2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round 13 Indonesia, Mandalika

From Friday 19th to Sunday 21st November 2021, the Circuit of Mandalika, located on the Indonesian island of Lombok in Indonesia, will host the final round of the 2021 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship. The track is 4.310 Kilometres long and includes seventeen turns, of which eleven are to the right and six to the left, on top of a start-finish straight 507 metres long.

35 races, 12 circuits, five different winners but only one thing to left to decide: who will be crowned champion?  The final round of a sensational season is on the horizon, with all the twists and turns up to this point making for a grand finale.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) leads the way into the Pirelli Indonesian Round.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is second, 30 points adrift but has three races to keep his crown for a seventh straight season in what would be one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever seen.

In a rivalry that has raged all season, this is the final hurdle: Razgatlioglu vs Rea and the showdown that’s been on everyone’s lips.

It’s been a phenomenal season of racing, but Toprak Razgatlioglu has raised the bar; despite not winning until the ninth race of 2021, he’s has racked up 13 wins and an astounding 28 podiums. He’s cemented himself as the rider to beat but the results are just the fruit of his hard work, as well as his never-give-in attitude. Never knowing when he’s beaten and fighting with resilient spirit, the 25-year-old Turk is on the verge of becoming World Champion, the first for Yamaha since Ben Spies in 2009. Will Toprak and indeed Turkey hold on for a first WorldSBK crown?

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“I am happy to be in Indonesia now, it is always interesting to come to a new track. Already I see some photos and videos of the layout and it looks fun to ride. It has been a great season with many big fights, many victories. Now we have three more chances to fight again for the win, and we will work in every session to find the best set-up for the races and always improve. This is my only idea, try to win and enjoy the races. After we will see the final result, but my focus will stay the same – to fight race by race!”

His team-mate, Andrea Locatelli – already rookie of the year – hopes to get fourth overall in the standings, being just eight points behind Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), whilst also aiming to help Toprak to the title and Yamaha to the Manufacturers’ Championship, as they lead Ducati by 16 points.

Andrea Locatelli

“Fortunately, it’s time to go back on track after waiting one month from Argentina! Now we have the last chance, the last round, and I’m so happy to try and conclude the season in the best way possible. For sure, it is important to learn the new track immediately and try to push the bike on the limit to finish with more positive results. It’s not easy, as I’ve said before it’s my first year, and every time when I come back to the bike after a big gap I need to spend a bit of time to return the “feeling” so it’s important to get this feeling immediately to try to push. It’s another important weekend for us and also the team, but we are ready to fight and try to close the season well!”

At Kawasaki, there’s still a chance of retaining the crown. Jonathan Rea’s season started strongly with a 100th win in WorldSBK at Aragon and he, like Toprak, has demonstrated great consistency and has won 11 races and also taken 28 podiums. However, costly errors at Donington Park, Most and notably Portimao, have put Rea on the backfoot. Despite this, Rea remains in touch and is in a position to pounce if Razgatlioglu can’t capitalise. Rea’s never been in this position before and the 34-year-old Ulsterman will do everything in his power to keep the crown.

Jonathan Rea

“After a few weeks at home preparing, I’m very excited to go to Mandalika and get the last round of the championship underway. I’m curious to see the circuit for the first time. First impressions from images I’ve found of it are great. It looks like a circuit that will suit the strengths of our ZX10-RR. We will work hard on Friday to learn the circuit and fine tune our settings. We will arrive there 30 points behind in the championship battle but we will fight to the end. I feel all the pressure is off now; I can ride free with nothing to lose and the target is clear. With three points scoring opportunities lying ahead I will give 100% to get the maximum possible.”

Team-mate Alex Lowes will be wingman, as he hopes to back-up Rea as both aim to give Kawasaki an opportunity of retaining their Manufacturers’ title. Lowes himself has a chance of sixth overall, 23 points behind Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).


Alex Lowes

“It’s the final race of 2021 and it’s been a frustrating year for me. I’m sure my speed with the ZX-10RR has definitely improved but I haven’t been 100% fit at all this season. We made the decision after Argentina to have some surgery, considering the long break we’ve had in the race action. Now the target is to be in better condition and finish the year strongly as we are already building for 2022. Mandalika is a brand new circuit and Indonesia is a country where the fans have a great passion for two wheels. Both of these reasons are why I’m so happy to be going there and I’m excited to get started. It would be great to finish the season on that podium.”

