Bautista claims last win of the 2022 season in shortened Race 2
The 2022 WorldSBK Champion claimed his 16th win of the season in the final race of the season
Alvaro Bautista (19) leads Jonathan Rea (65), Toprak Razgatlioglu (1), and Alex Lowes (22) in Race Two. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Race 1 highlights – WorldSBK
P1 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Starting from pole position following his Tissot Superpole Race win, Bautista claimed the last win of the 2022 season, his 16th overall this season.
He was leading Rea by 0.357s when the race was red flagged after 17 completed laps.
He scored a total of 601 points in his title winning season.
“Today was amazing! In the Superpole Race, it was quite wet, but the experience I had from MotoGP™, I knew that it could maybe dry very fast. I took a big gamble because it was too wet. Race 2 was again so fun with the bike. Today, everything was normal so I could push from the beginning. I lost a lot of positions in the beginning and then I got the lead. To make my pace, the pace was quite acceptable, and Jonathan was just behind. I expected a big battle, especially in the last two laps, but unfortunately the red flag stopped the race. I think it has been the best way to end this amazing season. I’m so happy. Now we have to celebrate and now we have to prepare for next season.”
P2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Rea finished second in Race 2 for his 245th podium place.
With 502 points, Rea finished in third place in the standings.
“We know the result. I gave everything. We can be quite satisfied with our efforts this weekend to go 1-3-2. Good overall points for the weekend. The conditions were almost like nothing I’ve ever seen in my career! Tyre decisions, pit stops, red flag in Race 2 with the conditions coming in. From my weekend, I’m really happy with my team and the way I’m riding the bike. Even in Race 2 with Alvaro, I felt stronger everywhere but the start-finish line. They were taking so much time, but through Turn 1, Turn 2 and even Turn 3, with the traction, an area we’ve really struggled with in the past, I had more grip and the tyre was very linear. Big thanks to my team. Looking forward now to a little bit of rest before we start focusing on 2023. We can be satisfied with our work this year.”
P3 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Lowes took third place for his second podium of the weekend.
He finished the season with 272 points standing in sixth place in the Championship standings.
“I’m really happy with the weekend, happy with the second podium this year. We’ve made some improvement in the middle of the year. I’ve been pretty competitive minus Mandalika, we’ve been strong every weekend. Today’s race was good. I was nervous because the weather has been changing so fast. In the race I was trying to check the clouds and understand what was happening. In the mid-part of the race, Jonathan and Alvaro just got away a little bit. I had some battles with Toprak and I couldn’t really get past him. And then I was trying to think about the end of the race, save some tyre to battle with him in the last two laps and then obviously we had the red flag. I really hope both of the guy are ok. But for me, it’s been a good weekend, nice way to finish, it gives me some confidence going into winter and on to next season.”
P4 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Razgatlioglu was fourth missing the podium for 0.413s.
529 points claimed this season gave Razgatlioglu second place in the standings.
“We tried in every session to find good grip. We tried our best. In Race 2, after 10 laps, I felt a big drop with the rear tyre. I saw Alex pushing a lot, and after two laps I saw him starting to spin a lot. I thought ‘ok in the last two laps, I’ll pass him’ and I saw the red flag. But I’m really happy for him. He needed a bonus because he has two babies! He’s a very good guy and he was very strong this weekend. We finished the last race of the season in fourth position. Anyway, we’re second in the Championship standings.”
P5 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli was fifth in Race 2 also securing fifth place in the standings for his second season in WorldSBK.
“For sure we finished the season in a really good way. This is very important to start testing this winter and to start 2023 in a good way. I’m really happy about the last two rounds. But I am little bit disappointed with some rounds, like Barcelona … maybe we could have fought for third place in the Championship … but anyway we finished a difficult season in fifth place, so we need to be happy, we need to look forward and we need to prepare next season and I think we will come back really strong. For sure, we improved.”
P6 – Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Redding concluded his first season with BMW with a top six finish.
He occupies eighth position in the Championship standings for his first season with BMW.
“Interesting race actually. I got off to a flying start which is something we’ve been working on this year. This weekend I found something that helped me with the start. So, it was quite good, and we had a great start. I struggled a lot this weekend and I tipped in to Turn 1 and thought ‘it’s the last race, give everything you’ve got’. I was hanging out there in the front for a bit, that was pretty good. I challenged for the lead a few times and then the tyre start becoming an issue. I started dropping back which was a shame because I felt pretty good. I was happy with the Sunday. Both races turned out alright after a really tough weekend.”
To note:
The race was red flagged after a collision involving Xavi Fores (BARNI Spark Racing Team) and Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) at Turn 1, with Laverty taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash but he was conscious. Laverty was diagnosed with a pelvic injury and taken to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne by helicopter for further assessments.
Tetsuta Nagashima (Team HRC) rounded out a strong debut weekend as he stood in for Iker Lecuona with ninth place in Race 2, scoring a total of 13 points.
Editorial Note: American Garrett Gerloff crashed on the first lap of Race Two. He wasn’t seriously injured.
Registration Open for 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship
Now entering its third season, following another successful campaign in 2022, young riders can today sign up for the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship, which will once again support selected rounds of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
You can register for the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship by clicking here.
After launching its inaugural campaign in 2021, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship has opened the door into world championship racing for several young riders, with this year’s winner, 18-year-old Brazilian Enzo Valentim, set to make his full-season FIM Supersport 300 World Championship debut in 2023, benefiting from Yamaha Motor Europe support.
You could be the next rider to fight for the opportunity to join the likes of Valentim and 2021 winner, 18-year-old Spaniard Iker Garcia Abella, in the WorldSSP300 class by signing up to join the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship grid.
Open to riders aged 14-20, the Championship is the perfect first step for young riders looking to make their way onto the world championship stage. It runs alongside six rounds of the WorldSBK campaign, giving youngsters a chance to showcase their talent in front of the top teams and riders.
Each weekend, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship riders will be based at the bLU cRU village, located at a designated area inside the paddock. All entrants will receive coaching and technical support, while Yamaha R3 machinery and a full riding package, including race leathers, gloves, boots, helmet, tyres and fuel, are provided at a low cost, with season entry fees of just €30,500 (Euros).
The overall champion will earn a place on the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship grid with full Yamaha Motor Europe support, providing they are over the minimum age for entry into the class. Second in the standings will be offered a 50 percent discount on their 2024 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship registration, while the rider who finishes third in the championship will receive a 25 percent discount.
Young talents don’t go unnoticed, and the 2022 WorldSSP300 grid featured four riders from the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship, while three racers from this year’s series also made wildcard appearances in the world championship class.
Like this year, five riders will also be selected for the VR46 Yamaha Master Camp in Italy, where they will receive coaching from the same team responsible for advising the VR46 Academy Riders.
Following the success of this year’s series, interest is expected to be high, and with only 30 grid slots available for the 2023 season early sign up is essential to avoid missing out on this exciting opportunity.
You can register for the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship by clicking here.
Paolo Pavesio
Yamaha Motor Europe Marketing and Motorsport Director
“It was another incredible season for the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship in 2022; the level of the racing was very high, and we saw great progression from our young riders throughout the season. It was also amazing to see our riders from the last year’s series perform so strongly in their first WorldSSP300 championship campaign this year. They clearly benefitted from their experience in the R3 bLU cRU Championship, and we believe there are some who can fight for race wins and maybe even the title in 2023. It was also nice to see such diversity in the Championship this year, with both male and female riders from all over the globe competing, and we are sure that will continue next season. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of motorcycle racing talent into the WorldSBK paddock in 2023, and we know that the top teams will be following the racing closely.”
Phillip Island Round Six Saturday: The Riders Lay Siege to the Championships
A day that sought to find out every weakness, every foible and make the rider pay. It was as tough a day for every class as we’ve had this year.
Here’s what we saw on track in the mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul:
Alpinestars Superbike qualifying and race one
Dunlop Supersport 300 Race two
Australian Supersport Races one and two
ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKE
Josh Waters was unquestionably The Man in qualifying.
QUALIFYING
The conditions for this morning’s Alpinestars Superbike qualifying were as good as one could currently imagine for fast times: overcast and cool with a dry track.
And so it was. Josh Waters departed pit lane, completed his out lap and then put his bike on pole with a record-breaking 1:31.286 He pitted for a time, but honestly if he had just stayed in and perhaps lit a cigar it would have been the stuff of legend.
No one would top his time for the rest of the session, and that is not to say the other riders were slow. By the end of the session, the top eleven were into the 32s, and four riders were in the 31s. Nearly every rookie set their fastest-ever Superbike lap time. Yeah, the conditions were good!
Championship leader Mike Jones struggled at times and found himself as low as 8th while teammate Cru Halliday didn’t bother the timing screens until halfway through the session.
The times fell as the time on the clock ran down. Staring dipped into the 1:31s by 1/1000th second with ten minutes to go, and finally, Halliday graced us with his presence on track and immediately placed himself one spot ahead of teammate Jones.
Glenn Allerton found himself outside the top eight and would stay thusly.
And while beating Waters was proving to be impossible, Daniel Falzon unleashed his R1 and bettered his own personal best by over half a second, nailing down an incredible 1:31.596 to go to number two and claim fastest Yamaha of the session
The bloke who needed to be the fastest Yamaha – Mike Jones – was 8th at this point. While Maxwell wasn’t in P1, it was still a worrying sight for the championship leader.
Meanwhile, Waters was out again and to show it was no fluke, he just consistently lapped under Maxwell’s fastest lap.
With five minutes to go, Jones knocked out a 1:32.148 – 7th. Third row of the grid.
