As the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship readies for its fourth round of the season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the track may have only been on the calendar since 2020 but it’s been a modern classic. A stone’s through from Barcelona city centre, new fans are often venturing out during the stay in the city, and they’re guaranteed some of the best moments of the year. So, we looked back through recent times, to remind you of the wacky results we often see in Barcelona.

Race 2, 2020 and Race 1, 2022 – Garrett Gerloff’s shock podiums

Technically, these are two moments but both share the same context: they came as a bit of a surprise. In 2020, he was improving with each round but nobody could have predicted that he’d finish ahead of the likes of Championship contenders Jonathan Rea and Scott Redding. A battle with Michael van der Mark on the final lap saw him take third, whilst in Race 1 last year, Gerloff conserved his tyre to pick his way through the field, storming up to third for his only podium 2022. Can we see another Texan surprise this weekend, this time, for BMW?

Race 1, 2021 – Axel Bassani leads a race and takes a first podium

Our second visit to Barcelona saw the rain clouds open and drama throughout the race. Garrett Gerloff crashed a special Yamaha livery on the sighting lap, Toprak Razgatlioglu battled with Axel Bassani in the early stages before he retired with an electrical fault and then, the rookie Italian hit the front. He led for three laps and then, three laps from home, Scott Redding came through to deny what would have been one of the most emotional wins we’d ever seen. The first of a new-look Bassani, who’s been a podium contender ever since.

Superpole Race, 2021 – Rea vs Razgatlioglu on blistering opening lap

There’s often talk about the greatest last laps, but what about the greatest first laps? Usually, first laps are electric anyway, but for one to standout so vividly, it must have been good. In 2021, the restart of the Superpole Race was exactly that, as Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu continued their rivalry. Off the line, the pair collided, whilst from Turn 4 to Turn 9, the two were side by side all the way through the middle parts of the track in what was a stunning sight. Alvaro Bautista on the Honda managed to get into second into Turn 10, whilst behind, there was a crash for Andrea Locatelli and Kohta Nozane, which took title contender Scott Redding out wide into the gravel. An incredible battle, one of many in their catalogue.

Race 2, 2021 – Rinaldi shows what he’s capable of

Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s up and down form in 2021 saw peaks and troughs, but Barcelona was one of the high points. In low-grip and high-heat conditions, Rinaldi eased his way to the front with less than two laps to go after a battle with Toprak Razgatlioglu. He’d go on to take his most recent win in fine style to show that when the stars align, he’s the one who can shine supremely. It’s also proof that despite what a form book in Barcelona, whilst good for getting a general picture of what to expect, isn’t always indicative of what is to come.

Superpole, 2022 – rookie Iker Lecuona takes pole for Honda

After successful testing during pre-season and the middle of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Team HRC always looked good. Even previous results with leading a race and taking a podium with Alvaro Bautista, Honda have always featured in the battle. However, last year’s Superpole was something special as Iker Lecuona stormed to pole. The third different polesitter (rider and manufacturer), it wasn’t exactly what was expected but it was a sign that Honda’s hard work was paying off. Can they mount the podium in 2023?

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: the youngest WorldSSP winner and WorldSSP300 drama

Some other moments that can’t be forgotten include Andy Verdoia staying out on slick tyres in monsoon-like weather in 2020’s WorldSSP Race 1. As everyone pitted for wets, he remained on track and then the red flag came out and the race wasn’t restarted and therefore he was declared the youngest-ever winner in WorldSSP aged just 17. In Race 2, Andrea Locatelli was crowned Champion, whilst the same year in WorldSSP300, Tom Booth-Amos and Yuta Okaya took maiden wins – also first wins for the UK and Japan. In 2021, Randy Krummenacher took his last WorldSSP race win in Race 1, whilst Manuel Gonzalez won a classic in Race 2. More excitement awaits in 2023!

Watch all the 2023 season unfold chapter-by-chapter with the comprehensive WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Barcelona calls as the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is heading for the fourth round – and the second in Europe – of the season. Titanic fights are expected like always, but perhaps with different names to what we usually expect. Find out how a form guide is hard to read in Barcelona, why Superpole is NOT a good indicator and plenty more in this week’s stats guide.

