Defending World Champion Alvaro Bautista won World Superbike Race Two Sunday at Autodrom Most, in the Czech Republic. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R, the Spaniard won the 22-lap race by 4.652 seconds. It was Bautista’s 14th full-length race win and his 18th win overall in 2023.
Danilo Petrucci took second place on his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati by just 0.073 second ahead of Jonathan Rea and his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
American Garrett Gerloff crashed his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR, rode back to the pits, and then continued in the race, finishing 20th and two laps down.
Pata Yamaha Prometeon’s Toprak Razgatlioglu crashed and did not finish the race.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bautista seals historic Race 2 win, sets new all-time record of season wins
In a dramatic WorldSBK Race 2 at Most, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) emerged as the star of the day, securing a historic 18th win of the season and setting a new all-time record of season wins. The race took a thrilling turn as Bautista’s title rival, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), crashed out from the lead, handing Bautista a 25-point swing in the Championship standings. Meanwhile, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) engaged in a fierce battle for the remaining podium positions, with Petrucci ultimately edging out Rea by a mere 0.073 seconds to secure second place.
Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) displayed remarkable resilience, recovering from an early setback when he ran through the gravel at the chicane. Despite losing time, Bassani fought back and finished just 0.061 seconds off the podium in fourth place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) secured fifth place after a closely contested battle in the closing stages. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) impressed with a solid sixth-place finish, marking his strongest weekend in the WorldSBK Championship so far.
Read the full report from Race 2 on worldsbk.com
Bautista’s 50th WorldSBK victory sets a new all-time record of 18 wins in a single season, extending his Championship lead to 74 points.
P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“I didn’t expect to win this weekend, especially after a really tough Friday and Saturday. I always believed in myself, tried to be calm and do my best. The Superpole Race was the key. I knew it was important to have a good race and improve the position from P14 on the grid for Race 2. I was fifth or sixth on Lap 1, I think it was one of the best starts of my life. When I was fourth, I was lapping similarly to the three guys in front of me and I thought P4 was nice for Race 2. After mid-race, I saw Bassani dropping a little bit. When it was two laps to go, I tried to close the gap and did my best lap on the penultimate lap. I was very close in the last two corners, and I knew I was a bit stronger than him there.
Third position was nice for Race 2. I had a good battle with Toprak. He always tried to put the bike on the inside at Turn 1. Even if we missed the corner, he was in front. One time, I tried to stay on the inside, but I didn’t want to miss the first corner to avoid him passing me exiting between Turns 1 and 2. He came from the outside and the same. He missed the corner, but he was in front! It was fun. In races, anything can happen until the chequered flag. It’s the good and bad thing about racing. I’m really happy.”
Danilo Petrucci snatched second place from Rea in a thrilling battle, securing his third career podium in WorldSBK.
Jonathan Rea finished third, adding to his impressive tally of 256 career podiums, but loses ground to Bautista in the title fight.
Axel Bassani showed resilience after an early setback, missing the podium by a mere 0.061 seconds.
Remy Gardner impressed with a solid sixth-place finish, displaying consistent pace throughout the race, and concluding his strongest WorldSBK weekend to date.
A highside crash in the second half of the race proved costly for Razgatlioglu, as he lost 25 points to Bautista in the Championship standings.