Maxwell put in a new tyre with five minutes to go. A final run beckoned and with it the chance to not only take pole and grab that precious single point.
But traffic and time would beat him and he was unable to pull out the desperately needed magic lap, despite managing to do the fastest first sector time twice without result.
At the podium receiving the AMX Superstores pole cheque was Josh Waters with Daniel Falzon (second) and Wayne Maxwell (third) rounding out the front row.
Mike Jones managed to work his way to fifth and would now start from the second row of the grid. Wayne Maxwell would be in front and slightly to his right at the start of the three races. With Ant West to Mike’s right, the starts would now be very, very interesting.
And… it was now raining.
RACE ONE
And while it was not actually raining for the start of race one, it was most certainly wet. The riders tip-toed out on their wets and speculation in the paddock peaked. Westy from sixth? Mike to fire it up the inside of Maxwell? Would it dry up?
From the jump it was Falzon, but by turn one it was Josh Waters in the lead and before we really had a chance to consider who was where, Wayne Maxwell crashed on the exit of turn two and took with him his Boost Mobile with K-Tech Ducati Panigale V4R and perhaps his chance of winning the 2022 title.
After just one lap, Herfoss led from Staring, Allerton and Waters with West hanging on in fifth.
Jones was down in 13th and at any other time this would be a catastrophe, but with Maxwell out, it was a near non-issue.
At the front, the leading four traded spots like Supersport 300 racers and Sissis worked his way past West to set sail for the fast four out front.
After just five laps of twelve, the action and passing had been almost too much. Staring led, Allerton kept nudging towards the front and Herfoss was as low as fourth, but also set to lead if that wasn’t confusing enough.
Sissis had now wisely just measured his run towards the leading foursome but was knee down on wets through turn three just to keep all assembled a tad nervous and an absent Casey Stoner happy.
On lap six, Staring completed the fastest lap of the race and pushed out to a .8 gap. Josh Waters put his head down and chased hard and attached his Ducati to the back of the DesmoSport Ducati shortly after. Sissis passed a slowing Troy Herfoss.
There was a brief settling of the order, with Starting leading from Waters and Allerton, a gap back to Sissis and a further and growing gap back to the next group. Metcher and Pearson had overtaken Troy Herfoss and then Ant West who might have preferred it wetter to display his prodigious wet weather skills and be kinder to his Dunlop.
Mike Jones got ahead of Ted Collins and teammate Halliday to move up to 11th to just gather up a few more points.
With ten laps completed, Allerton got the better of Waters for second, while Staring continued to push hard in first place.
A frankly unwanted dry line had emerged and Staring now had a one-second gap off the front with a lap to run and further pushed it out to 1.2 as the chasing pair of Allerton and Waters waved the white flag.
At the line, it was Bryan Staring in a repeat of his round one, race one victory with Glenn Allerton second and Josh Waters in third. Arthur Sissis had one of the better rides of the day to finish a valiant fourth. Jed Metcher could feel justifiably pleased with his fifth place, Senna Agius admitted he had been rather nervous just exiting pit lane, but rode a mature and sensible race to finish in sixth, Broc Pearson was similarly sensible and measured in seventh.
Troy Herfoss wound up back in eighth, a disappointing outcome after variously leading and dicing with the front runners early on. Daniel Falzon was ninth after starting from second, but he had stated earlier that his fast lap in the dry was one for the ages and that race pace might be an issue.
Mike Jones finished a remarkable race in tenth place to bank 11 points and stretch his Championship lead over Wayne Maxwell. Cru Halliday and Ant West were 11th and 12th respectively
With his DNF on lap one, not only did Maxwell concede more points to Jones, but also saw second place go to Bryan Staring on what was an extraordinary day for the championship.
Tomorrow sees the riders back for two more races to round out the weekend. As it has been in recent times, rain is of course forecast and the random nature of Phillip Island might be the king maker once again.
Bryan Staring: “Yeah, that was a really tough race, just reading the conditions every lap. Everything was changing and trying to stay consistent was difficult. And I made some pretty amateur mistakes out there.
“Everything was changing underneath us so quickly, now that it’s finished, it seems like it was an enjoyable race. But honestly, like you’re you’re on a knife’s edge the whole time trying to keep the bike on two wheels.
“I worked out, I had some drive grip on the guys and then I could use my top speed to my advantage. And after I sort of understood that, then I just worked it to where I needed to be. I knew I was slow in a few areas, but I thought ‘I’ll concentrate on my strengths here, minimize the mistakes and where I can’t push it’ and in the end, I’m so glad we got there!”
Glenn Allerton: “A lot happened. It was a race of attrition.
“With all the guys, what was great about that race was that we are all champions in our own right – that whole front four. I could have reached out and touched Bryan a couple of times, we were that close to each other, that close on the edge of grip. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
Josh Waters: “It’s good to be on the podium! The race was close in parts and it was good to be a part of it!
“There are a few areas we can make better for tomorrow if the conditions are wet again..”
Pole sitter Tom Bramich ought to have been feeling reasonably confident ahead of race one this morning, having topped the timesheets in practice and qualifying reasonably comfortably.
It’s been a confident and affirming time for Bramich who started the year well, but had a series of falls, issues and subpar results that makes a championship unlikely, even if it’s mathematically possible.
Bramich lead the field early and found himself at the front of a group of three with Passfield and Lytras for company. Scott Nicholson hung on in fourth and the injured and mechanically plagued-on-Friday Ty Lynch.
For Lynch to have any chance of challenging Lytras for the title, he would need to not just challenge him at Phillip Island, he would need to beat him and get a few other riders between them.
On lap four, Passfield overtook Bramich for the lead and managed to grind out a 0.6 second gap. Fourth through sixth (Nicholson, Lynch and Skeer) were able to then attach themselves to the lead group to keep it interesting for championship watchers and race fans alike.
Rain flags came out on lap six, as we apparently didn’t have enough drama. Scott Nicholson crashed and valiantly tried to get going again from the gravel trap at turn nine.
..and then there were five at the front. Tom Drane was up in sixth, but some 6 seconds behind fifth. Skeer pitted.
Bramich found the pace a little tough and dropped to fourth, Declan Carberry crashed at turn eleven and…
The red flag came out and we called a ceasefire.
The rain pulled a “classic Phillip Island” and refused to fall in earnest, but certainly damped things. Then it did rain in earnest, we all looked at the dismal radar images and the grid was a flurry of teams swapping to wets for the restart.
The assembled foreign media asked local media what they thought the weather would do and received a collective shrug.
The Island does what The Island does.
Several riders departed pit lane for what was perhaps a sighting lap and Lynch and Lytras found themselves apparently set to start from pit lane.
And then they declared the race done – with partial points awarded – and we all ran to the podium to see who won.
In the end, it was Passfield from Bramich and Lynch. Lytras was fourth to keep the championship reasonably safe and the half points for the shortened race did him no harm whatsoever.
It was, to quote Werner Herzog, “MADNESS”.
Bramich, Passfield and Lynch
Race Two
Unusually and perhaps outrageously, race two for Michelin Supersport started on the dry track in bright sunshine. Weird, we know.
John Lytras jumped pole sitter Bramich to take the lead while a keen-to-get-involved Ty Lynch moved up to third.
Keer moved past Lynch to make things tricky for the challenger while Lytras was being simultaneously passed by a determined Tom Bramich.
At MG, turn 10, Skeer and Lynch came together and both slid off and out of contention. It was a tough blow for the already injured Lynch, who would now also concede more points to Lytras. ASBK Race Direction placed the incident under investigation.
Passfield was now promoted to third, but some 1.3 seconds behind the leading duo of Bramich and Lytras. Nicholson was some seven second further back, so the battle for the podium seemed settled.
Passfield pulled out the fasted lap of the race on lap four and this brought him to the leaders and a new battle began. Passfield was happy to show Lytras a wheel into turn one and do the same again at turn four.
Lytras clearly felt Passfield presence and rode slightly defensively as a result. Passfield completed yet another fastest lap of the race and celebrated by passing Lytras through turn one. Passfield was inevitable with his pace and took the lead at the Hayshed and lead the trio onto the straight to complete lap six.
While he was fast when chasing, leading is another caper altogether and Bramich was able to get ahead. Passfield returned the favour and Lytras just sensibly watched on. Passfield was able to gap Bramich a fraction and this prevented a main straight slipstream, so he lead into the 8th lap.
John Quinn had crashed heavily, but uninjured to end his run.
Through the final lap, Passfield continued to lead and then had a brain fade at MG- turn 10- and ran wide, allowing a surprised Bramich to use his considerable skill through turns 11 and 12 to advantage to take the win by 59/1000th of a second.
Tom Bramich: “I knew it was going to be a close race, Jack and Johnny are always good in a close battle. I knew that there were going to be a few of us fighting at the front.
“I was planning to overtake him (Passfield), but when the door opened I was pretty happy, I just needed to hold on through the last sector and I got to the line..!”
Dunlop Supersport 300
Race One
Aksu leads the field away and of course he only does so to allow Dunker, Snell at al to get a run on him. A pack of eight forms by lap one and they trade spots.4
Dunker consistently placed his R3 at the front of the pack, perhaps reasoning that the best way to stay out of trouble is to keep it behind you. While a solo break away in the Supersport 300 class is unusual, it’s also not impossible so Dunker just kept plugging away, but never found himself too far from his octet of willing sparring partners.
At the halfway point, the leading eight riders were- in no particular order as it’s impossible: Snell, Aksu, Swain, Pezzetta, Hayden Nelson, Dinker, Gawith and Glenn Nelson who managed to latch on to the lead group. Nerlich and Larkin rounded out the top tan, but Nerlich fell on the second last lap.