400 – Ducati has reached 400 wins at Assen, but there is another 400 in sight: Yamaha counts at the moment 396 podium placements. The Japanese manufacturer is fourth in these rankings behind Ducati (1032), Kawasaki (527) and Honda (397). With just one podium placement, they will reach Honda at the third all-time spot.

334 – If a top speed of 334km/h is hit, then it will be the highest top speed on the current calendar in WorldSBK. The current highest is 333.9km/h, at Aragon by Chaz Davies on an Aprilia in 2012. The outright top speed is 339.5km/h achieved by Tom Sykes and Kawasaki at Monza, 2012.

250 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is currently on 248 podiums; he can be the first rider to reach 250.

73 – The pair of riders who have shared the highest number of podiums at the moment is Chaz Davies and Jonathan Rea, at 73. The couple of Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) is just two shy of that value, at 71.

51 – In 2021, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) recorded his 51^st pole, increasing his all-time record; this was BMW’s most recent pole position. His next competitor is Troy Corser at 43 and Sykes’ record will stand at least for this year, as the active rider with the highest number of poles is Jonathan Rea at 41.

50% – If Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) wins Race 1 in Barcelona, he would have a perfect 50% winning rate on a Ducati: 41 wins out of 82 starts.

43 – With a hat-trick of wins, Bautista will equal Noriyuki Haga at the 4^th all-time spot.

31 – The record was in sight at Assen, Race 2: Bautista led Razgatlioglu and Rea, but the latter crashed, so we have to wait to see the 31^st time they will share a podium. That would equal the WorldSBK record of podiums shared: Chaz Davies, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes (2014-2019).

11/12 – Alvaro Bautista has started the season with eight wins out of nine. Going to Catalunya he can aim to an 11 out of 12. This was recorded only twice in the past: by Neil Hodgson in 2003 and by the same Bautista in 2019.

11 – No less than eleven riders made it to the podium in Barcelona in nine races run: the record belongs to Jonathan Rea at five, followed by Alvaro Bautista at four. Of all those 11 riders, just one isn’t part of the 2023 field: Chaz Davies, who retired in 2021.

6 – In 2020, Barcelona was first on the WorldSBK calendar, the sixth Spanish track in history.

6 – Six different winners came out of nine races run here so far: last year Alvaro Bautista went from zero wins to the track record of three. He’s followed by Rea at two.

5/4 – The most common winning grid spots here are 4^th and the 5^th: three wins from each were recorded in Barcelona.

1 – In 2021, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) got a first WorldSBK podium with P2 in Race 1.

SHORTHAND NOTEBOOK

2022 race winner:

• Alvaro Bautista (Ducati, Race 1, Superpole Race and Race 2)

Polesitters at Barcelona-Catalunya:

• 2022: Iker Lecuona (Honda) 1’40.766
• 2021: Tom Sykes (BMW) 1’40.408
• 2020: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’41.619 (old layout)

Manufacturer podium places (and wins) from all WorldSBK races at Barcelona-Catalunya:

• Yamaha: 8 (1)
• Ducati: 12 (6)
• Kawasaki: 6 (2)

Key gaps Catalunya in 2021:

• Front row covered by: 0.217s
• 1 second in Superpole covered… the top 9: 0.917s
• Closest race gap between 1^st and 2^nd: 1.185s (Bautista 1^st, Rea 2^nd, Superpole Race)
• Closest race podium: 1.377s (Bautista 1^st, Rea 2^nd, Lowes 3^rd, Superpole Race) – closest WorldSBK race podium in Barcelona

Manufacturer top speeds at Catalunya 2021):

• Honda: Alvaro Bautista – 333.3km/h, Superpole
• Ducati: Scott Redding – 330.2 km/h, Race 1
• Yamaha: Garrett Gerloff – 326.2 km/h, Race 2
• Kawasaki: Jonathan Rea – 325.3 km/h, FP1
• BMW: Michael van der Mark and Loris Baz – 324.3 km/h, Superpole Race

Watch all the 2023 season unfold chapter-by-chapter with the comprehensive WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Two weeks on from a dramatic MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, the Championship heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. There will be four different classes in action in Spain to enjoy with your tickets, which you can purchase HERE, as well as a multitude of off-track activities to get stuck into to enjoy the Catalunya Round in full. Enjoy the incredible racing in style complemented with paddock access including the WorldSBK Paddock Show to meet your favourite riders. Access to the paddock is available with selected tickets.

