After the drama of Assen, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship head to Spain in a new time of year and the scorching Spanish sun. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted the 2023 Catalunya Round and the Catalan venue was once again brought the battles and rivalries like in previous years. Catch up on all the action from Race 1 and Race 2 HERE and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel when you watch the Tissot Superpole Race highlights on the official WorldSBK channel!

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) celebrated his new 2024 contract in style as he took a home hat-trick, but it was teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi who was at the heart of all the action. Fighting at the top end of the field, he was running close to Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and made a forceful move on the #47 heading through Turn 3 to get ahead. Bassani looked to respond immediately, and the pair took different lines heading out of Turn 10 and into Turn 11 before they made contact. Rinaldi went tumbling into the gravel and out of the race, while Bassani was given a Long Lap Penalty for his role before finishing in seventh. The drama continued into the post-race debriefs as Rinaldi branded it a “dirty move” and that Bassani “lost more than I did”, while Bassani said it was a “normal contact in racing”. Bautista went on to make it a hat-trick, whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed in the Superpole Race on the final lap from the podium battle, whilst Razgatlioglu would go on to beat Rinaldi on a run to the line for P2 in Race 2.

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Enjoying summer holidays, the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s five-week break between races is arguably one of the busiest, particularly for the ever-present rumour mill. However, Team HRC have had a busy schedule too, what with the Suzuka 8 Hours event in Japan – one of Honda’s most important races – and an upcoming test at MotorLand Aragon. Meanwhile, in action at Silverstone and in place of the injured Alex Rins in MotoGP™, Iker Lecuona has also had additional duties. From the opening eight rounds, highs and lows have been around the Honda camp, and we caught up with team manager Leon Camier to talk about the year.

“WE’VE MADE A STEP, BUT SO HAS EVERYBODY ELSE” – progress, but from all

“To be honest, I’d say it’s been quite a difficult season,” said Leon Camier, never one to call a spade an earth-digging implement. “We analysed the results very well, and our performance, lap times and everyone else’s. We’ve made a step, but so has everybody else. There seems to be a couple of extra riders in the top six group that makes it more difficult. Results-wise, it looks quite bad on paper and for sure, we’re not happy in this position and our goal isn’t to be here; it’s to be fighting for Championships and wins week-in, week-out. We have a lot of work to do, but this is a process too. We have to understand, keep working and we have to keep working as hard as we can.”

Asked directly ‘what’s missing’, Camier said that all aspects of the bike need to improve: “That’s a good question! We understand the direction we’d like to go but it’s a step-by-step process. Japan’s working hard behind the scenes but we need time. We need to keep chipping away and working on our weak points; there’s not one weak point, there are several that we need to work on across all areas of the bike. Hopefully at the test at Aragon, we’ll have some items to evaluate and then we’ll work for 2024 as well.”

So far in eight rounds, one podium by Xavi Vierge at Mandalika has been achieved, the first rostrum for the #97. He’s the top rider in the Championship too, holding on to P10 overall and just 16 points from the Kawasaki of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). As for Iker Lecuona, the team’s star rider in 2022, it’s been something of a horror show. A disaster at Mandalika and Assen came after a solid start at Phillip Island. A bounce back in form came in Barcelona when he took a best of fourth in the Superpole Race, whilst he was out injured at Misano after a Superpole Race crash with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team). Donington Park and Imola were both difficult, although he did return Honda to the top ten in the latter’s Race 2, whilst it was a top five at Most in Race 1’s tricky conditions.

“WE’LL HAVE SOME NEW PARTS TO TEST” – can Honda get back in their top six target?

Discussing the team’s aims and ambitions for the remainder of the season, the top six is the target, whilst importance was stressed on the Aragon test on the 29^th and 30^th August: “We’d like to be back inside the top six consistently this year, that’d be a good achievement from where we are now. As I said, we’ll have some parts to test at Aragon that will hopefully be used at the end of the year. So, let’s see what happens; when Japan brings the parts, hopefully we make progress and we’ll go from there. It’s important that we make a step from there until the end of the year. Also, we know that these tracks that we’ve been at haven’t been ideal for us, they’re weak tracks for us at the minute. We have to take this into consideration, but we need to be fast at every track, it’s as simple as that.

“The parts that we bring now will determine what we bring for 2024. Each thing we bring, it changes again what we need from other parts of the bike. Each area of the bike, we need to improve, we’re working on this and we understand this but it’s one step at a time; you can’t just put three things on a bike and expect it to work.”

