Gordon Ritchie | May 7, 2023
Sunday WorldSBK Race Two
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won the final race of a glorious Catalunya WorldSBK weekend to take a treble and 11 wins out of 12 attempts this season.
The reigning champion was uncatchable one again but there was late drama for the riders fighting for second and third place finishes.
Easy peasy for Alvaro in Race Two.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had a strong lead over the battling group behind for most of the race but in the later stages his pace fell apart. He was overtaken on the inside – in the very last corner – by triple second place man at Catalunya, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team).
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) hung on for fourth place, by 1.4 seconds, over his team-mate Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team). Rea had tried to close in to the leading group after starting from the fourth row of the final race grid, after his Superpole race crash and no-score.
Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) finished up at the head of a three rider group fighting for sixth place, holding off Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) and Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha).
Around 2.4 seconds back from that three rider battle Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) ws ninth and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) finished off the top ten riders in the final race of the fourth round.
In the championship points Bautista has 236, Razgatlioglu 167, Locatelli 133, Rea 100 and Bassani 91.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Race Two
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista (Duc) |
|
|
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 8.583s |
| 3 |
M. Ruben Rinaldi |
(Duc) |
+ 8.643s |
| 4 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kaw) |
+ 11.366s |
| 5 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 12.824s |
Sunday WorldSSP Race Two
First time WorldSSP race winner Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) rode a strong race at the front of a battling leading pack for all 18-laps of Race Two.
The Turkish star, nephew of WorldSSP GOAT Kenan Sofuoglu, managed to hold off Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) across the line, with the second official MV of Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in third place – until they swapped positions as Manzi was penalized by an automatic drop one position intervention after touching the green track limits zone on the final lap.
A new face with a familiar name, Bahattin Sofuoglu, is now a WorldSSP race winner.
With the top three finally set, one-time podium possible Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) was fourth, from another top R6 rider, Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Yamaha).
Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Ducati) was only sixth on a difficult day for the Ducati riders, but World Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing Ducati) seemingly struggled throughout by his normal standards, and was forced to retire near the end.
Nicolas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) was seventh, Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) eighth, Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) ninth and Raffaele De Rosa (Ducati Orelac Racing VerdNatura) tenth. Aussie rider Tom Edwards (Yart Yamaha WorldSSP) placed 11th but Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) was a non-finisher after falling at Turn Five.
In the championship points, Bulega has 152, Schrötter has 119, Manzi 116, Caricasulo 98 and Tuuli 75.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race Two
| 1 |
Bahattin Sofuoglu |
(MV) |
|
| 2 |
Marcel Schrotter |
(MV) |
+ 0.420 |
| 3 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Tri) |
+ 0.500 |
| 4 |
Valentin Debise |
(Yam) |
+ 2.563 |
| 5 |
Glenn Van Straalen |
(Yam) |
+ 7.036 |
Sunday WorldSBK Superpole Race
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made a great start and was never threatened in the ten-lap Superpole race at Catalunya, despite the late arrival of rain to make things tricky for the riders, who were all on slick tyres.
With Bautista eventually winning by 2.110 seconds, despite playing pathfinder in track conditions that varied from some rain to a little more moisture on the circuit, the action was mostly left towards the end when the expanding damp patches made and lost the race for several riders.
Inclement weather couldn’t stop Bautista in the Superpole race.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had been fighting Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) for second place until Razgatlioglu put in a perfect pass and exit trajectory on lap four.
With the light rains arriving Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) jumped up to second place, with Alex Lowes (KRT) fourth.
Rea would crash under braking into T1 on the final lap, as Razgatlioglu moved across the track to try and pass. The Kawasaki’s front tyre just touched the trackside white line and Rea crashed, still going fast, with Razgatlioglu taking an immediate second place again.
He would hold it to the end but the late flurry of passes on an iffy track surface saw Lowes miss out on a podium place, as Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was third and the aggressive Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) moved into fourth.
Lowes was finally fifth, with the advancing Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) passing Rinaldi for sixth and seventh places, respectively.
Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda), in a final ninth place, was only 4.884 seconds from the race win, and thus just over two seconds from a podium place.
Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) rounded out the top ten.
Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) was a non-finisher, due to a technical problem.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—Superpole Race
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 2.110s |
| 3 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+ 2.385s |
| 4 |
Iker Lecuona |
(Hon) |
+ 2.868s |
| 5 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kaw) |
+ 2.965s |
Saturday WorldSSP Race One
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing Ducati) put in another race winning performance in the WorldSSP class to hold off the challenge of Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). Bulega had a final margin of victory of 0.626 seconds, after 18 laps in warm and dry conditions.
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was originally credited with third place, after a titanic last lap battle of elbows and frequent overtakes with Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) until Sofuoglu was suddenly promoted to second in the photo finish.
Bulega added another win to his impressive 2023 resume in race one.
Manzi would eventually be ranked sixth, after suffering a three second penalty for not completing a long lap penalty in time.
The step-change in the competitiveness of the MV effort in 2023 was made obvious by Schrötter and Sofuoglu both finishing on the podium.
Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Yamaha) would take fourth place, finally, with
fifth place taken by Federico Caricasulo (Althea Ducati).