The final lap saw Dunker drop as low as eighth, Pezzetta lead, Aksu close to the front and Nelson and Snell there abouts as well.
As noted previously, The Island rewards the clever in the Supersport 300 class and while Cameron Dunker was able to time his run pretty well, it was Henry Snell who saluted in first place after playing his cards to perfection.
Rea ends win drought with Race 1 victory in wet-to-dry battle
Drying conditions prompted pit stops up and down the grid
Race 1 Highlights – WorldSBK
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Rea took his first race win since Estoril in May, ending his 24-race win drought.
He is the first rider with a winning career spanning more than 13 years. His first win was in Misano 2009.
He was one of the first lead riders to change from wet tyres to slicks on Lap 10 to win with a 6.247s ahead of Razgatlioglu.
“There were a lot of things going on in that race and that’s what makes the victory a little bit more special because my team were involved in the pit stop. We could be strong in the wet conditions and also the dry, and I made that perfection decision to come in. it was even potentially a lap too late. I was thinking about coming in one lap earlier, but we made a deal with my team that I had to give them a signal on the pit straight. I thought I hadn’t given them the signal yet so came past so gave it one more lap and it was time. I quickly checked to see who was coming. I knew it was the perfect time. I saw Toprak was there so I thought the last ten laps would be with him. I exited the pit box and had a much better stop than Toprak and I could ride to my pit board.
“It’s nice, it’s really nice more than anything to win. It’s not something I’ve really been dwelling on since the beginning of the season because the season’s been so challenging. Alvaro and Toprak have been so good so there’s no point in me getting disappointed or feeling sorry for myself. We’re getting beaten now by guys who are riding very well and manufacturers that are pushing really hard. It’s motivating to keep working, to keep following them and keep challenging myself and my team. I think we’re doing a really good job. Hopefully we can roll this momentum on to tomorrow and finish the season really strongly.”
Jonathan Rea (65) broke his winless streak in the wet-to-dry Race One. Photo courtesy Dorna.
P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Razgatlioglu claimed second position in Race 1 to take his 81st podium.
He entered the pits to switch to slicks on Lap 10, as did Rea, but he wasn’t able to catch the race winner in the final part of the race.
“For me, this weekend didn’t have a good start but anyway my team was working to have a better bike. Now I’m happy. We finished the race on the podium. It was a strange race for me. It was my first race like this. I felt too much spinning on the rear and after I was not pushing on the tyre. I saw that Jonny was also not pushing. Then I saw he entered to the box and I followed him directly. My team made a small mistake during the pit stop, they struggled to put the front tyre so we lost almost five seconds. But anyway, this is racing, this is motorsport. We tried our best. We are here, in second place. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
P3 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Lowes completed the podium as he finished 15.435s behind race winner. He claimed his third podium of the season.
He was leading when the first riders started pitting but was the last from the leading group opting to pit-in as he switched tyres on Lap 12.
His podium finish means he is now only eight points behind Locatelli in fifth place in the Championship standings.
“I didn’t expect it to dry as fast as it did. The race at the start, when I went off the start, it was a lot drier. The warm up lap was a lot drier than when we went to the grid. I need to be careful so I was trying to be smooth on the wet tyres, then I realised there was a dry line appearing so I tried to use the wet tyre a lot because I knew, at some point, we had to make a pit stop. I probably pitted one or two laps too late but when I got out on the dry tyres, I felt good straight away. In general, I’m happy. I think I have a good chance tomorrow whatever the conditions are. Really happy for the team and Jonathan getting back on the top step of the podium, me back on the podium.”
P4 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli finished in fourth place 2.907s behind Lowes and around a second ahead of Bautista as he passed him in the closing stages of the race.
He remains fifth in the Championship standings with 258 points.
“Today was a fun race for the fans and for us because to stop to have a flag-to-flag was interesting. In the end we got fourth position so I think we can be happy. It’s a good result. I was fighting with Alex until the end and maybe finish in third position. My team did a really good job for the flag-to-flag, so I want to thank them. I’m really happy about today and about this race. We’ll try again tomorrow, and we’ll try to improve to try to stay closer to the front because we want to try to get a podium. This is the target, but we will see tomorrow what we can do.”
P5 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Bautista took fifth place as he crossed the finish line 19.369s behind Rea.
He decided to switch to slick tyres on Lap 11, one lap later than Rea and Razgatlioglu.
“It’s been a new experience for everybody, for me and also for the team, having a flag-to-flag race. In the beginning, it was strange in wet conditions because I had a worse feeling than this morning during the practice. I struggled a lot to have some temperature on the tyre and I was suffering a little bit even if I was in the front group. Then I saw that the track was drying step by step. But I wanted to be sure that we’ll have a clean line in the dry to make the switch. I switched the tyres. With the setup I had for the wet conditions, it wasn’t working so well for the dry tyres. I didn’t have too much confidence. On the front I couldn’t brake so hard because the bike started to move and jump a lot but also on with the rear tyre, it was like riding on ice. I needed five or six laps to start to feel some grip on the rear. I think this is a big disadvantage to be light because I cannot put weight on the lap in these kinds of conditions. We depend too much on the setup of the bike. If the setup is nice, I can push like I did in the Superpole where I did a really good lap time on the SC0 tyre. But when the race setting is not the right setting for me it’s difficult because the bike is more difficult to go into the corners and I cannot move myself to put some weight at the front or the rear. I am more limited than other riders. Anyway, I’m happy. It has been a new experience. We did a really challenging race. For sure we have some data for the future in case this happen again.”
P6 – Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
Gerloff was sixth around 36s behind the race winner. He pitted on the same lap as Bautista.
“Complicated is the right word to describe this race. It was raining really hard after the Superpole session. I honestly didn’t think that it was going to be a dry race at all. But then, we were sitting on the grid, the track was still soaking wet, but the sun came out and the wind was hard. The wind was up there pretty hard. And I was thinking ‘alright this is going to dry’ and it did pretty quickly. In the race, I made a decent start and it didn’t feel too bad in the rain but honestly, I didn’t feel too fantastic either and I lost some ground. But staying around sixth, seventh place and then when the track started to dry, I was feeling pretty good, expect that I wasn’t really sure about when I should come in, because there were still a couple of places on the track that were pretty wet. I probably waited a lap longer than I should have. I saw Locatelli in front of me, he was with Bautista maybe, I saw him going into the pit and I was thinking like ‘do I do it or not’ but on the grid, I told my guys that I was going give them a signal before I come in so, I never gave them the signal so I didn’t want to catch them out. Anyway, they would have been ready, but I decided to do one more lap, giving them the signal so they were properly ready and in the end it was good.”
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 10:35 (Local Time) with the Warm-Up, followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00.
WorldSBK Results Race 1
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +6.247s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +15.435s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +19.369s
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +19.369s
The opening race of the final 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship round was a double podium success for KRT. Jonathan Rea won after a very complicated 22 laps and a mid-race pit-stop, and Alex Lowes was a strong third.
After a dry opening day of practice on Friday rains appeared and disappeared through the opening raceday on 19 November.
After a thrilling Superpole qualifying session in which Rea finished second and Lowes third, both KRT riders launched off the front row, under what were fully wet track conditions. All WorldSBK riders except one opted for full rain tyre options but as the track dried out and sunshine finally appeared, one-by-one the competitors were forced to enter pitlane to fit slick tyres.
Jonathan benefitted most from his pitstop strategy as he ended a race with seven changes of lead as the rider out front and lapping at a fast pace when the track conditions had stabilised.
Having not won a race since May Rea took full advantage of his latest opportunity and after an early scare on a damp section of asphalt with fresh slick tyres, he rode with a cool head and a fast pace to take the chequered flag.
In second place Toprak Razgatliolgu was pushing Rea as hard as he could but Jonathan managed his race well, crossing the finish line with six seconds of advantage over his closest rival.
Fully in the leading mix when the track conditions were wet, Alex led for five laps and also demonstrated strong pace in the dry conditions at the end.
Lowes stayed out on rain tyres for longer than some other riders but his overall pace on both portions of the race, plus the work done in pit-lane by his technical staff, was more than enough to let Alex score his third podium of the season.
The Tissot-Superpole race, over ten laps, and a full distance Race Two will complete the hard-fought 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship season on Sunday 20 November.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “We knew to expect anything today so we had a plan to cover all bases, and then it was about me being calm on the bike and not making silly decisions. In the wet I didn’t feel like my normal self at the beginning. I was able to pass Toprak on the brakes into Turn One and I was just able to haul it up, but I ended up doing a bit of grass tracking. I managed to catch the leaders and then said to myself to ride slowly, as the track was going to dry out and I did not want to waste my tyres. Alex came through with a really good pace and at that point I said, ‘OK, roll the dice and let’s go to the pits.’ I didn’t think it was a risky move, but I probably could have gone in a lap earlier than I did. I gave a signal to my team going down the straight and then committed to come into pitlane. After we rejoined I was just riding to my pitboard. This was a real team win today. I think we completely nailed the pitstop and didn’t lose one second. Big kudos to the team because they did the work really smoothly and they are as much part of that win as me.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “A strange race but I felt I was one of the faster riders in the wet and the dry conditions. Maybe the wrong choice with the pitstop but I was fast in the wet, fast in the dry and always happy to pick up a podium. I just want to be battling at the front and showing my speed. I know I can be fast and I enjoyed the race. It is always a strange one when you have a pit-stop in the middle. Tomorrow it looks like the weather will probably be different again but I feel I can do a good job. I want to sleep well tonight and try to finish the year strongly tomorrow.”
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 14th in Race One and he scored two more championship points.
Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was eighth in the wet FP3 session, 22nd in Superpole and then a remarkable 12th in the first race. He even led it on lap 14 before Rea came past to take the race win. Oliver König (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) placed 19th in the opening Phillip Island race.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Razgatlıoğlu Chases Victory, Locatelli P4 in Spectacular Wet-to-Dry Race 1 at Phillip Island
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu returned to the podium for the 29th time this season, finishing second in an enthralling wet-to-dry Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit classic, at the final round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship in Australia today.
He was backed up by teammate Andrea Locatelli, who continued his fine run of form with another fourth place finish – less than three seconds from the podium. The Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK pairing started the day strongly during a fully-wet FP3 with Razgatlıoğlu second-fastest and “Loka” in fifth position, before Superpole saw them qualify P4 and P5 on the grid respectively for Race 1.
Conditions by late afternoon were mixed in the full meaning of the word, with rain, wind and sun battering down on the stunning 4.445km Australian venue. What started as a wet race quickly developed into a game of strategy, as Razgatlıoğlu went to the front of the pack and Locatelli also got an excellent start into fourth. Despite a drying track, the possible chance of more rain meant the top riders stayed out as long as possible on full wet tyres and waited for the right moment to pit.
After a series of race leader changes, Razgatlıoğlu followed Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea in for slicks at the end of Lap 10. When the “dust” of the pit stops had settled a few laps later, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK’s Turkish ace was around five seconds behind eventual race winner Rea – the two matching each other’s pace lap-for-lap throughout the final 12 circuit revolutions, with Razgatlioglu unable to bridge the gap.
Locatelli was himself embroiled in a battle with new WorldSBK Champion Bautista and the second Kawasaki machine of Alex Lowes. The young Italian held his own, and with superior pace to the Ducati in the final stages of the race, passed Bautista at the Miller Hairpin on Lap 18 to finish just behind podium-sitter Lowes.
With two races left in 2022, there are two trophies yet to be decided: the Pirelli Best Lap Award in which Razgatlıoğlu and Bautista are currently tied and the Tissot Superpole Award, where Razgatlioglu holds an 11 point lead over Rea with a maximum of 12 points available for the 10-lap Superpole Race tomorrow. Razgatlıoğlu and Bautista are also tied on the number of race wins achieved in 2022, with 14 each.
The final day of WorldSBK racing this season will start with a 15-minute Warm-Up at 10:30 (UTC+11), the 10-lap Superpole Race at 13:00 and close with Race 2 from 16:00.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Race 1: P2
“For me this weekend was not a good start but my team are working every hour for the good bike and now I am happy. You know, we are finishing the race on the podium and also a strange race! For me, first time like this race with the pit stop. My team, small mistake, not possible to put the front tyre inside the bike and maybe we lose almost five seconds – but this is the race, this is motorsport, I try my best and the team tried their best so anyway, I am happy we are here! We are not alone, this is teamwork and we finish second position. Now I am looking to tomorrow because we have two more races to finish the season. In the wet part of the race, I waited until I was feeling too much spinning in the rear and after I am not pushing the tyre. I see the dry line but also possible starting again rain, so I tried to keep the tyre and watch Johnny also not pushing. After some laps, I see Johnny enter for the box and I follow him directly. Tomorrow will also not be easy with weather like today, I hope again we will see the sun but I will fight again for the podium and try my best.”
Andrea Locatelli – Race 1: P4
“It was a fun race today for the fans and I think also for us, to do the pit stop was interesting! In the end we got fourth position, so I think we should be happy because it’s a good result and I was fighting with Alex for third. I will try again for the podium tomorrow for sure! I want to say a lot of thanks to my team because they were really good in the pit stop – everyone did a really good job, we didn’t lose any time and no mistakes. I am really happy about today and I enjoyed the race, now we are looking forward to repeat again tomorrow. I hope we can take some more confidence, to learn on this track to start again strong in 2023! We are here, we are fast, and we have a good package with the R1 so we will fight in the Superpole Race and again for Race 2. I want to try for the podium and to enjoy the maximum result, we’re close to Lowes so we will try.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK:
“For Toprak, after a really difficult Friday here at Phillip Island, today was a very strong recovery – particularly in the wet FP3. It really seems like he’s improved this previous weak point of his riding and a good qualifying was followed up by a superb performance both in the wet first part of the race, and the subsequent dry laps to follow. Unfortunately, we had a problem in the pit stop with the front wheel and because Toprak was able to match the pace of Jonathan, without this it looks like he could have been in the fight to win which considering where we were at the end of FP2 is a great result for both team and rider. Loka took a big step forward in Indonesia and has repeated it again all weekend here at Phillip Island. Battling and beating the new WorldSBK Champion is no mean feat, and to finish just one place outside of the podium… A good Saturday overall and let’s see what we can do to improve and try to take another step forward tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by GYTR GRT Yamaha:
Gerloff Battles to Sixth in Challenging Race 1 Conditions at Phillip Island
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Garrett Gerloff enjoyed a strong flag-to-flag race, his first-ever since joining the FIM Superbike World Championship paddock, to take a sixth-place result and the Top Independent Rider spot.
The day started with a wet Free Practice 3 session, but once the Tissot Superpole got underway the track had dried, and Gerloff produced a strong flying lap to line-up sixth (1’30.727).
Afterwards, the rain returned ahead of Race 1 but just as they were getting ready to head out to the grid, the sun began to shine. With the track still wet, almost everyone opted for the full rain tyres, including GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s riders.
Gerloff enjoyed a decent start to retain his position, looking to find more pace on wet asphalt. However, with track conditions quickly changing, the American dived into the pits on lap 10, switching to slick tyres.
After rejoining in ninth, the 27-year-old was making quick progress, firstly pulling off a move on Honda’s Xavi Vierge for seventh, then bridging the nine-second gap to Motocorsa Ducati’s Axel Bassani. With three laps to go, the Texan got through for sixth, producing the second fastest time in the meantime.
On the other side of the box, Kohta Nozane was eager to show his skills in tricky conditions. The Japanese ace had qualified in 19th but was confident about making progress through the field. However, the #3 rider was unfortunately forced to DNF due to a technical problem.
Both riders will be back in action tomorrow for their final two races with the team, with the Superpole Race set to start at 13:00 (GMT+11) and Race 2 at 16:00.
Garrett Gerloff: P6
“It was definitely a fun race. The feeling in the wet wasn’t too great but it wasn’t that bad either, but once I came out on dry compounds the feeling was really good despite the fact that we were using wet settings. I didn’t expect it to be honest, and it’s probably helped us a lot for tomorrow. Let’s hope for no rain on Sunday!”
Kohta Nozane: DNF
“I feel disappointed with what happened, but that’s racing and we have to deal with it. Our qualifying wasn’t too bad and we kept improving, even though we knew we needed more. Right now, it’s all about Investigating what issue affected us and make everything work for tomorrow to have a proper finale.”
Zaccone and Okubo to Form Tech3 E-Racing Line-Up for the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship
Tech3 E-Racing is pleased to present its brand new line-up for the upcoming 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship, as the electric series is set to expand to an eight-round, sixteen-race competition.
Coming from a full season in the Moto2 World Championship with a twenty-fourth position in the standings, Italian Alessandro Zaccone, a 23-year-old native from Rimini, will return to the electric series in 2023, after his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021. Twelfth of the championship in 2020, the Italian raised the bar the following year with one victory and two podiums, at the end of which he finished fifth of the championship. Eager to race for the Italian manufacturer, he will have his eyes set on victories and the championship for his return in the category.
Alongside him, Japanese Hikari Okubo will complete our 2023 line up. After several years in World Supersport, the 29-year-old native from Kodaika will begin his third consecutive year in the electric series. After closing 2021 twelfth in the standings, he improved his performances in 2022 with a sixth place in the standings and a first podium finish at the French Grand Prix. Excited to be part of the Tech3 family, the Japanese rider will look forward to fighting for wins and an even stronger position in the championship.
Following two official Tests in Jerez and Barcelona scheduled in March and April, the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship will debut in Le Mans at the French Grand Prix, on May 12-14, 2023.
Alessandro Zaccone
“I am really happy to be joining Tech3 E-Racing and I can not wait to try the new Ducati bike in 2023. The MotoE championship is set to take a big step, and I am proud to be part of it. We have potential for it, so our target will be to win races and the championship next year. I would like to thank Hervé Poncharal for the opportunity, and I hope to give him the best emotions possible next season. See you next year!”
Hiraki Okubo
“I am very happy to join the Tech3 family in the MotoE championship for 2023. This team has a long history in Grand Prix and has had many Japanese riders throughout the years, so it is an honour to become one of them. I am looking forward to starting a new adventure next year, and we will aim to fight for wins and a strong position in the championship.”
Hervé Poncharal
Team Manager
“For its fifth year of existence, MotoE is set to make a big step in 2023 with eight events and sixteen races – two per event – so clearly it won’t be a World Cup anymore but a real World Championship, just like the three main categories of the Grand Prix Championship. A new manufacturer will support the electric series, so we are all looking forward to this new era of electric racing.
“Tech3 E-Racing is delighted to welcome amongst its ranks Italian Alessandro Zaccone and Japanese Hikari Okubo, who both already have experience in MotoE. Alessandro has already won a race, and Hikari has reached the podium once, so with these two high-profile riders, we will be aiming for podiums, victories, and why not the championship.
“We are excited to write the 2023 electric chapter with them!”