“HOPEFULLY, WE’LL HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT SOON” – 2024’s plans nearing

Finally, a coy Camier didn’t reveal too much about the rider line-up for 2024, saying: “Nothing at the minute but hopefully, we’ll have an announcement soon. I don’t have anymore details at the minute.” When probed further and with the suggestion that we could expect breaking news in the summer break, Camier’s one-word “possibly” was as much as he was willing to give away.”

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Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will stay with Yamaha for the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after inking a new contract. The Swiss rider secured a promotion to WorldSBK this season after a second successive WorldSSP title and has impressed throughout his rookie season, leading Yamaha to renewing his contract for 2024 and securing his services for a second consecutive season.

The #77 first joined the WorldSBK paddock with Ten Kate Racing Yamaha in WorldSSP in 2021 and won the title after a long fight with Steven Odendaal. Aegerter won 10 out of 21 races in his first title-winning campaign, including two victories at the team’s home round at the TT Circuit Assen. He backed that up with an even more dominant title in 2022, with 17 wins in the 23 races he took part in as he beat Lorenzo Baldassarri. In the same year, he won the MotoE™ World Cup as he claimed two world titles in the same year and headed into WorldSBK as a two-time WorldSSP Champion.

In his rookie WorldSBK campaign, the 32-year-old raised eyebrows as he put his Yamaha YZF-R1 machine on the front row at Phillip Island despite smoking up the rear tyre on his final flying lap, and he also repeated this feat at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Swiss rider has a best finish of fourth in his rookie campaign, narrowly missing out on a rostrum by two seconds behind Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) at Assen in Race 2.

Aegerter also has a wealth of Moto2™ World Championship experience to his name having contested 168 races in the intermediate Grand Prix class, taking one win and one pole position. He tested Suzuki’s MotoGP™ challenger last year and impressed as he stepped onto a Grand Prix machine during his WorldSSP campaign. In 2024, he will be back on the YZF-R1 machine for Yamaha although which team he will race for is yet to be disclosed.

Discussing his renewal with Yamaha, Aegerter said: “I’m very happy to continue with Yamaha for 2024. I hope we can achieve great results and make some history together. It helps to continue with the same bike. We have some data that we collected this year, because WorldSBK has a lot of different electronics. We could adapt the electronics to my riding style, and it helps when we go to the same tracks next year that we already start on Friday with a better basic setup. I will know what to expect from the bikes and the racetracks. I hope we can increase the level and try to make it a better season. The season is still long for 2023 so we will try to achieve some great results. I’m still waiting for a podium; it’s one of my goals for this season. For next year, we’ll try to be better and be in front more often, trying to fight more consistently in the top five to try to be on the front row, and in the first group and to maybe fight for the podium. One day, I want to win a race as well.”

Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, Andrea Dosoli, added: “It’s been a pleasure for us to see our double Supersport World Champion, Dominique, adapting so quickly to WorldSBK. He has impressed us all, starting from the first race, where he put in a phenomenal Superpole performance to secure a front-row start at Phillip Island. I don’t think there is a better way to introduce yourself to your teammates and rivals! His progression since then has been solid, improving every weekend and finishing as the top independent rider in three races so far. I am confident that he will add to this number before the end of the year, which is why I am pleased to announce the extension of the current agreement for a further season. I wish Dominique and his team all the best as they continue their progression, and we hope they reap the rewards they deserve.”

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After two incredible rounds in Australia and Indonesia, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was back on European soil with the iconic TT Circuit Assen set another memorable show. A change of continent did not change the on-track action with plenty to talk about after a dramatic Dutch Round. Recap all the action from Race 1 and Race 2 HERE and enjoy highlights from the thrilling Tissot Superpole Race on our YouTube channel – make sure to subscribe on YouTube and be part of the WorldSBK community, to not miss any content!

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fastest in Tissot Superpole but a three-place grid penalty for Race 1 dropped him to fourth, meaning six-time Champion and Assen’s most successful rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) started from P1. This didn’t prevent the #1 from scoring his second triple of the season with the top three covered by four seconds in Race 1, whilst it was just under two seconds in the Tissot Superpole Race. Race 2 was the most dramatic of the three as Rea’s torrid start to 2023 took another dip: he crashed out on Lap 6 at Turn 9, leaving him fifth in the standings and already 101 points behind reigning Champion and arch-rival Bautista. Bautista was 56 points clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) at the top of the Championship.

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Defending World Champion and 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will take part in the Malaysian Grand Prix in MotoGP™ as a wildcard with the Aruba.it Racing Team. The round, set to take place from the 10^th – 12^th November, comes two weeks after the close of the 2023 WorldSBK season and is the third-to-last Grand Prix of the MotoGP™ year.