Manzi’s penalised sixth place meant he finished one place up on his team-mate Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
A four Yamaha running flush saw Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) and first round podium rider Nicolas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) eighth and ninth, respectively.
The top ten places were rounded out by fast Finn Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) on the leading Triumph triple.
Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing Kawasaki) was top WorldSSP Challenge rider, in 13th place. Fourth placed Superpole qualifier Tom Edwards (Yart Yamaha WorldSSP) ended up 14th.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race One
| 1 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV) |
+ 0.626s |
| 3 |
Bahattin Sofuoglu |
(MV) |
+ 3.996s |
| 4 |
Glenn van Straalen |
(Yam) |
+ 4.991s |
| 5 |
Federico Caricasulo |
(Duc) |
+ 5.467s |
Saturday WorldSBK Race One
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dominated a red flagged and restarted 17-lap opening WorldSBK race at Catalunya, starting from pole in each part of the race to run clear at his own pace. We would win by an eventual 8.864 seconds, albeit slowing up, from Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team).
Razgatlioglu ended up in a tense final lap fight with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), who would finish right on the back wheel of his old rival.
This was as close as they got to Bautista in race one.
Off podium the action was often tactile and dramatic, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) colliding twice, with Rinaldi crashing out the second time and Bassani having to undergo a long lap penalty.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was a distant fourth, and just over 0.2 seconds up on front row qualifier Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha).
Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) was sixth, and Bassani a recovering seventh after his costly earlier race experiences.
Local rider Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) got the better of top BMW finisher Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) for eighth, with the top ten being completed by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati).
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Scott Redding (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) each crashed out; Redding after contact with another rider.
Petrucci was later disqualified from the race for racing without a chest protector.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—Race One
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 8.864s |
| 3 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 8.927s |
| 4 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+ 13.992s |
| 5 |
Dominique Aegerter |
(Yam) |
+ 14.206s |
Saturday WorldSBK Superpole
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) once more stood tall on his factory machine, setting a new track best in Superbike with a 1’40.264 lap in Superpole.
He was 0.473 seconds ahead of the next best rider (top independent and top rookie) Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha).
The Superpole contest was interrupted, and then run in two parts, by a red flag when Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) fell, with two minutes lefrt on the clock.
The start of a beautiful weekend for Bautista.
The front row was finally completed by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), with his unlucky team mate Lowes finally sixth on the grid.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) leads the second row after finishing fourth in Superpole qualifying, ahead of the first Honda rider, Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) and Lowes.
Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) put in the seventh best time, one spot ahead of the troubled Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team).
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was ninth and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) 10th.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Superpole
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
1:40.264s |
| 2 |
Dominique Aegerter |
(Yam) |
+ 0.473s |
| 3 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 0.497s |
| 4 |
M. Ruben Rinaldi |
(Duc) |
+ 0.507s |
| 5 |
Iker Lecuona |
(Hon) |
+ 0.519s |
Friday WorldSBK
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) came within a few tenths of his own race lap record at the Montmelo circuit in Spain after two Friday free practice sessions held in sunny conditions. He was one of the few riders who improved on their FP1 sessions in the afternoon.
Bautista was followed in the overnight rankings by his team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who had been fastest in FP1 – turning around his fortunes after a difficult Assen round two weeks ago.
Alvaro Bautista topped the times in Catalunya on Friday.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was third fastest, 0.166 seconds behind Bautista.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) placed fourth on Friday.
Last year’s pole man Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) was fifth fastest, but over half a second slower than Bautista. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) completed the top six.
Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) was seventh, and top Independent rider by some distance. Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) was eighth at his home round. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and perennial Catalunya contender Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) completed the Friday top 10.
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldSBK
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
1:41.486s |
| 2 |
M. Ruben Rinaldi |
(Duc) |
+ 0.147s |
| 3 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 0.166s |
| 4 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 0.233s |
| 5 |
Iker Lecuona |
(Hon) |
+ 0.582s |
Friday WorldSSP
2023 championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing Ducati) was a jumbo-sized 0.747 seconds ahead of the next nearest challenger Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) after the first two WorldSSP Free Practices were completed at a warm and sunny Barcelona-Catalunya circuit.
A strong push from the three-cylinder machines saw Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) put himself third, one place ahead of privateer Ducati rider, Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Ducati).
Bulega was once again on top in WorldSSP.
FP1 front-runner Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) ended his day in fifth place, and top four-cylinder rider.
Declared fit to ride after his Assen mishaps, Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) was an impressive sixth, just over a second from the official Ducati of Bulega.
Strong new WorldSSP force Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) placed seventh, Bayliss’ team-mate Maximilian Koffler eighth.
On a particularly impressive day for the Ducati riders, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was ninth – the fifth Panigale V2 entry in Friday’s top nine places.
The top ten on Friday was rounded out by Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
2023 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldSSP
| 1 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Duc) |
1:44.740s |
| 2 |
Niki Tuuli |
(Tri) |
+ 0.747s |
| 3 |
Bahattin Sofuoglu |
(MVA) |
+ 0.842s |
| 4 |
Federico Caricasulo |
(Duc) |
+ 0.854s |
| 5 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Yam) |
+ 0.906s |
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