Bautista claims last win of the 2022 season in shortened Race 2
The 2022 WorldSBK Champion claimed his 16th win of the season in the final race of the season
Alvaro Bautista (19) leads Jonathan Rea (65), Toprak Razgatlioglu (1), and Alex Lowes (22) in Race Two. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Race 1 highlights – WorldSBK
P1 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Starting from pole position following his Tissot Superpole Race win, Bautista claimed the last win of the 2022 season, his 16th overall this season.
He was leading Rea by 0.357s when the race was red flagged after 17 completed laps.
He scored a total of 601 points in his title winning season.
“Today was amazing! In the Superpole Race, it was quite wet, but the experience I had from MotoGP™, I knew that it could maybe dry very fast. I took a big gamble because it was too wet. Race 2 was again so fun with the bike. Today, everything was normal so I could push from the beginning. I lost a lot of positions in the beginning and then I got the lead. To make my pace, the pace was quite acceptable, and Jonathan was just behind. I expected a big battle, especially in the last two laps, but unfortunately the red flag stopped the race. I think it has been the best way to end this amazing season. I’m so happy. Now we have to celebrate and now we have to prepare for next season.”
P2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Rea finished second in Race 2 for his 245th podium place.
With 502 points, Rea finished in third place in the standings.
“We know the result. I gave everything. We can be quite satisfied with our efforts this weekend to go 1-3-2. Good overall points for the weekend. The conditions were almost like nothing I’ve ever seen in my career! Tyre decisions, pit stops, red flag in Race 2 with the conditions coming in. From my weekend, I’m really happy with my team and the way I’m riding the bike. Even in Race 2 with Alvaro, I felt stronger everywhere but the start-finish line. They were taking so much time, but through Turn 1, Turn 2 and even Turn 3, with the traction, an area we’ve really struggled with in the past, I had more grip and the tyre was very linear. Big thanks to my team. Looking forward now to a little bit of rest before we start focusing on 2023. We can be satisfied with our work this year.”
P3 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Lowes took third place for his second podium of the weekend.
He finished the season with 272 points standing in sixth place in the Championship standings.
“I’m really happy with the weekend, happy with the second podium this year. We’ve made some improvement in the middle of the year. I’ve been pretty competitive minus Mandalika, we’ve been strong every weekend. Today’s race was good. I was nervous because the weather has been changing so fast. In the race I was trying to check the clouds and understand what was happening. In the mid-part of the race, Jonathan and Alvaro just got away a little bit. I had some battles with Toprak and I couldn’t really get past him. And then I was trying to think about the end of the race, save some tyre to battle with him in the last two laps and then obviously we had the red flag. I really hope both of the guy are ok. But for me, it’s been a good weekend, nice way to finish, it gives me some confidence going into winter and on to next season.”
P4 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Razgatlioglu was fourth missing the podium for 0.413s.
529 points claimed this season gave Razgatlioglu second place in the standings.
“We tried in every session to find good grip. We tried our best. In Race 2, after 10 laps, I felt a big drop with the rear tyre. I saw Alex pushing a lot, and after two laps I saw him starting to spin a lot. I thought ‘ok in the last two laps, I’ll pass him’ and I saw the red flag. But I’m really happy for him. He needed a bonus because he has two babies! He’s a very good guy and he was very strong this weekend. We finished the last race of the season in fourth position. Anyway, we’re second in the Championship standings.”
P5 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli was fifth in Race 2 also securing fifth place in the standings for his second season in WorldSBK.
“For sure we finished the season in a really good way. This is very important to start testing this winter and to start 2023 in a good way. I’m really happy about the last two rounds. But I am little bit disappointed with some rounds, like Barcelona … maybe we could have fought for third place in the Championship … but anyway we finished a difficult season in fifth place, so we need to be happy, we need to look forward and we need to prepare next season and I think we will come back really strong. For sure, we improved.”
P6 – Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Redding concluded his first season with BMW with a top six finish.
He occupies eighth position in the Championship standings for his first season with BMW.
“Interesting race actually. I got off to a flying start which is something we’ve been working on this year. This weekend I found something that helped me with the start. So, it was quite good, and we had a great start. I struggled a lot this weekend and I tipped in to Turn 1 and thought ‘it’s the last race, give everything you’ve got’. I was hanging out there in the front for a bit, that was pretty good. I challenged for the lead a few times and then the tyre start becoming an issue. I started dropping back which was a shame because I felt pretty good. I was happy with the Sunday. Both races turned out alright after a really tough weekend.”
To note:
The race was red flagged after a collision involving Xavi Fores (BARNI Spark Racing Team) and Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) at Turn 1, with Laverty taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash but he was conscious. Laverty was diagnosed with a pelvic injury and taken to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne by helicopter for further assessments.
Tetsuta Nagashima (Team HRC) rounded out a strong debut weekend as he stood in for Iker Lecuona with ninth place in Race 2, scoring a total of 13 points.
Editorial Note: American Garrett Gerloff crashed on the first lap of Race Two. He wasn’t seriously injured.
Action from a Yamaha bLU cRU R3 Cup race in 2022. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Registration Open for 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship
Now entering its third season, following another successful campaign in 2022, young riders can today sign up for the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship, which will once again support selected rounds of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
You can register for the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship by clicking here.
After launching its inaugural campaign in 2021, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship has opened the door into world championship racing for several young riders, with this year’s winner, 18-year-old Brazilian Enzo Valentim, set to make his full-season FIM Supersport 300 World Championship debut in 2023, benefiting from Yamaha Motor Europe support.
You could be the next rider to fight for the opportunity to join the likes of Valentim and 2021 winner, 18-year-old Spaniard Iker Garcia Abella, in the WorldSSP300 class by signing up to join the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship grid.
Open to riders aged 14-20, the Championship is the perfect first step for young riders looking to make their way onto the world championship stage. It runs alongside six rounds of the WorldSBK campaign, giving youngsters a chance to showcase their talent in front of the top teams and riders.
Each weekend, the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship riders will be based at the bLU cRU village, located at a designated area inside the paddock. All entrants will receive coaching and technical support, while Yamaha R3 machinery and a full riding package, including race leathers, gloves, boots, helmet, tyres and fuel, are provided at a low cost, with season entry fees of just €30,500 (Euros).
The overall champion will earn a place on the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship grid with full Yamaha Motor Europe support, providing they are over the minimum age for entry into the class. Second in the standings will be offered a 50 percent discount on their 2024 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship registration, while the rider who finishes third in the championship will receive a 25 percent discount.
Young talents don’t go unnoticed, and the 2022 WorldSSP300 grid featured four riders from the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship, while three racers from this year’s series also made wildcard appearances in the world championship class.
Like this year, five riders will also be selected for the VR46 Yamaha Master Camp in Italy, where they will receive coaching from the same team responsible for advising the VR46 Academy Riders.
Following the success of this year’s series, interest is expected to be high, and with only 30 grid slots available for the 2023 season early sign up is essential to avoid missing out on this exciting opportunity.
You can register for the 2023 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship by clicking here.
Paolo Pavesio
Yamaha Motor Europe Marketing and Motorsport Director
“It was another incredible season for the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship in 2022; the level of the racing was very high, and we saw great progression from our young riders throughout the season. It was also amazing to see our riders from the last year’s series perform so strongly in their first WorldSSP300 championship campaign this year. They clearly benefitted from their experience in the R3 bLU cRU Championship, and we believe there are some who can fight for race wins and maybe even the title in 2023. It was also nice to see such diversity in the Championship this year, with both male and female riders from all over the globe competing, and we are sure that will continue next season. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of motorcycle racing talent into the WorldSBK paddock in 2023, and we know that the top teams will be following the racing closely.”
Phillip Island Round Six Saturday: The Riders Lay Siege to the Championships
A day that sought to find out every weakness, every foible and make the rider pay. It was as tough a day for every class as we’ve had this year.
Here’s what we saw on track in the mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul:
Alpinestars Superbike qualifying and race one
Dunlop Supersport 300 Race two
Australian Supersport Races one and two
ALPINESTARS SUPERBIKE
Josh Waters was unquestionably The Man in qualifying.
QUALIFYING
The conditions for this morning’s Alpinestars Superbike qualifying were as good as one could currently imagine for fast times: overcast and cool with a dry track.
And so it was. Josh Waters departed pit lane, completed his out lap and then put his bike on pole with a record-breaking 1:31.286 He pitted for a time, but honestly if he had just stayed in and perhaps lit a cigar it would have been the stuff of legend.
No one would top his time for the rest of the session, and that is not to say the other riders were slow. By the end of the session, the top eleven were into the 32s, and four riders were in the 31s. Nearly every rookie set their fastest-ever Superbike lap time. Yeah, the conditions were good!
Championship leader Mike Jones struggled at times and found himself as low as 8th while teammate Cru Halliday didn’t bother the timing screens until halfway through the session.
The times fell as the time on the clock ran down. Staring dipped into the 1:31s by 1/1000th second with ten minutes to go, and finally, Halliday graced us with his presence on track and immediately placed himself one spot ahead of teammate Jones.
Glenn Allerton found himself outside the top eight and would stay thusly.
And while beating Waters was proving to be impossible, Daniel Falzon unleashed his R1 and bettered his own personal best by over half a second, nailing down an incredible 1:31.596 to go to number two and claim fastest Yamaha of the session
The bloke who needed to be the fastest Yamaha – Mike Jones – was 8th at this point. While Maxwell wasn’t in P1, it was still a worrying sight for the championship leader.
Meanwhile, Waters was out again and to show it was no fluke, he just consistently lapped under Maxwell’s fastest lap.
With five minutes to go, Jones knocked out a 1:32.148 – 7th. Third row of the grid.
Maxwell put in a new tyre with five minutes to go. A final run beckoned and with it the chance to not only take pole and grab that precious single point.
