Two rounds and six races down in the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and there’s an idea of who’s impressing and who needs to find form. While the spotlight has been on race winners, rookies and podium contenders, some riders have found themselves wanting, and needing, more in the early stages of the season. Let’s take a look at some riders who will be hoping the TT Circuit Assen really starts their 2024 season.

A DIFFICULT START TO LIFE IN BLUE: first points come in sixth race…

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) moved to Yamaha for 2024 with aspirations of fighting at the front, but that’s not happened after two rounds. Rear chattering issues in Australia left him out of the points until Race 2, where a crash dropped him out of contention. He returned for Barcelona but a clutch issue in Race 1 forced him to retire, and he finished 13^th in the Tissot Superpole Race. Eighth in Race 2 meant he secured his first points, but it’s not the season the team, rider or manufacturer hoped for so far. With Assen up next – a circuit the Ulsterman won a track record 17 times at – can his 2024 kickstart in Round 3?

NEW BIKE, POOR RESULTS SO FAR: can Honda turn things around?

Honda introduced a new CBR1000RR-R machine to much fanfare at the 2023 EICMA show, but the results haven’t come through yet. Just a single top ten is their best, which came in Race 1 in Australia, and even the usual happy hunting ground of Barcelona was a struggle: 13^th in Race 1 the best result there. Team HRC’s Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge will be hoping for more and Honda will be aiming to make some big leaps soon. They have a podium at Assen thanks to Lecuona so maybe the legendary Dutch circuit will be the catalyst they need this year.

BASSANI’S ADAPTATION: aiming to find a step

Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a big move for 2024, leaving behind the Panigale V4 R machine and stepping on Kawasaki’s ZX-10RR. It’s a huge change for ‘El Bocia’ and there’s been little to shout about for Bassani so far. Tenth, in Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, is the Italian’s best result so far while teammate Alex Lowes has won two races. It’s no surprise the #22 is ahead given his experience on the bike, but Bassani has shown his potential during his first three seasons in WorldSBK, and he’ll be looking to make steps as soon as possible.

GERLOFF AND REDDING: on the back foot?

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) ended 2023 as the fastest BMW rider, securing a stunning pole position at Magny-Cours before fighting close to the podium in the final few rounds. Fast forward to 2024, and Gerloff’s been in the top ten on three occasions but not near the podium. It’s been a tricky start for the Texan, and not just for him at the team. Across the box, Scott Redding is yet to secure a top-ten finish, with a best of 11^th. Both know they are capable of fighting at the front, on a bike that has two race wins in 2024, and they’ll be hoping there’s a breakthrough sooner rather than later.

MIXED RESULTS SO FAR: Rinaldi strong in Australia, not in Barcelona

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) left the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad for 2024 but found a new home at Motocorsa Racing, still on the Panigale V4 R. He showed good pace in Australia, taking sixth in Race 2 and fighting close to the podium places. However, in Barcelona, he was outside the top ten at a circuit he’s won at and been in podium contention a lot, which culminated in a retirement in Race 2 after a crash with rival Bassani. The #21 will be looking to be a consistent runner in the top ten as he’s shown he can do in his WorldSBK career.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With two rounds completed in the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, a picture begins to emerge about who is coming out on top against their teammates – with some early surprises in store. Here, we explain who’s coming out on top in the opening stages, where riders are impressing but also losing ground.

SURPRISES IN STORE: Bulega leads the Championship, Bautista ahead in races

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has shown impressive speed so far in his rookie campaign, racking up 87 points and one win. However, Alvaro Bautista holds the advantage overall, leading ‘Bulegas’ 4-2 in races. Interestingly, Bulega beats Bautista when taking Race 1 in isolation, leading 2-0, but the #1 responds on Sunday, holding a 4-0 advantage over the Sunday races held so far. Bulega’s results in Superpole – first and second – mean his average result is the best with 1.5, while Bautista’s is 10 thanks to ninth and 11^th in Superpole results (not including any grid penalties). In races, it’s much more evenly matched: Bulega averaging 3.0 in races, Bautista 4.67 despite an anomaly of 15^th in Australia Race 1 thanks to a crash.

RAZGATLIGOLU SURGES INTO THE LEAD: new team, new bike, no problem

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) already has two BMW wins to his name, and he’s also got the upper hand over teammate Michael van der Mark so far. The #54 leads van der Mark 5-1, with the Dutchman only finishing ahead in Race 2 in Australia when Razgatlioglu had a technical problem. 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu averages 3.0 in Superpole while his teammate averages 10 but, again, it’s closer in races they’ve finished: 2.6 for Razgatlioglu, 8.5 for van der Mark who, aside from one race, has been consistently in the top ten and showing his best form following his return to full fitness.

EARLY ADVANTAGE TO LOWES: a whitewash against Bassani so far

Kawasaki have enjoyed a strong start to 2024, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) taking two wins and finishing in the top six in every race. It means he has a 6-0 advantage in races over new teammate Axel Bassani, as the #47 adapts to the ZX-10RR. Lowes has an average finishing position of 3.83, compared to Bassani’s 11.6 and it’s a big gap in Superpole too: an average of 5 for Lowes in the results, 15 for Bassani. It’s also one of the biggest average gaps when setting the grid, with the #22 0.810s faster than Bassani in the two Superpole sessions so far.

