win a race! What’s missing is difficult to say because I’m fighting with strong riders like Bautista, Jonny, Toprak and other riders. It’s never easy. I try to be ready in every weekend because, maybe, one time we have a good situation, a good opportunity, so we need to be ready to be there to fight for the win. The gap is not too far from first place. I’m ready and I’ll try to fight in every weekend to be fast and then, I think, we can get the first win.”

THE FUTURE: looking at 2024 and beyond

Locatelli has spent three seasons with the Pata Yamaha squad since winning the WorldSSP title and has had Razgatlioglu as his teammate in that period with the pair often seen working together in free practice sessions as well as the Tissot Superpole session. Talk about the future is already beginning in WorldSBK with pretty much the entire grid out of contract at the end of the 2023 season, including Locatelli and Razgatlioglu.

Locatelli addressed his future in the interview and also spoke about his relationship with Razgatlioglu, saying: “I think it’s a bit early to speak about the future now. We have a lot of races to come. The first part of the season started very well so this is one point for me. We will see what happens. In my mind, I don’t have anything; just keep working and try to get more podiums and try to be fast on track. With Toprak, we have a special relationship inside the box. From the first day, we were always working together. We will see what happens but if Toprak stays with me in Yamaha, I’ll be really happy. In any case, I need to be focused on my objectives and on my side and working with my group.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rolls into Barcelona for the 2023 Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, Pirelli have unveiled their tyre solutions for the round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and teams and riders will have a new front compound to use throughout. Pirelli will debut a new soft compound front tyre in Barcelona which will be in development throughout 2023 with the aiming of making the SC0 tyre a standard solution in 2024.

NEW FRONT TYRE: SC0 front to debut in Spain

The SC0 soft compound front tyre is the first soft front tyre developed by the Italian company for WorldSBK and is designed to help balance the bike with the soft rear solutions which offers very high grip levels. Each rider will have six of the SC0 front tyres available to them throughout the Catalunya Round, while they will also have eight each of the standard SC1 medium compound and standard SC2 hard compound as well as standard intermediate and full wet tyres in the event of rain; riders will have three sets of intermediates and eight sets of full wets.

DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE WITH THE SCX: two super soft compounds available

For the rear of the bike, there will be two SCX super soft solutions available. The standard SCX tyre is back, with eight available per rider, while the SCX-A development solution also returns. Named the B0800, it debuted in France last year and was also used in the 2022 Catalunya Round as well as at Mandalika and Assen this season. The SC0 soft compound is also available at the rear with five available per rider while, in the Tissot Superpole session and 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race, riders will be able to use the SCQ extra soft compound. Two full wet tyres are available in case it rains, the SCR1 and SCR2, as well as the intermediate compound.

PIRELLI SAYS: explaining the tyre choices

Discussing the tyres available in Barcelona, Giorgio Barbier, Motorcycle Racing Director at Pirelli, said: “In Barcelona we will witness what, in its way, can be considered a historic debut in these 20 years of Pirelli in Superbike: for the first time ever, the WorldSBK riders will have a DIABLO Superbike in the soft SC0 compound available at the front. After expanding the range in the past seasons with the introduction of rear solutions in soft compounds, such as the SCX in 2020 and the SCQ in 2022, and having worked on the new front SC1 and SC2, we now decided it was time to complete the range also working on a front in soft SC0 compound with the aim to balance the high level of grip offered by the new soft solutions introduced for the rear wheel. The riders have already had the opportunity to test this new front solution, in specification B1148, in the winter tests and in those held in Barcelona at the end of March but this will be the first time ever that they will have it available in a race weekend. The goal, in line with our philosophy of making the tyres used in the World Superbike available to all motorcyclists, is to develop this SC0 during the season and then make it a standard solution, therefore purchasable on the market, in 2024.”

CONTINUING TO TEST: WorldSSP riders have different sizes front tyres again

At Assen, an experiment started to evaluate a potential move to WorldSBK-size front tyres in the intermediate class and this will continue in Barcelona. The SC1-A medium compound, from WorldSBK, is available in the 125/70 size as well as the standard SC1 soft compound which is in the current 120/70 size. Also available will be the SC2 medium tyre with three available to riders for this compound, compared to seven each of the SC1 tyres. At the rear, riders can use the standard SCX super soft compound, with seven available, and the SC0 soft compound with six available to use. In case of rain, riders will have the intermediate and SCR1 full wet tyre for both the front and rear.

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Source: WorldSBK.com