But traffic and time would beat him and he was unable to pull out the desperately needed magic lap, despite managing to do the fastest first sector time twice without result.
At the podium receiving the AMX Superstores pole cheque was Josh Waters with Daniel Falzon (second) and Wayne Maxwell (third) rounding out the front row.
Mike Jones managed to work his way to fifth and would now start from the second row of the grid. Wayne Maxwell would be in front and slightly to his right at the start of the three races. With Ant West to Mike’s right, the starts would now be very, very interesting.
And… it was now raining.
RACE ONE
And while it was not actually raining for the start of race one, it was most certainly wet. The riders tip-toed out on their wets and speculation in the paddock peaked. Westy from sixth? Mike to fire it up the inside of Maxwell? Would it dry up?
From the jump it was Falzon, but by turn one it was Josh Waters in the lead and before we really had a chance to consider who was where, Wayne Maxwell crashed on the exit of turn two and took with him his Boost Mobile with K-Tech Ducati Panigale V4R and perhaps his chance of winning the 2022 title.
After just one lap, Herfoss led from Staring, Allerton and Waters with West hanging on in fifth.
Jones was down in 13th and at any other time this would be a catastrophe, but with Maxwell out, it was a near non-issue.
At the front, the leading four traded spots like Supersport 300 racers and Sissis worked his way past West to set sail for the fast four out front.
After just five laps of twelve, the action and passing had been almost too much. Staring led, Allerton kept nudging towards the front and Herfoss was as low as fourth, but also set to lead if that wasn’t confusing enough.
Sissis had now wisely just measured his run towards the leading foursome but was knee down on wets through turn three just to keep all assembled a tad nervous and an absent Casey Stoner happy.
On lap six, Staring completed the fastest lap of the race and pushed out to a .8 gap. Josh Waters put his head down and chased hard and attached his Ducati to the back of the DesmoSport Ducati shortly after. Sissis passed a slowing Troy Herfoss.
There was a brief settling of the order, with Starting leading from Waters and Allerton, a gap back to Sissis and a further and growing gap back to the next group. Metcher and Pearson had overtaken Troy Herfoss and then Ant West who might have preferred it wetter to display his prodigious wet weather skills and be kinder to his Dunlop.
Mike Jones got ahead of Ted Collins and teammate Halliday to move up to 11th to just gather up a few more points.
With ten laps completed, Allerton got the better of Waters for second, while Staring continued to push hard in first place.
A frankly unwanted dry line had emerged and Staring now had a one-second gap off the front with a lap to run and further pushed it out to 1.2 as the chasing pair of Allerton and Waters waved the white flag.
At the line, it was Bryan Staring in a repeat of his round one, race one victory with Glenn Allerton second and Josh Waters in third. Arthur Sissis had one of the better rides of the day to finish a valiant fourth. Jed Metcher could feel justifiably pleased with his fifth place, Senna Agius admitted he had been rather nervous just exiting pit lane, but rode a mature and sensible race to finish in sixth, Broc Pearson was similarly sensible and measured in seventh.
Troy Herfoss wound up back in eighth, a disappointing outcome after variously leading and dicing with the front runners early on. Daniel Falzon was ninth after starting from second, but he had stated earlier that his fast lap in the dry was one for the ages and that race pace might be an issue.
Mike Jones finished a remarkable race in tenth place to bank 11 points and stretch his Championship lead over Wayne Maxwell. Cru Halliday and Ant West were 11th and 12th respectively
With his DNF on lap one, not only did Maxwell concede more points to Jones, but also saw second place go to Bryan Staring on what was an extraordinary day for the championship.
Tomorrow sees the riders back for two more races to round out the weekend. As it has been in recent times, rain is of course forecast and the random nature of Phillip Island might be the king maker once again.
Bryan Staring: “Yeah, that was a really tough race, just reading the conditions every lap. Everything was changing and trying to stay consistent was difficult. And I made some pretty amateur mistakes out there.
“Everything was changing underneath us so quickly, now that it’s finished, it seems like it was an enjoyable race. But honestly, like you’re you’re on a knife’s edge the whole time trying to keep the bike on two wheels.
“I worked out, I had some drive grip on the guys and then I could use my top speed to my advantage. And after I sort of understood that, then I just worked it to where I needed to be. I knew I was slow in a few areas, but I thought ‘I’ll concentrate on my strengths here, minimize the mistakes and where I can’t push it’ and in the end, I’m so glad we got there!”
Glenn Allerton: “A lot happened. It was a race of attrition.
“With all the guys, what was great about that race was that we are all champions in our own right – that whole front four. I could have reached out and touched Bryan a couple of times, we were that close to each other, that close on the edge of grip. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
Josh Waters: “It’s good to be on the podium! The race was close in parts and it was good to be a part of it!
“There are a few areas we can make better for tomorrow if the conditions are wet again..”
Pole sitter Tom Bramich ought to have been feeling reasonably confident ahead of race one this morning, having topped the timesheets in practice and qualifying reasonably comfortably.
It’s been a confident and affirming time for Bramich who started the year well, but had a series of falls, issues and subpar results that makes a championship unlikely, even if it’s mathematically possible.
Bramich lead the field early and found himself at the front of a group of three with Passfield and Lytras for company. Scott Nicholson hung on in fourth and the injured and mechanically plagued-on-Friday Ty Lynch.
For Lynch to have any chance of challenging Lytras for the title, he would need to not just challenge him at Phillip Island, he would need to beat him and get a few other riders between them.
On lap four, Passfield overtook Bramich for the lead and managed to grind out a 0.6 second gap. Fourth through sixth (Nicholson, Lynch and Skeer) were able to then attach themselves to the lead group to keep it interesting for championship watchers and race fans alike.
Rain flags came out on lap six, as we apparently didn’t have enough drama. Scott Nicholson crashed and valiantly tried to get going again from the gravel trap at turn nine.
..and then there were five at the front. Tom Drane was up in sixth, but some 6 seconds behind fifth. Skeer pitted.
Bramich found the pace a little tough and dropped to fourth, Declan Carberry crashed at turn eleven and…
The red flag came out and we called a ceasefire.
The rain pulled a “classic Phillip Island” and refused to fall in earnest, but certainly damped things. Then it did rain in earnest, we all looked at the dismal radar images and the grid was a flurry of teams swapping to wets for the restart.
The assembled foreign media asked local media what they thought the weather would do and received a collective shrug.
The Island does what The Island does.
Several riders departed pit lane for what was perhaps a sighting lap and Lynch and Lytras found themselves apparently set to start from pit lane.
And then they declared the race done – with partial points awarded – and we all ran to the podium to see who won.
In the end, it was Passfield from Bramich and Lynch. Lytras was fourth to keep the championship reasonably safe and the half points for the shortened race did him no harm whatsoever.
It was, to quote Werner Herzog, “MADNESS”.
Bramich, Passfield and Lynch
Race Two
Unusually and perhaps outrageously, race two for Michelin Supersport started on the dry track in bright sunshine. Weird, we know.
John Lytras jumped pole sitter Bramich to take the lead while a keen-to-get-involved Ty Lynch moved up to third.
Keer moved past Lynch to make things tricky for the challenger while Lytras was being simultaneously passed by a determined Tom Bramich.
At MG, turn 10, Skeer and Lynch came together and both slid off and out of contention. It was a tough blow for the already injured Lynch, who would now also concede more points to Lytras. ASBK Race Direction placed the incident under investigation.
Passfield was now promoted to third, but some 1.3 seconds behind the leading duo of Bramich and Lytras. Nicholson was some seven second further back, so the battle for the podium seemed settled.
Passfield pulled out the fasted lap of the race on lap four and this brought him to the leaders and a new battle began. Passfield was happy to show Lytras a wheel into turn one and do the same again at turn four.
Lytras clearly felt Passfield presence and rode slightly defensively as a result. Passfield completed yet another fastest lap of the race and celebrated by passing Lytras through turn one. Passfield was inevitable with his pace and took the lead at the Hayshed and lead the trio onto the straight to complete lap six.
While he was fast when chasing, leading is another caper altogether and Bramich was able to get ahead. Passfield returned the favour and Lytras just sensibly watched on. Passfield was able to gap Bramich a fraction and this prevented a main straight slipstream, so he lead into the 8th lap.
John Quinn had crashed heavily, but uninjured to end his run.
Through the final lap, Passfield continued to lead and then had a brain fade at MG- turn 10- and ran wide, allowing a surprised Bramich to use his considerable skill through turns 11 and 12 to advantage to take the win by 59/1000th of a second.
Tom Bramich: “I knew it was going to be a close race, Jack and Johnny are always good in a close battle. I knew that there were going to be a few of us fighting at the front.
“I was planning to overtake him (Passfield), but when the door opened I was pretty happy, I just needed to hold on through the last sector and I got to the line..!”
Dunlop Supersport 300
Race One
Aksu leads the field away and of course he only does so to allow Dunker, Snell at al to get a run on him. A pack of eight forms by lap one and they trade spots.4
Dunker consistently placed his R3 at the front of the pack, perhaps reasoning that the best way to stay out of trouble is to keep it behind you. While a solo break away in the Supersport 300 class is unusual, it’s also not impossible so Dunker just kept plugging away, but never found himself too far from his octet of willing sparring partners.
At the halfway point, the leading eight riders were- in no particular order as it’s impossible: Snell, Aksu, Swain, Pezzetta, Hayden Nelson, Dinker, Gawith and Glenn Nelson who managed to latch on to the lead group. Nerlich and Larkin rounded out the top tan, but Nerlich fell on the second last lap.
The final lap saw Dunker drop as low as eighth, Pezzetta lead, Aksu close to the front and Nelson and Snell there abouts as well.