LOCATELLI LEADS REA: an early surprise at Yamaha?

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) came into the Yamaha team hoping to fight at the front on a consistent basis, but that’s not happened in 2024 yet. Without points until Race 2 in Barcelona, the #65’s struggles coupled with Andrea Locatelli’s rapid pace mean the Italian leads 5-1 over Rea, with the six-time Champion finishing ahead in Race 2 in Barcelona when ‘Loka’ was caught up in someone else’s accident. Locatelli has an average finishing position of sixth, but that’s lowered when considering his Barcelona Race 2 result of 13^th, while Rea’s average is 12^th when finishing races.

STRUGGLES AT HONDA: one top-ten finish, only Barcelona compared

With Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) ruled out of action for Australia, it’s only fair to look at the Catalunya Round when comparing him to Xavi Vierge. The #97 leads Lecuona 2-1 in races, with Lecuona 1-0 up in Superpole and, as usual, their gap is very close. In Barcelona, only 0.020s separated the duo in the Superpole results. Honda’s best result in 2024 is tenth, which came in Race 1 in Australia courtesy of Vierge, with his average finishing position 13^th and Lecuona’s 17^th (Vierge’s average includes the opening round).

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has ignited over the first two rounds, with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya the latest to host thrilling action. The Tissot Superpole Race in Barcelona will live long in the memory after the Valentino Rossi-style pass at the final corner, as well as the incredible racing across all 10 laps. With the race in the record books, now it’s time to look at the best Superpole Races in history…

INCREDIBLE ALL THE WAY UNTIL THE END:  three-way last-corner showdown in Barcelona

There’s no better place to start in this list than the most recent one at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) led on the final lap until Turn 14, before Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) barged his way through to claim the lead, with Bautista demoted to third when Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) found a gap. That last lap came after Lap 5 was barely believable too. At Turn 9, Razgatlioglu pulled off two overtakes in one corner as he passed Iannone and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at a corner it’s hard to pass one rider at. It really was a race for the ages.

SHORTENED DISTANCE, NO SHORTAGE OF ACTION: a 2021 Catalunya thriller

After a red flag following a crash involving Tom Sykes, the race was restarted from scratch over a five-lap distance. Half the laps didn’t mean half the drama, though; if anything, there was more. The opening lap was a bar-banging affair, before Razgatlioglu – then at Yamaha – beat Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea and Ducati’s Scott Redding with half-a-second between the trio.

THREE RIDERS WITHIN A TENTH: 2020 kicks off in style

Australia hosted the 2020 season-opener and it set the tone for the season, with three incredible races. The Superpole Race was memorable for various reasons, with three riders separated by less than a tenth. Jonathan Rea claimed victory for Kawasaki, ahead of Razgatlioglu and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), both of whom were in their first weekend for their new teams at the time.

16^TH TO FIRST: Razgatlioglu’s remarkable fightback

The 2019 French Round was the scene of Razgatlioglu’s first two WorldSBK wins, but he didn’t make it easy for himself. A wet Tissot Superpole session left him down the order in 16^th but, in Race 1, he battled his way to a first win over 21 laps. You’d think that would be difficult, if not impossible, over a 10-lap Superpole Race, but the #54 had other ideas. Up to eight by the end of Lap 1, fifth on Lap 2 and in the podium places on Lap 3, the 2021 Champion made light work of the challenge when racing for the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing outfit.

A BRILLIANT BATTLE AT MOST: Rea and Razgatlioglu’s last-lap fight

The Autodrom Most has provided plenty of drama over its short history on the calendar, and 2022 was no exception. Razgatlioglu and Rea were once again the protagonists, fighting tooth and nail for top spot in the 10-lap race. Although the gap at the end was just over two seconds in Razgatlioglu’s favour, their last-lap battle featured hard racing including Rea making the most of his off-track skills to stay on track and keep second.

A LAST-LAP DECIDER: Razgatlioglu vs Rea in Portugal

The 2022 Estoril Round had three last-lap deciders, including the Tissot Superpole Race. Razgatlioglu was leading through the final lap, but he lost the front of his Yamaha at Turn 9, allowing Rea to close and pass. In true ‘Toprak style’, the Turkish star was immediately fighting back through Turns 10 and 11, but he was unable to re-pass Rea and had to settle for second in mixed conditions.

TITANIC TRIO BATTLE IT OUT: Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea go head-to-head

It had been expected to be Bautista territory, but both Razgatlioglu and Rea made the #1 work hard for victory in the 10-lap Aragon race. The trio were separated by half-a-second when the race finished, with less than two tenths keeping Bautista and Rea apart. They were level-pegging heading down the long back straight and into the final corner, with the #1 utilising his advantages to move into first and claim a hard-fought win.