With the Riders’ Championship not featuring a Ducati rider, Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) may well be the one who can ride at ease the most. He’s currently third in the standings, something that at the bare minimum he will hold on to, but he’s also not too far away from Rea to take second. 36-points is the gap between Rea and Redding, meaning Rea has to score two more points than Redding in Race 1 to lock the Englishman out.

Redding and team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi have the job of keep Yamaha honest in the Manufacturers’ Championship too and may be the spoilers at the front and amidst the title battle. Redding hopes to leave Ducati on a high and win races, whilst Rinaldi looks to secure fourth overall, a respectable result after his first year in the factory team.

Whilst the battle for fourth is mainly a two-horse race, Michael van der Mark has a mathematical chance of snatching it in his first year aboard the all-new BMW M 1000 RR. 42 points back, van der Mark can’t achieve that fourth place without podiums but with a threat of rain looming large, the 29-year-old Dutchman is a contender.

Michael van der Mark

“It’s fantastic to go to Indonesia. It’s nice to have a new circuit on the calendar, especially in Asia. I love to go there. It’s also incredible that it’s the last round of the season already. I cannot wait to try the Mandalika circuit because it looks really nice from what I have seen. Getting to know a new track is not too difficult; it comes with doing the laps. I think that it will be a great season finale. We had some strong weekends this year and obviously that’s the same way we want to finish the season.”

Coming back for what could be his final round in WorldSBK, with no clear future on the horizon, Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) aims to sign off his three years at BMW well and take advantage of a neutral track, something which could see both BMWs fighting for good positions. BMW have one hand on fourth overall in the Manufacturers’ standings, something they aim to consolidate in Race 1.

Tom Sykes

“I’m very much looking forward to getting back on my BMW M 1000 RR. It has been a long time since I last raced and obviously we have a little bit of work to do to catch up. But having said that, I have to say that the excitement of going to a totally new venue is quite something, not only because Indonesia is a great part of the world. Everybody looks to be doing an incredible job on the new circuit of Mandalika. What a unique venue – to say the least. On top of that, it is located on a beautiful island so I am really looking forward to it. It is new for everybody and I have to say that it is going to be a little bit of a way to finish the season, but that’s another story. In general, it’s a great place to finish the season, and hopefully we can finish it with some strong results to end 2021.”

Team HRC head to Indonesia after announcing their 2022 line-up of Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge. Current riders Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) and team-mate Leon Haslam hope to end their season on a high; Bautista comes into the round after a tricky San Juan, but the bike has had podiums in 2021. The Spaniard’s final weekend with Team HRC will see him hope that a good showing proves that two years of development paid off. Bautista can snatch ninth place from Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the title and has a mathematical chance of seventh overall, making Mandalika vital.

Alvaro Bautista

“I am very excited for the last race of the year. It’s been around a month since the last round, which is a bit too long really, but I’ve had chance to spend some time with my family after a very intense period this summer. I’ve also been able to train well in recent weeks in preparation for a track that is new to everyone. I’m looking forward to going to Indonesia because there is a great passion for our sport there and a lot of fans. It is always exciting to discover a new track. I have seen some videos and it looks to be a great new track. I think it’s a good opportunity to enjoy the end of the season. On Friday we will focus on finding our references, both in terms of the riding and technically speaking, and we’ll need to work quickly so that we’re as prepared as possible for the races. I would like to finish the season with a good result for Honda so hopefully we can be fast and competitive in Indonesia.”

Team-mate Haslam hasn’t got anything signed for 2022, so like Sykes, this weekend has the potential to be his last one. Regardless, the ‘Pocket Rocket’ aims to build on four top ten results in the last six races to fend off Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) who is just three points behind.

Leon Haslam

“I’m really looking forward to Indonesia, for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a new track for everyone, which makes things exciting. It’s also the last round of the championship of course, as well as my final event with Honda. The new circuit looks like a fantastic place so I hope we can all enjoy it, and from what I’ve seen, I think the Honda might go well there too, around what is a more flowing layout. I’ve recently had shoulder surgery, so fingers crossed I’m in good shape as it would be really great to bid farewell to 2021 in a positive fashion, finishing the season on a high.”

