Defending World Champion Alvaro Bautista won World Superbike Race One Saturday at Donington Park, in England.
Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, the Spaniard won the 23-lap race by 3.718 seconds. It was Bautista’s 11th straight full-length race win so far in 2023 and his 15th race win overall this season.
Pata Yamaha Prometeon’s Toprak Razgatlioglu was the best of the rest, and Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea finished a relatively close third.
American Garrett Gerloff crashed with Bradley Ray in Turn One early in the race. Gerloff remounted, pitted, and continued in the race, but he ran off track again and then retired.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bautista ends Ducati’s Donington Park drought with Race 1 win; Rea secures milestone podium
In Race 1 at Donington Park, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) secured his 15th victory of the season, extending his winning streak to 11 consecutive races. He ended Ducati’s 12-year winless run at Donington Park by fending off Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). The trio engaged in a fierce battle, swapping positions several times throughout the early stages of the race.
Ultimately, Bautista emerged as the winner: he broke away from his rivals after regaining the lead on lap 9, and then built up a solid lead ahead of Razgatlioglu. Jonathan Rea’s third-place finish marked his 250th podium achievement in WorldSBK, becoming the first rider to reach this milestone. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) clinched his best result in WorldSBK with a fourth-place finish. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) finished fifth, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took sixth place.
Alvaro Bautista secured his 15th win of the 2023 season and extended his winning streak to 11 consecutive races.
P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“Maybe in this circuit, fewer people were expecting me to win, especially because in the past it was a difficult track for us. We have never won here, and it has been 12 years since Ducati last won at this circuit. But every year is a new year, so you cannot compare what happened this year with the previous one. You always have to give your best because you never know how you will feel on track, especially this season with the new asphalt.
Today’s race was a big challenge because nobody knew what would happen after 10 or 11 laps with the tires. I had a good start, trying to take the lead. Then I found myself behind Toprak and Jonathan because they were pushing a bit more than me in the beginning as I was trying to be gentle with the tires. After a few laps behind them, I felt like I couldn’t ride the way I wanted, and the pace was slowing down. So, I decided to overtake the leader and at least try to establish my own pace.
From that point on, I pushed harder and harder, and the lap times were incredible. I kept improving my lap times, setting new records. In the end, I managed to gain an advantage and win here. I’m happy because I have never enjoyed this track as much as I did today.”
Starting from fourth on the grid, Toprak Razgatlioglu ultimately claimed second place and extending his personal best streak of consecutive podium finishes to 13.
Jonathan Rea managed to hold off Petrucci to take third and his 250th podium in WorldSBK, becoming the first rider to achieve this feat.
Starting from third on the grid, Danilo Petrucci achieved his best result in WorldSBK with a fourth-place finish.