A PRE-CURSOR OF WHAT WAS TO COME: Portimao provides a rollercoaster…

Race 2 at Portimao from 2023 will go down in history, but the Superpole Race a few hours before gave an idea of what was to come. Razgatlioglu and Bautista were inseparable during the 10-lap race, with only 0.142s separating the two at the flag. Razgatlioglu was leading on the final lap but, like Aragon, Bautista was able to use the power of his Ducati on the run to the line and claim victory.

HISTORY MADE: the first Superpole Race, Australia 2019

Bautista started his WorldSBK career with a stunning Race 1 victory at Phillip Island way back in 2019, and he backed that up on Sunday morning in the Superpole Race. He resisted Rea’s challenge to make it two wins from his first two races by just over a second ahead of Rea, a perfect start to his rookie campaign.

IN-RACE AND POST-RACE DRAMA: Razgatlioglu penalised after beating Rea…

Magny-Cours’ 2021 Superpole Race will go down in history, both for the on-track and off-track drama. Rea passed Razgatlioglu at Turn 11 on the final lap to claim top spot briefly, before the #54 fired back immediately at Lycee to take victory, or so he thought… A post-race penalty for a last-lap track limits infraction at Turn 10, demoting Razgatlioglu to second place and denying him a maiden WorldSBK hat-trick.

A NEW ERA HAS BEGUN: watch every single moment from 2024 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was the scene of a historic MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round as Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured his first two wins with BMW machinery. A strategic masterclass in Race 1 was followed up with an incredible last-lap, last-corner pass on Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the Tissot Superpole Race. Speaking after the two victories, Razgatlioglu’s manager, Kenan Sofuoglu, gave his thoughts as well as outlining why he believes the 2021 Champion can win this year’s title.

THE FIRST THOUGHTS ON VICTORY: “everything’s going well now”

Giving his immediate thoughts on the Turkish superstar’s victories, five-time World Supersport Champion Sofuoglu said: “Last year, we made a big decision to BMW, and I gave a lot of support to Toprak to make this decision. So many people thought we made the wrong decision. As a rider, I believed the BMW was a very good bike. The first meeting I spoke to BMW, the team and the manager spoke about it, and I thought they had a very good bike. I thought, ‘You have one very nice puzzle, and one piece is missing’ which is Toprak. Everything’s going very well now, he’s winning in the second round.”

EMULATING ROSSI: “I asked him why he didn’t try at the place he’s strong!”

Razgatlioglu’s Superpole Race win came in spectacular fashion, replicating Valentino Rossi’s 2009 move on Jorge Lorenzo at Turn 14 to take victory at the final corner. Speaking about this, Sofuoglu revealed he asked the 27-year-old why he didn’t pass Bautista at Turn 10, a corner that usually suits his strengths: “I believe Toprak is one of the strongest riders for the last lap especially. In Barcelona, you need to make your last attack in the hairpin before the last part of the track. Toprak couldn’t do it and I asked myself why he didn’t try, because I know he normally does in that kind of corner. He releases the brake, manages to stop the bike and he couldn’t. I was thinking about second position. In the last corner, he found a place to enter, and he did it. I asked him why he didn’t try at the place he’s strong, he said, ‘There was a big gap, I couldn’t try but I didn’t give up, waited until the last corner’ and he managed it.”

THE GOALS: “After testing, I thought, ‘Toprak can win the Championship this year

Despite a delayed start to his M 1000 RR testing programme, Razgatlioglu was immediately up to speed as he adapted to the new bike. Fast at every circuit he tested at was followed by a podium in Australia before the wins in Barcelona. Discussing whether these wins came sooner than expected, and the possibility of a title charge is on the cards for 2024, Sofuoglu explained he was thinking Assen or Donington for the first win, but his expectations changed after testing.

He said: “We believed a lot, but we weren’t sure when we can win. After winter testing, I started to believe more. But I was believing we can win at Assen or Donington, I didn’t expect it in Barcelona! Barcelona’s not Toprak’s favourite track but he’s so strong. Toprak’s in his sixth season in WorldSBK and if I look at all the winter testing times, Toprak is stronger this year with BMW, and I understand he’s going to be favourite for the title.”

When asked whether the goal for 2024 is the title, Sofuoglu replied: “Definitely. When we signed, it was for two years but we didn’t know when; first year or second year. We were believing more for the second season. After winter testing, I thought, ‘Toprak can win the Championship this year with this bike’. The bike is nicer than we expected.”

BAUTISTA VS BULEGA VS RAZGATLIOGLU? “The main competition is Bautista… he’s got a hard time too!”

Four riders have already won in 2024, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) joining Razgatlioglu and Bautista on the top step in the six races so far. Discussing who he thinks the competition will be this season, Sofuoglu stated: “I think still the main, hard competition for us is Bautista. He gave us a very hard time on Sunday, we beat him in the last corner. He’s a hard rival. Bautista’s got a hard time too, because Bulega arrived from WorldSSP and is immediately making lap records everywhere and I can understand Bautista’s situation; you are the #1 in the garage and the newcomer, the new teammate makes you feel less confident in your garage. This is very normal in racing. It’s good for us, honestly!”

THE NEW ERA IS UNDERWAY: follow every single moment throughout 2024 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com