After more twists in the title race at Donington, WorldSBK heads to the Autodrom Most with the Championship battle hotting up
WorldSBK returns to the Autodrom Most for the second time as the Czech circuit hosted the event back in 2021.
The 2022 Czech Round will see Prosecco DOC as its Event Main Sponsor and the event will be taking place on July 29th-31st.
The Italian wine consortium has been an Official Sponsor of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship since 2013, with the renowned beverage is sprayed after every podium celebration.
WorldSBK in numbers
1000 – After one podium from Alvaro Bautista at Donington Park, Ducati are just one away from hitting 1000: they’d be the first manufacturer to reach this goal.
100 – Yamaha, after a hat-trick of wins by Toprak Razgatlioglu at Donington Park, counts 99 wins, 20 shy of the third all-time place held by Honda, and just one shy of 100.
32 – Both Yamaha and Kawasaki have won at 32 different tracks in WorldSBK history, but if Yamaha won here last year, Kawasaki has yet to climb on the top step at Most.
11 – Yamaha has qualified on the front row in Superpole in the last eleven races, a record-breaking streak for the manufacturer.
10 – Both Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu count 22 career wins and, with three wins on the line in Most, they both have a chance to enter the top ten of all time.
What to look out for in Most
Championship P1 – 246 points
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati Racing)
It will be Bautista’s first-time racing at the Autodrom Most with Ducati.
In 2021, he qualified in 11th place and his best result was a seventh place In Race 1.
He leads the WorldSBK standings with 246 points, despite his DNF In Race 1 at Donington Park.
“I never ride in Most with Ducati, but I think last year Redding was quite fast there last year. The layout seems nice, and I hope to enjoy the track. But I don’t expect anything, we’ll start to work on Friday to try to find the best setup, the best feeling. We also have to see how the new asphalt is, as they resurfaced some part of the track, how will the tyre consumption be because I think Pirelli will bring different tyre options from the standards.”
Championship P2 – 229 points
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
In 2021, Rea recorded the first pole position at Most in WorldSBK. He finished in third place in the Superpole Race and Race 2, while he did not finish Race 1.
So far, he has won on 21 different tracks, an all-time record, but Most is not among those.
He stands in second place in the Championship standings, 17 points behind Bautista.
“I’m excited to go to Most. I’ve got some unfinished business there because last year was quite disappointing. It was a tough weekend for me and the bike. But it was the first time we ever visited the track so this year we’ll have some data. I know that they have resurfaced some part of the circuit, so they’ve been working hard. It’s a fun track. Like in Estoril, the first time I visited Estoril wasn’t so good and the next time we came back, we won some races. So that would be incredible if we could return to Most and win some races before the summer break. The Championship is now really close.”
Championship P3 – 203 points
Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
In 2021, Razgatlioglu won from the second grid spot Race 1 and the Superpole Race, before finishing second behind Scott Redding in Race 2.
After his first WorldSBK hat-trick, he Is currently third in the standings, 43 points behind Bautista and 26 behind Rea.
“In Most, Ducati is usually very strong, Rea will be fast, but we’ll keep fighting for the victory. I like the track. There will be some parts with a new asphalt so we will see. We’re not looking at the Championship yet and I’m just looking race by race.”
Championship P4 – 124 points
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
In 2021, Locatelli claimed his second career podium in Race 1.
“Last year in Most, it was an incredible weekend for me. We took one podium, we did very well all weekend. If we want to do the same this year, we need to work on the bike and push to close the gap because I think in Most we can do very well.”
Championship P5 – 119 points
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Ducati Racing)
In 2021, Rinaldi was 4th and 5th in the full-distance races and 10th in the Superpole one.
With 119 points in the standings, he is now only five points behind Locatelli in fourth.
“In Most, I expect to be there fighting at the front because right now, I’m feeling comfortable with the bike. I’m really happy with the team and we work in a really good way. I think the goal will be the podium in Most.”
Championship P6 – 116 points
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC)
It will be Lecuona’s first visit at the Autodrom Most.
He’s the only rider to have scored top ten finishes in every race this season.
“I’ve spent a week just relaxing and resting. It was important to try and recover generally and regain strength after a very busy six weeks of testing around the world. I’ve basically not stopped recently, and I really felt it at Donington. So I’ve done my best to recover in preparation for Most, another new track where we need to start from scratch. I’ve never even seen a video of the track actually, so Friday’s free practice sessions will be crucial. In my case, this is the third of several new tracks we are going to visit this season and, so far, we have been able to adapt well, so we must keep up the good work.”
To keep an eye on:
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed his first podium with BMW at Donington Park. With three podium places including a victory in Race 2 in 2021 at Most, he will be one to look out for in 2022. Talking about his expectations for the Czech Round, he said; “We’ve been too consistent in Donington, in different conditions. I don’t think we’re going to go backward in Most. It’s a circuit that I like, and it will be a good test. I believe that we’ve made a good step this weekend.”
Championship standings (after Race 2 – Round 5)
1. Alvaro Bautista (ESP) Ducati (246 points)
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (229 points)
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) Yamaha (203 points)