DUCATI’S SUCCESS IN BOTH CLASSES: Bautista set to sparkle?

Bautista is enjoying a stunning title defence is WorldSBK this season; 18 wins – a new record for wins in a single season – 21 podiums from 24 races, three pole positions and 74-point advantage in the Championship standings, the #1 really is in the best form of his career. Ducati’s success is also being mirrored in MotoGP™; coming into the year as reigning World Champions with Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia, who is also donning the #1, Ducati have won seven out of nine GPs in 2023, along with seven of the new format Sprints.

A 1-2-3 in the current standings and with six out of the eight Ducati bikes inside the top ten, Bautista is undoubtedly stepping onto a competitive package. The Spaniard, who gets an early birthday treat as a wildcard one week before he turns 39, has enjoyed two tests on the GP23 machine and was impressive with his times, despite not setting a time attack run. For the second test, Bautista was key to testing 2024 parts for the Italian manufacturer.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: Bautista returns to MotoGP™

Speaking about heading back to the MotoGP™ paddock to race for the first time since 2018, the multiple Grand Prix winner and MotoGP™ podium finisher said: “I’m really happy to be able to race in MotoGP™ as a wildcard at Sepang, a track that I really like and that I’m happy to be back at since it’s not on the WorldSBK calendar. The tests with the Ducati Desmosedici GP gave positive feedback: the feeling was good, and I had fun. I want to sincerely thank Ducati and Aruba.it because, without them, it would have been impossible to have this opportunity.

“At the same time, I would like to say that this MotoGP™ race will be a bonus for me and not a priority. That’s why we must stay focused on the WorldSBK Championship, which is the only thing that matters now. I want to stay focused for this last part of the season, which will be very demanding, with many races in a short time. The feeling with the Panigale V4R machine is good, and I hope to continue on this path. Then, when the season ends, we’ll think about going to Malaysia and having fun. Now I’ll have a little holiday, and then we’ll be back at Magny-Cours.”

Bautista’s time in the Grand Prix paddock saw him pick up the 2006 125cc World Championship, before being a title contender in the 250cc class. For 2010, he graduated to the factory Suzuki team in MotoGP™, picking up plenty of top ten finishes, which included two fifth place finishes at Barcelona-Catalunya and Sepang. He was a podium contender throughout 2011 with the team, but when Suzuki left the Championship at the end of the year, Bautista moved over to the Gresini Honda outfit for 2012, notching up a first rostrum in the premier class at Misano. He took two more podiums for the team, his last in MotoGP™, as he moved to Aprilia to develop their early comeback into the class for 2015, achieving top ten results. He then moved to Ducati for 2017 and 2018 with the Aspar Racing Team, taking a best of fourth in his second Grand Prix with the team in Argentina. One of Bautista’s last memories from MotoGP™ was his mighty performance at Phillip Island in the factory team, replacing the injured Jorge Lorenzo, when he battled for the podium before taking P4.

TURNING BACK TIME: those who shone doing the same

Making a wildcard hasn’t been easy in MotoGP™ from WorldSBK, but there’s been an array of success stories. Who can forget the magnificent Troy Bayliss’ return to Valencia in 2006, when he dominated the race to be a rare wildcard race winner in MotoGP™, whilst in 2008 at Donington Park, Ben Spies was a wildcard replacement for the injured Loris Capirossi, qualifying a fine P8 and scoring points in P14 – this preceded Spies’ move to WorldSBK for 2009. The American made another appearance in 2009’s finale at Valencia, when he was P7 on the Sterilgarda Yamaha M1 machine ahead of a full-time MotoGP™ switch in 2010. Back in the early days of WorldSBK, eventual-four-time World Champion Carl Fogarty wildcarded at the 1993 British Grand Prix at Donington Park, when he was set to score a podium but ran out of fuel on the run to the line on the last lap, losing out to fellow Brit and privateer Niall Mackenzie, who took his last Grand Prix podium.

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With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship on a summer break, team managers from up and down the grid have been reviewing their season. Paul Denning, Team Principal at the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team, spoke about the first eight rounds of the campaign after the Acerbis Czech Round. He also reviewed the Championship fight between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and whether there could be new parts on the R1 machine at the next round.

“THE GAP TO THE LEADER SHOULD BE MUCH CLOSER THAN IT IS” – 2023 so far

Razgatlioglu sits second in the Riders’ Championship with five wins to his name, whilst Andrea Locatelli is two places behind. Between them, they have given Yamaha 28 podiums with the majority, 22, coming from the #54. Currently, the 2021 Champion trails Bautista by 74 points after closing the gap by 95 to 49 after the Most Tissot Superpole Race. However, a Race 2 crash from the lead due to an unfortunate rear tyre failure allowed Bautista to re-extend his lead back up to 74 points.