WorldSBK, WorldSSP, WorldSSP300 and the Yamaha R3 European Championship will take place during the Catalunya Round with hours upon hours of track action to watch from the stands. However, there are also several activities taking place which you can enjoy between sessions or after races to get you closer to the riders. Chat shows with several riders throughout the weekend, interactive sessions and quizzes as well as the podiums will all take place in the Paddock Show. There are several activities on different days to enjoy in the paddock as well as the incredible on-track action.

Purchase your tickets for the 2023 Catalunya Round HERE!

Source: WorldSBK.com

It’s the home of Gaudi, a historic old town, rambling avenues, soft sandy beaches and a dramatic landscape, with a strong culture sweeping through this part of Spain. Just 30km away from the centre of Barcelona, nestled in the hills behind, one of the most famous racing venues in the world. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya makes Barcelona one of the most attractive race weekends on the calendar, and WorldSBK is one of the most attractive events to enjoy. However, whilst fans may take in the Sagrada Familia and take pitstops in the tapas bars, riders and teams will be at their own sacred venue, ready for whatever is served their way.

UNSTOPPABLE, UNBEATABLE: the hallmarks of a Bautista triple once more

With a Championship lead that has soared to 56 points, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) could afford to have an ‘off’ round, but it doesn’t look like coming here. The reigning World Champion breezed to victory in 2022 with a dominant hat-trick as he got the first fingers on the title, and with upgrades to the Panigale V4 R in the off-season and a successful test conducted at the track, who would bet against that continuing? It’s true that every year is different in Barcelona; the low grip is a constant after five laps, but bad weather does roll in unexpectedly and there’s always one rider who surprises. On paper, Bautista has this weekend covered and smart money says a hat-trick, but races aren’t won on paper.

WHO CAN STOP HIM? A strategic fight coming from old foes

Whilst Bautista does go extremely well at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, his rivals’ determination and tenacity will see them scrap it out with him if the opportunity arises. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took three podiums at Assen and is second in the Championship. He’s yet to win at Barcelona but did try going with Bautista in 2022’s Race 1, only to suffer a big tyre drop at the end. If his Yamaha crew can improve the longevity and pick up from last year’s P3 in Race 2, then perhaps Toprak will lead the charge. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is likewise in better form with two Assen podiums and he won in Barcelona back in 2020, albeit not with Bautista on the Ducati. For those two, it was clear at Assen that attack is the only chance they have when they spoke after the Superpole Race, so could teamwork be seen? Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has a win in Barcelona and two other podiums at the track; ignore his poor form when it comes to a low-grip situation at Barcelona. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took a podium in 2022 in Barcelona, maybe he’ll have a say in the top three again?

Other riders who could figure towards the front include Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), who is third overall in the Championship and in mighty fine form with a podium at every circuit so far in 2023, although at the March test in Barcelona, ‘Loka’ wasn’t too far up the order. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) is fourth overall in the standings after a stellar start to the season but is yet to take the podium he “needs”; he led a race for the first time and finished second two years ago in Race 1 – what an achievement that’d be if he was to fight for victory this weekend. One rider who impressed at Assen was Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), with the Swiss star very strong at the end of races, conserving tyre life for a late attack; if he repeats that in Barcelona, a track where tyre life will be the number one focus for all, he could repeat GRT’s podium success from 2022. That was with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), and whilst 2022’s challenge is a different one, don’t be surprised if Gerloff gets his best result of 2023 so far this weekend.

ALTERNATIVE CHARGE FORWARDS: Vierge and Lecuona headline the chasers

It was a weekend to forget at Assen for Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona, with no Honda inside the top ten in either of the full races during a weekend for the first time since Magny-Cours, 2020. However, Barcelona is arguably their happiest of hunting grounds; strength in testing has always seen Lecuona feature inside the top three, whilst he took pole in 2022. Before that, it was Alvaro Bautista in 2020 who led a race before a monumental highside at Turn 4, whilst he took a podium in 2021. It’s Xavi Vierge’s home round and he’ll want to continue having the measure of his teammate, but both will hope to end the crashes that littered the Dutch round.