As noted previously, The Island rewards the clever in the Supersport 300 class and while Cameron Dunker was able to time his run pretty well, it was Henry Snell who saluted in first place after playing his cards to perfection.
The start of World Superbike Race One at Phillip Island. Photo courtesy Dorna.
Rea ends win drought with Race 1 victory in wet-to-dry battle
Drying conditions prompted pit stops up and down the grid
Race 1 Highlights – WorldSBK
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Rea took his first race win since Estoril in May, ending his 24-race win drought.
He is the first rider with a winning career spanning more than 13 years. His first win was in Misano 2009.
He was one of the first lead riders to change from wet tyres to slicks on Lap 10 to win with a 6.247s ahead of Razgatlioglu.
“There were a lot of things going on in that race and that’s what makes the victory a little bit more special because my team were involved in the pit stop. We could be strong in the wet conditions and also the dry, and I made that perfection decision to come in. it was even potentially a lap too late. I was thinking about coming in one lap earlier, but we made a deal with my team that I had to give them a signal on the pit straight. I thought I hadn’t given them the signal yet so came past so gave it one more lap and it was time. I quickly checked to see who was coming. I knew it was the perfect time. I saw Toprak was there so I thought the last ten laps would be with him. I exited the pit box and had a much better stop than Toprak and I could ride to my pit board.
“It’s nice, it’s really nice more than anything to win. It’s not something I’ve really been dwelling on since the beginning of the season because the season’s been so challenging. Alvaro and Toprak have been so good so there’s no point in me getting disappointed or feeling sorry for myself. We’re getting beaten now by guys who are riding very well and manufacturers that are pushing really hard. It’s motivating to keep working, to keep following them and keep challenging myself and my team. I think we’re doing a really good job. Hopefully we can roll this momentum on to tomorrow and finish the season really strongly.”
Jonathan Rea (65) broke his winless streak in the wet-to-dry Race One. Photo courtesy Dorna.
P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Razgatlioglu claimed second position in Race 1 to take his 81st podium.
He entered the pits to switch to slicks on Lap 10, as did Rea, but he wasn’t able to catch the race winner in the final part of the race.
“For me, this weekend didn’t have a good start but anyway my team was working to have a better bike. Now I’m happy. We finished the race on the podium. It was a strange race for me. It was my first race like this. I felt too much spinning on the rear and after I was not pushing on the tyre. I saw that Jonny was also not pushing. Then I saw he entered to the box and I followed him directly. My team made a small mistake during the pit stop, they struggled to put the front tyre so we lost almost five seconds. But anyway, this is racing, this is motorsport. We tried our best. We are here, in second place. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
P3 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Lowes completed the podium as he finished 15.435s behind race winner. He claimed his third podium of the season.
He was leading when the first riders started pitting but was the last from the leading group opting to pit-in as he switched tyres on Lap 12.
His podium finish means he is now only eight points behind Locatelli in fifth place in the Championship standings.
“I didn’t expect it to dry as fast as it did. The race at the start, when I went off the start, it was a lot drier. The warm up lap was a lot drier than when we went to the grid. I need to be careful so I was trying to be smooth on the wet tyres, then I realised there was a dry line appearing so I tried to use the wet tyre a lot because I knew, at some point, we had to make a pit stop. I probably pitted one or two laps too late but when I got out on the dry tyres, I felt good straight away. In general, I’m happy. I think I have a good chance tomorrow whatever the conditions are. Really happy for the team and Jonathan getting back on the top step of the podium, me back on the podium.”
P4 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli finished in fourth place 2.907s behind Lowes and around a second ahead of Bautista as he passed him in the closing stages of the race.
He remains fifth in the Championship standings with 258 points.
“Today was a fun race for the fans and for us because to stop to have a flag-to-flag was interesting. In the end we got fourth position so I think we can be happy. It’s a good result. I was fighting with Alex until the end and maybe finish in third position. My team did a really good job for the flag-to-flag, so I want to thank them. I’m really happy about today and about this race. We’ll try again tomorrow, and we’ll try to improve to try to stay closer to the front because we want to try to get a podium. This is the target, but we will see tomorrow what we can do.”
P5 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Bautista took fifth place as he crossed the finish line 19.369s behind Rea.
He decided to switch to slick tyres on Lap 11, one lap later than Rea and Razgatlioglu.
“It’s been a new experience for everybody, for me and also for the team, having a flag-to-flag race. In the beginning, it was strange in wet conditions because I had a worse feeling than this morning during the practice. I struggled a lot to have some temperature on the tyre and I was suffering a little bit even if I was in the front group. Then I saw that the track was drying step by step. But I wanted to be sure that we’ll have a clean line in the dry to make the switch. I switched the tyres. With the setup I had for the wet conditions, it wasn’t working so well for the dry tyres. I didn’t have too much confidence. On the front I couldn’t brake so hard because the bike started to move and jump a lot but also on with the rear tyre, it was like riding on ice. I needed five or six laps to start to feel some grip on the rear. I think this is a big disadvantage to be light because I cannot put weight on the lap in these kinds of conditions. We depend too much on the setup of the bike. If the setup is nice, I can push like I did in the Superpole where I did a really good lap time on the SC0 tyre. But when the race setting is not the right setting for me it’s difficult because the bike is more difficult to go into the corners and I cannot move myself to put some weight at the front or the rear. I am more limited than other riders. Anyway, I’m happy. It has been a new experience. We did a really challenging race. For sure we have some data for the future in case this happen again.”
P6 – Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
Gerloff was sixth around 36s behind the race winner. He pitted on the same lap as Bautista.
“Complicated is the right word to describe this race. It was raining really hard after the Superpole session. I honestly didn’t think that it was going to be a dry race at all. But then, we were sitting on the grid, the track was still soaking wet, but the sun came out and the wind was hard. The wind was up there pretty hard. And I was thinking ‘alright this is going to dry’ and it did pretty quickly. In the race, I made a decent start and it didn’t feel too bad in the rain but honestly, I didn’t feel too fantastic either and I lost some ground. But staying around sixth, seventh place and then when the track started to dry, I was feeling pretty good, expect that I wasn’t really sure about when I should come in, because there were still a couple of places on the track that were pretty wet. I probably waited a lap longer than I should have. I saw Locatelli in front of me, he was with Bautista maybe, I saw him going into the pit and I was thinking like ‘do I do it or not’ but on the grid, I told my guys that I was going give them a signal before I come in so, I never gave them the signal so I didn’t want to catch them out. Anyway, they would have been ready, but I decided to do one more lap, giving them the signal so they were properly ready and in the end it was good.”
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 10:35 (Local Time) with the Warm-Up, followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00.
WorldSBK Results Race 1
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +6.247s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +15.435s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +19.369s
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +19.369s
The opening race of the final 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship round was a double podium success for KRT. Jonathan Rea won after a very complicated 22 laps and a mid-race pit-stop, and Alex Lowes was a strong third.
After a dry opening day of practice on Friday rains appeared and disappeared through the opening raceday on 19 November.
After a thrilling Superpole qualifying session in which Rea finished second and Lowes third, both KRT riders launched off the front row, under what were fully wet track conditions. All WorldSBK riders except one opted for full rain tyre options but as the track dried out and sunshine finally appeared, one-by-one the competitors were forced to enter pitlane to fit slick tyres.
Jonathan benefitted most from his pitstop strategy as he ended a race with seven changes of lead as the rider out front and lapping at a fast pace when the track conditions had stabilised.
Having not won a race since May Rea took full advantage of his latest opportunity and after an early scare on a damp section of asphalt with fresh slick tyres, he rode with a cool head and a fast pace to take the chequered flag.
In second place Toprak Razgatliolgu was pushing Rea as hard as he could but Jonathan managed his race well, crossing the finish line with six seconds of advantage over his closest rival.
Fully in the leading mix when the track conditions were wet, Alex led for five laps and also demonstrated strong pace in the dry conditions at the end.
Lowes stayed out on rain tyres for longer than some other riders but his overall pace on both portions of the race, plus the work done in pit-lane by his technical staff, was more than enough to let Alex score his third podium of the season.
The Tissot-Superpole race, over ten laps, and a full distance Race Two will complete the hard-fought 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship season on Sunday 20 November.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “We knew to expect anything today so we had a plan to cover all bases, and then it was about me being calm on the bike and not making silly decisions. In the wet I didn’t feel like my normal self at the beginning. I was able to pass Toprak on the brakes into Turn One and I was just able to haul it up, but I ended up doing a bit of grass tracking. I managed to catch the leaders and then said to myself to ride slowly, as the track was going to dry out and I did not want to waste my tyres. Alex came through with a really good pace and at that point I said, ‘OK, roll the dice and let’s go to the pits.’ I didn’t think it was a risky move, but I probably could have gone in a lap earlier than I did. I gave a signal to my team going down the straight and then committed to come into pitlane. After we rejoined I was just riding to my pitboard. This was a real team win today. I think we completely nailed the pitstop and didn’t lose one second. Big kudos to the team because they did the work really smoothly and they are as much part of that win as me.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “A strange race but I felt I was one of the faster riders in the wet and the dry conditions. Maybe the wrong choice with the pitstop but I was fast in the wet, fast in the dry and always happy to pick up a podium. I just want to be battling at the front and showing my speed. I know I can be fast and I enjoyed the race. It is always a strange one when you have a pit-stop in the middle. Tomorrow it looks like the weather will probably be different again but I feel I can do a good job. I want to sleep well tonight and try to finish the year strongly tomorrow.”
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 14th in Race One and he scored two more championship points.
