CatalanWorldSBK: Bautista Secures Spain’s 80th WorldSBK Win

The weekend gone saw the completion of Round 4 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round and Alvaro Bautista [Aruba.it Racing – Ducati] came away with yet another hat-trick to his name. Bautista’s Race 2 win was monumental to say the least, as he took home Spain’s 80th triumph in the World Superbike Championship. Bautista’s win also marked his 43rd career victory, putting him on par with Noriyuki Haga in the all-time wins list.

Alvaro Bautista: “The weekend has been perfect. We won three races and each race was a bit different, especially the Superpole Race. It was a bit scary in the last few laps because it started to rain, but not regularly. It was sometimes raining in the first sector, the next lap in sector three, the next one in four and two… leading the way was quite difficult because you never knew what to expect, the amount of water is on the track, so I was discovering the track every lap. It was the longest three laps of my life! For Race 2, the conditions were similar to Race 1 but maybe the grip was a bit lower because of the rain in the morning. I understood the track and I can keep my pace. I’m really happy especially to win three races here in Spain, in front of all the fans and my family, is always more special.”

While in Race 2 it was looking promising for Michael Ruben Rinaldi and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team to see out Round 4 with a Ducati 1-2, Toprak Razgatlioglu’s hard charge on the final lap saw the 2021 Champion take home second-place, followed closely by Rinaldi in third.

As with Bautista, Razgatlioglu too etched his way in the Yamaha history books, with his Race 2 podium marking the 400^th for Yamaha in WorldSBK.

In Race 1, Jonathan Rea of the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK took his 249th career podium, adding to his impressive record. However, Rea’s chances of reaching his 250th podium were dashed as he crashed out of third place on the final lap of the Superpole Race. This missed opportunity would have made Rea the first rider to achieve such a feat. Rea eventually finished fifth in Race 2, who couldn’t quite match the speed of his Kawasaki Racing Team teammate of Alex Lowes who finished Race 2 in P4.

Australian rider Remy Gardner [GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team] is certainly looking to feel a lot more at home in the WorldSBK paddock, with results on the up while he continues to adapt to the Yamaha machine. Superpole saw Gardner see out the session in 7^th place which saw him start Race 1 from the third row on the grid. The red-flagged, re-started Race 1 saw Gardner come home in 10^th place. While his Superpole session was looking promising, the Superpole Race sadly ended with Gardner retiring from the race on Lap 9. Rounding out the final WorldSBK race at the Catalunya circuit, the GYTR GRT Yamaha rider finished in P13.

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continues, the focus now shifts to the upcoming Pirelli Emilia-Romagne Round, scheduled to take place at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” from June 2nd to 4th.

Championship standings

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 236 points

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 167
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 133
4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 100
5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 91
6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 73
7. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 46