BMW’S WOES: a tough start and van der Mark out injured

Unequivocally, with the updates brought in 2023, BMW’s start to 2023 has been something of a far cry from what they’d have wanted. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is their top rider in 12^th place overall and on a run of five consecutive points-scoring finishes, with a best of P7 coming last time out at Assen in Race 2. Redding crashed out of the two main races in Barcelona last year and only took two points from the weekend with P8 in the Superpole Race. A tough time in testing at the track saw him 12^th, with BMW’s ability to put the power down at the circuit still an issue. However, they did test four different swingarms, so they’ll have plenty of data of which to use. They’ll also have a different rider on the second bike with Michael van der Mark out injured…

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGES: Petrucci and Gardner count on experience

Sitting seventh overall in the Championship and just three points behind incumbent factory Ducati rider Rinaldi, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) is having a solid debut season in WorldSBK and will be hoping that his MotoGP™ experience in Barcelona and tyre management could help him be in the hunt for his first WorldSBK podium – he enjoyed a MotoGP™ podium for Ducati in 2019 with third. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) could count Barcelona as a second home-round, having lived in Catalunya during the racing season. He won from pole position in the Moto2™ Grand Prix in 2021 and with a tenth and eighth at Assen in the full races, he enjoyed his best round in WorldSBK yet.

Other riders who go well in Barcelona are Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven), with the German a top six finisher there last year, whilst Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) aims for a first top ten of the season, having had a third place in Barcelona in 2020. Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) all got points last time out and will hope they can repeat it in Barcelona. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) just missed out on a first point of 2023 at Assen, whilst Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team) heads to a track he knows well. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK) showed good potential at Assen, whilst Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) readies for his second round of 2023. Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) will also be back in action and in quest for his first points of 2023.

Get the FREE Official Programme here, the full entry list here, catch-up on round three from Assen with highlights and make sure to enjoy Barcelona’s action LIVE with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

After the drama of the 2023 Dutch Round, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship moves west from the Netherlands to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round. WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 will be in action along with the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship and it’s this that starts track action at 09:00 Local Time (GMT+2) on Friday. WorldSSP300 Free Practice 1 follows at 09:45 with WorldSBK at 10:30 and WorldSSP at 11:25. In the afternoon, WorldSSP300 Free Practice 2 gets underway at 14:15 followed by WorldSBK at 15:00 and WorldSSP at 16:00. The first racing action takes place on Saturday, with WorldSBK Free Practice 3 starting the day’s action at 09:00, followed by three Tissot Superpole sessions: WorldSSP300 at 09:45, WorldSSP at 10:25 and WorldSBK at 11:10. The racing action starts with WorldSSP300 Race 1 at 12:40, WorldSBK Race 1 at 14:00 and WorldSSP300 Race 1 at 15:15. On Sunday, three Warm Up sessions start the day from 09:00 before racing gets underway at 11:00 with the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race, followed by WorldSSP Race 2 at 12:30, WorldSBK Race 2 at 14:00 and WorldSSP300 at 15:15.

Watch every moment from Barcelona LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Friday, 5^th May (all times Local Time, GMT+2)

09:00-09:30 – Yamaha R3 Championship Free Practice

09:45-10:15 – WorldSSP300 Free Practice 1

10:30-11:15 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1

11:25-12:10 – WorldSSP Free Practice 1

13:30-14:00 – Yamaha R3 Championship Superpole

14:15-14:45 – WorldSSP300 Free Practice 2

15:00-15:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2

16:00-16:45 – WorldSSP Free Practice 2

Saturday, 6^th May

09:00-09:30 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3

09:45-10:05 – WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole

10:25-10:45 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole

11:10-11:25 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole

11:45 – Yamaha R3 Championship Race 1 (11 laps)

12:40 – WorldSSP300 Race 1 (12 laps)

14:00 – WorldSBK Race 1 (20 laps)

15:15 – WorldSSP Race 1 (18 laps)

16:15 – Yamaha R3 Championship Race 2 (11 laps)

Sunday, 7^th May

09:00-09:15 – WorldSBK Warm Up

09:25-09:40 – WorldSSP Warm Up

09:50-10:05 – WorldSSP300 Warm Up

11:00 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)

12:30 – WorldSSP Race 2 (18 laps)

14:00 – WorldSBK Race 2 (20 laps)

15:15 – WorldSSP300 Race 2 (12 laps)

Source: WorldSBK.com