Kyle Smith (Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) was eighth in the wet FP3 session, 22nd in Superpole and then a remarkable 12th in the first race. He even led it on lap 14 before Rea came past to take the race win. Oliver König (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) placed 19th in the opening Phillip Island race.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Razgatlıoğlu Chases Victory, Locatelli P4 in Spectacular Wet-to-Dry Race 1 at Phillip Island
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu returned to the podium for the 29th time this season, finishing second in an enthralling wet-to-dry Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit classic, at the final round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship in Australia today.
He was backed up by teammate Andrea Locatelli, who continued his fine run of form with another fourth place finish – less than three seconds from the podium. The Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK pairing started the day strongly during a fully-wet FP3 with Razgatlıoğlu second-fastest and “Loka” in fifth position, before Superpole saw them qualify P4 and P5 on the grid respectively for Race 1.
Conditions by late afternoon were mixed in the full meaning of the word, with rain, wind and sun battering down on the stunning 4.445km Australian venue. What started as a wet race quickly developed into a game of strategy, as Razgatlıoğlu went to the front of the pack and Locatelli also got an excellent start into fourth. Despite a drying track, the possible chance of more rain meant the top riders stayed out as long as possible on full wet tyres and waited for the right moment to pit.
After a series of race leader changes, Razgatlıoğlu followed Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea in for slicks at the end of Lap 10. When the “dust” of the pit stops had settled a few laps later, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK’s Turkish ace was around five seconds behind eventual race winner Rea – the two matching each other’s pace lap-for-lap throughout the final 12 circuit revolutions, with Razgatlioglu unable to bridge the gap.
Locatelli was himself embroiled in a battle with new WorldSBK Champion Bautista and the second Kawasaki machine of Alex Lowes. The young Italian held his own, and with superior pace to the Ducati in the final stages of the race, passed Bautista at the Miller Hairpin on Lap 18 to finish just behind podium-sitter Lowes.
With two races left in 2022, there are two trophies yet to be decided: the Pirelli Best Lap Award in which Razgatlıoğlu and Bautista are currently tied and the Tissot Superpole Award, where Razgatlioglu holds an 11 point lead over Rea with a maximum of 12 points available for the 10-lap Superpole Race tomorrow. Razgatlıoğlu and Bautista are also tied on the number of race wins achieved in 2022, with 14 each.
The final day of WorldSBK racing this season will start with a 15-minute Warm-Up at 10:30 (UTC+11), the 10-lap Superpole Race at 13:00 and close with Race 2 from 16:00.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Race 1: P2
“For me this weekend was not a good start but my team are working every hour for the good bike and now I am happy. You know, we are finishing the race on the podium and also a strange race! For me, first time like this race with the pit stop. My team, small mistake, not possible to put the front tyre inside the bike and maybe we lose almost five seconds – but this is the race, this is motorsport, I try my best and the team tried their best so anyway, I am happy we are here! We are not alone, this is teamwork and we finish second position. Now I am looking to tomorrow because we have two more races to finish the season. In the wet part of the race, I waited until I was feeling too much spinning in the rear and after I am not pushing the tyre. I see the dry line but also possible starting again rain, so I tried to keep the tyre and watch Johnny also not pushing. After some laps, I see Johnny enter for the box and I follow him directly. Tomorrow will also not be easy with weather like today, I hope again we will see the sun but I will fight again for the podium and try my best.”
Andrea Locatelli – Race 1: P4
“It was a fun race today for the fans and I think also for us, to do the pit stop was interesting! In the end we got fourth position, so I think we should be happy because it’s a good result and I was fighting with Alex for third. I will try again for the podium tomorrow for sure! I want to say a lot of thanks to my team because they were really good in the pit stop – everyone did a really good job, we didn’t lose any time and no mistakes. I am really happy about today and I enjoyed the race, now we are looking forward to repeat again tomorrow. I hope we can take some more confidence, to learn on this track to start again strong in 2023! We are here, we are fast, and we have a good package with the R1 so we will fight in the Superpole Race and again for Race 2. I want to try for the podium and to enjoy the maximum result, we’re close to Lowes so we will try.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK:
“For Toprak, after a really difficult Friday here at Phillip Island, today was a very strong recovery – particularly in the wet FP3. It really seems like he’s improved this previous weak point of his riding and a good qualifying was followed up by a superb performance both in the wet first part of the race, and the subsequent dry laps to follow. Unfortunately, we had a problem in the pit stop with the front wheel and because Toprak was able to match the pace of Jonathan, without this it looks like he could have been in the fight to win which considering where we were at the end of FP2 is a great result for both team and rider. Loka took a big step forward in Indonesia and has repeated it again all weekend here at Phillip Island. Battling and beating the new WorldSBK Champion is no mean feat, and to finish just one place outside of the podium… A good Saturday overall and let’s see what we can do to improve and try to take another step forward tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by GYTR GRT Yamaha:
Gerloff Battles to Sixth in Challenging Race 1 Conditions at Phillip Island
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Garrett Gerloff enjoyed a strong flag-to-flag race, his first-ever since joining the FIM Superbike World Championship paddock, to take a sixth-place result and the Top Independent Rider spot.
The day started with a wet Free Practice 3 session, but once the Tissot Superpole got underway the track had dried, and Gerloff produced a strong flying lap to line-up sixth (1’30.727).
Afterwards, the rain returned ahead of Race 1 but just as they were getting ready to head out to the grid, the sun began to shine. With the track still wet, almost everyone opted for the full rain tyres, including GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s riders.
Gerloff enjoyed a decent start to retain his position, looking to find more pace on wet asphalt. However, with track conditions quickly changing, the American dived into the pits on lap 10, switching to slick tyres.
After rejoining in ninth, the 27-year-old was making quick progress, firstly pulling off a move on Honda’s Xavi Vierge for seventh, then bridging the nine-second gap to Motocorsa Ducati’s Axel Bassani. With three laps to go, the Texan got through for sixth, producing the second fastest time in the meantime.
On the other side of the box, Kohta Nozane was eager to show his skills in tricky conditions. The Japanese ace had qualified in 19th but was confident about making progress through the field. However, the #3 rider was unfortunately forced to DNF due to a technical problem.
Both riders will be back in action tomorrow for their final two races with the team, with the Superpole Race set to start at 13:00 (GMT+11) and Race 2 at 16:00.
Garrett Gerloff: P6
“It was definitely a fun race. The feeling in the wet wasn’t too great but it wasn’t that bad either, but once I came out on dry compounds the feeling was really good despite the fact that we were using wet settings. I didn’t expect it to be honest, and it’s probably helped us a lot for tomorrow. Let’s hope for no rain on Sunday!”
Kohta Nozane: DNF
“I feel disappointed with what happened, but that’s racing and we have to deal with it. Our qualifying wasn’t too bad and we kept improving, even though we knew we needed more. Right now, it’s all about Investigating what issue affected us and make everything work for tomorrow to have a proper finale.”
Tech3 E-Racing Team Manager Herve Poncharal (right), Alessandro Zaccone (center), and Hiraki Okubo (left). Photo courtesy Tech3 E-Racing.
Zaccone and Okubo to Form Tech3 E-Racing Line-Up for the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship
Tech3 E-Racing is pleased to present its brand new line-up for the upcoming 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship, as the electric series is set to expand to an eight-round, sixteen-race competition.
Coming from a full season in the Moto2 World Championship with a twenty-fourth position in the standings, Italian Alessandro Zaccone, a 23-year-old native from Rimini, will return to the electric series in 2023, after his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021. Twelfth of the championship in 2020, the Italian raised the bar the following year with one victory and two podiums, at the end of which he finished fifth of the championship. Eager to race for the Italian manufacturer, he will have his eyes set on victories and the championship for his return in the category.
Alongside him, Japanese Hikari Okubo will complete our 2023 line up. After several years in World Supersport, the 29-year-old native from Kodaika will begin his third consecutive year in the electric series. After closing 2021 twelfth in the standings, he improved his performances in 2022 with a sixth place in the standings and a first podium finish at the French Grand Prix. Excited to be part of the Tech3 family, the Japanese rider will look forward to fighting for wins and an even stronger position in the championship.
Following two official Tests in Jerez and Barcelona scheduled in March and April, the 2023 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship will debut in Le Mans at the French Grand Prix, on May 12-14, 2023.
Alessandro Zaccone
“I am really happy to be joining Tech3 E-Racing and I can not wait to try the new Ducati bike in 2023. The MotoE championship is set to take a big step, and I am proud to be part of it. We have potential for it, so our target will be to win races and the championship next year. I would like to thank Hervé Poncharal for the opportunity, and I hope to give him the best emotions possible next season. See you next year!”
Hiraki Okubo
“I am very happy to join the Tech3 family in the MotoE championship for 2023. This team has a long history in Grand Prix and has had many Japanese riders throughout the years, so it is an honour to become one of them. I am looking forward to starting a new adventure next year, and we will aim to fight for wins and a strong position in the championship.”
Hervé Poncharal
Team Manager
“For its fifth year of existence, MotoE is set to make a big step in 2023 with eight events and sixteen races – two per event – so clearly it won’t be a World Cup anymore but a real World Championship, just like the three main categories of the Grand Prix Championship. A new manufacturer will support the electric series, so we are all looking forward to this new era of electric racing.
“Tech3 E-Racing is delighted to welcome amongst its ranks Italian Alessandro Zaccone and Japanese Hikari Okubo, who both already have experience in MotoE. Alessandro has already won a race, and Hikari has reached the podium once, so with these two high-profile riders, we will be aiming for podiums, victories, and why not the championship.
“We are excited to write the 2023 electric chapter with them!”
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Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
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Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
May 11, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
