More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Bautista claimed Race 1 victory to take Ducati’s 1000th WorldSBK podium
The Spanish rider won in the Czech Republic to extend his Championship lead
P1 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Bautista’s win gave Ducati their 1000 podium in WorldSBK. They are the first manufacturer to reach that milestone.
It was also Bautista’s 7th win this season, allowing him to consolidate his Championship lead to 29 points over Rea.
“I knew that here it was important to not lose time in the first corners because here with this rear tyre, with the harder compound, I struggled a little bit. I needed a couple of laps to warm it and after that I could make the same pace as Rea and Razgatlioglu. By mid-race, some drops of rain started to fall. It was a tricky moment. I saw that Rea and Razgatlioglu struggled. But in that moment, I felt quite confident, so I decided to take the lead. When the rain stopped, I tried to keep pushing and not make mistake. I’m really happy and also because it’s the 1000th podium of Ducati and to celebrate it with a victory is very special.”
P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
A last lap move on Redding at Turn 13 gave Razgatlioglu the second place in Race 1.
He stands in third place in the Championship standings, having narrowed the gap to Rea in second from 26 to 19 points.
“Today I tried to fight for a great position. I tried to escape but it wasn’t possible because the acceleration was not good in the corner exit. I kept fighting for the podium. In the last lap, we had a great battle with Scott. I saw he was very strong in the last sector and also the second sector, I had just one chance. I tried. I passed him but I almost crashed, we both went a bit wide together. Anyway, we finished on the podium and we take good points in the Championship.”
P3 – Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Redding was able to hold off Rea in a last lap battle to take third place.
He claimed his 39th career podium, and his second in as many rounds in BMW colours
“From Donington we’ve made a step. There were a few question marks if we’ll continue this rhythm. This weekend we’ve been strong. In the race we showed good pace in the middle of the race to catch the front group. With a little bit of rain which was in my favor as well. To have another podium this weekend is a massive achievement.”
P4 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
Fighting for third place with Razgatlioglu and Redding, Rea was denied a podium and finished fourth.
He gives up 12 points to Championship leader Alvaro Bautista and is now 29 points behind the Spanish rider.
“We have to be content with our race; I felt really good but just ran into some little issues at the end of the race which held me back in the braking areas in a couple of corners. A little bit of brake fade, with the lever coming all the way back to the bar and I couldn’t put the pressure on the lever. Coupled with the fact that I couldn’t put the bike in position or stop so much, I was losing a little bit of time. Anyway, I have to be very content as we made a step from yesterday with my consistency in the middle part of the race and the pace was quite good. I think there were just some spots of rain halfway through the rain and I was out front, and I didn’t want to be the guinea pig to go down in the wet.
P5 – Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing)
Bassani finished in fifth place and finished as the best Independent rider.
He has recorded 13 top-ten finishes in 16 races so far in 2022.
“I’m really happy about the race. We finished in the top five and this was the goal. Yesterday I wasn’t happy with the feeling with my bike. But today with the team we did a very good job. We will see tomorrow. I hope to stay with the top three guys. It’s difficult but not impossible. We are here for this.”
P6 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
Locatelli was sixth as he finished with a three second advantage over Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
He stands in fourth place in the standings, six points ahead of Rinaldi.
“I did a really good start but then I made a small mistake in the fourth corner and I ran wide. When I returned to the track, I lose immediately my position to Redding and Bassani. I tried to stay with them, and I tried to push but I made many mistakes during the race. I was trying to close the gap to the front guys. When it started to rain, they were a bit slower so I tried to close the gap. In the end, it’s a positive weekend for us, we started in a good way. For sure it’s not our position but I need to be happy because the feeling with the bike is much better. Tomorrow we have another opportunity.”
To note:
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was eighth for his 16th straight race in the points.
Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished in 16th place in Race 1 for his home round.
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 09:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 and Race 2 at 15:15.
