Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) put himself on the verge of more MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship history as he extended his winning run to 11 races, equalling the current streak. It came after victory in Race 1 at Donington Park after a fierce scrap with the ‘Titanic Trio’ as the Prosecco DOC UK Round burst into action in the UK. A win in Sunday’s Tissot Superpole Race would see him break the current win streak record.
The Spaniard holds the record jointly with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and the pair have recorded 11 wins each. Rea ended the 2018 campaign with 11 straight wins while Bautista did it at the start of the following season, as well as in 2023 after winning from Mandalika Race 2 to Donington Park Race 1. Victory in the Superpole Race would move him into a league of his own on 12 consecutive wins.
The reigning Champion also ended Ducati’s Donington drought with his Race 1 triumph. The Italian manufacturer had not won at the iconic British circuit since Carlos Checa claimed victory in Race 2 in 2011. Bautista’s win ended the manufacturer’s woes at the British venue and it also put him one step closer to equalling the number of wins in a season, which currently stands at 17. After 16 races, Bautista has won 15 and a hat-trick would put him on 17 victories in 2023.
The race featured an incredible fight with his two adversaries, Rea and Razgatlioglu, in the opening third as all three traded positions and got their elbows out as they hunted victory. The trio all led at different times but Bautista’s move on Lap 9 down the back straight against Razgatlioglu allowed him to pull a gap over his rivals and win for the first time at Donington.
Explaining his emotions after his Race 1 victory, Bautista said: “Many people expected Jonathan and Toprak to fight for the win, including me! Maybe at this track, fewer people expected me to fight for the win because, in the past, it was a difficult track for us. I hadn’t won here, and it was 12 years since Ducati won. It’s what I said this weekend started. Every year is new. You cannot compare what happened this year with the last one. You have to work as much as possible and try to give your best. You never know how you feel with the track, especially with the new asphalt; it was new for everyone. After yesterday, basically without practice as we didn’t do many laps, today the race was a big challenge because nobody knew what would happen after 10 or 11 laps with the tyres. I have never enjoyed this track like today, the feeling with the bike was fantastic. My team worked really well without data to give me a really good bike for the race. I’m so happy to get my first win at Donington.”
Read all the details about Bautista’s incredible victory HERE and watch more WorldSBK action on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com