As well as all the excitement in the factory teams, the battle for the Best Independent rider is still on and is tightening; Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) leads the way by 14 points from Axel Bassani, but the rookie Italian is snapping at the American’s heals. Bassani was in the podium battle in San Juan and will hope to capitalise at the new Mandalika venue.

Bassani is also in contention for a top seven overall, with Gerloff tied on points with Alex Lowes. Behind Bassani is Chaz Davies in 13th overall, having missed two rounds through injury. This will be Davies’ last weekend in WorldSBK, with the British rider hoping to end a career that’s seen him win 32 races and finish runner-up three times in WorldSBK in style.

Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is 14th overall as he faces the final round of his rookie season, four points ahead of Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).

WorldSBK Championship Points

WSBK Manufacturer Standings

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WorldSSP

Just one round remains in what has been an incredible WorldSSP campaign, with plenty to fight for up and down the grid

After 12 thrilling rounds in the FIM Supersport World Championship, the last dance of 2021 takes place at the Pertamina Mandalika Internacional Street Circuit as WorldSSP action returns to Indonesia for the Pirelli Indonesian Round. The battle for the Championship has been sown up but there is still plenty to fight for up and down the grid including the battle for the Championship ‘podium’ places behind Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).

While Aegerter was able to wrap up his first World Championship with a round to spare last time out in Race 2 at San Juan, meaning Indonesia is his first round as a World Champion, the battle for second and third is still on across the season-ending Indonesian Round. Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) is currently occupying second place in the Championship with 313 points and will be hoping he can withstand the challenge from Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) to maintain that position, with Gonzalez 38 points back with 50 available.

Both Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) and Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) have a chance of securing a top three Championship position too, with both on 241 points; 34 points behind Gonzalez. Cluzel has been in a rich vein of form since WorldSSP visited Portimao, claiming three victories, including a double win at San Juan, and one second place in the last four races. Oettl, who will graduate to WorldSBK in 2022 with Team GoEleven, will hope he can return to the rostrum after not visiting the podium since Jerez. His best result in the last four races has been eighth in Race 2 at Portimao.

One rider heading into the season-ending Indonesian Round has been Turkish star Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) with two podiums in Argentina on his first visit to the venue. While he dropped back from Cluzel at around the halfway stage of the opening race at San Juan, in Race 2 Öncü was able to stay with the Frenchman right until the closing stages as he challenged for his first victory in WorldSSP. At a venue where everyone starts from zero, could Öncü claim his first WorldSSP victory at Mandalika?

Just five points separate three riders in a battle for eighth place with all three riders able to fight for the podium throughout 2021. Federico Caricasulo will be with his third team of the 2021 campaign as he links up with VFT Racing for the final round of the season and currently heads this battle in eighth place, with the Italian on 142 points.

Just two points behind is 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher (CM Racing), who has been confirmed for the 2022 season with the same outfit. Krummenacher has been able to fight for strong results following a mid-season switch to CM Racing and will be hoping this allows him to overhaul Caricasulo for eighth place. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) is the last of the trio but only three points behind Krummenacher and a further two behind Caricasulo. After a string of top-ten results, including two podiums from Race 2 at Navarra to Race 1 at Portimao, De Rosa’s run ended with 14th in Race 2 at Portimao and two retirements in Argentina. He will be hoping to get back into a strong position in order to claim eighth place in the Championship.

Like in Argentina, Jeffrey Buis will compete for G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti in his second WorldSSP round, and he will also remain with the team for the 2022 season. At Yamaha MS Racing, Daniel Valle returns for his fourth appearance of the season in the Championship, while Andres Gonzalez is back with VFT Racing after making his WorldSSP debut in Argentina with the same squad. Christoffer Bergman (Wojick Racing Team) will need to pass mandatory medical checks in order to compete after he was declared unfit in Portugal and missed racing in Argentina.

WorldSSP Championship Points

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2021 WorldSBK Calendar

Round 13 Indonesia Schedule

Source: MCNews.com.au