Reflecting on the season so far, Denning said: “We have to say ‘good’ really. We’re in second and fourth positions in the Championship. The gap to the leader should be much closer than it is. The events of Most Race 2, where Toprak suffered a tyre failure, were ridiculously unlucky when it looked like we were going to win the race, means the gap is much bigger than we’d like. This we can’t control. In general, the performance of the team and the riders has been great. Just the outright performance gap, let’s say, with the machine leading the Championship is perhaps a little bit too much. We were getting very close!”

“THERE IS HOPE!” – the title fight is still alive

Whilst the gap between Razgatlioglu and Bautista increased at Most, Denning refused to rule the Turk out of the title fight with four rounds, 12 races and 248 points on the market across Magny-Cours, Aragon, Portimao and Jerez. With Razgatlioglu leading in Race 2 before his tyre failure, the gap could have been 44 points heading into the summer break or, if Bautista had won ahead of Toprak, 54, but the gap got back up to 74 points, more than a round in hand.

Talking about the ‘never say never’ attitude, Denning commented that he thought the title was still a possibility: “I think very much so and Most has shown that, both positive and negative. We won the Superpole Race and looked like we could’ve, but honestly, would’ve won Race 2. That means there is hope. Any rider can make mistakes. We got super unlucky in Race 2. I guess, there is a negative to say, it’s probably only that Toprak has suffered two DNFs. One because another rider crashed and took him down at Phillip Island and one at Most. It’s a real pity when that’s the case. When we come back to Magny-Cours, we’ll be positive and smiling and just do our best as always.”

“WE NEED TO TAKE THAT FINAL STEP” – Locatelli edging closer all the time

The Yamaha #55 is enjoying his best season to date in WorldSBK in terms of podiums and points. He has six podiums to his name this season – the same as he managed in 2021 and 2022 combined – while he has 227 points after eight rounds. He had 186 after Round 8 in 2021 (Magny-Cours) while he was on 173 at this stage last year when Barcelona hosted the eighth round. However, the Italian is still chasing a first WorldSBK win.

Expanding on Locatelli’s campaign, and what he needs to do next, Denning said: “It’s been a little bit up and down. We need to reach the level of performance of Phillip Island, Mandalika and Imola and do that more consistently. Donington was very positive, it’s a track he’s struggled at in the past. In general, the level is growing and growing. Imola is a tough track, and he hadn’t ridden there for 10 years. He performed super well. If he can do that at Imola, for me, he can do it anywhere. We just need to build his confidence so he’s ready to go so that he feels that he deserves to be on the podium and then the next step is to try to win a race. We’ve seen with many riders, when they finally break through that barrier and they’re able to win, the self-belief goes up. He doesn’t make many mistakes, he’s very consistent, we just need to take that final step for him to believe he’s a winning rider.”

“WE HOPE TO BRING NEW MATERIAL TO MAGNY-COURS” – no Aragon test for Yamaha

Although Yamaha have opted not to go to Aragon for the upcoming two-day test at the end of August, they have a development programme in place as they look to close the gap on their rivals. Test rider Niccolo Canepa is part of this, and Denning revealed he will be testing some new material for the YZF-R1 with the aim of bringing them to the French Round.

Denning said: “We only have one remaining test day for each rider. The end of August at Aragon is like hell on earth. I’m not quite sure what we can learn with one day there. We prefer to put the team’s time and the development guys’ time into the development of the bike. They will be doing some more testing with Nico Canepa and some new stuff, and we hope to bring some new material to Magny-Cours off the back of that which can slightly improve the performance.”

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After the shaken-up order of Round 1 in Australia, the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship headed back west – albeit slightly – to Indonesia for one of the most tropical rounds of the season on Lombok. The second round didn’t disappoint either, with plenty of ups and downs to take note of. Enjoy our round recap of Race 1 and Race 2 here, whilst the Superpole Race is on YouTube here – don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE!

Race 1 in went to Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a horror show, slipping to P9 at the end. A red flag at the start of the Superpole Race opened Sunday action with a bang, but it got worse for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who got his leg run hit by Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) whilst braking for Turn 10, leaving him with several fractures. The biggest moment came when Rea went to pass Bautista at Turn 12, pushing him off-line and the #1 crashed out. In Race 2, another red flag with a crash for Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) halted Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) charge to a win, meaning that on the restart, he didn’t have a new tyre. Caught in the final laps by Bautista who went on to win, Rinaldi ran off on the last lap at Turn 10, allowing Razgatlioglu and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) to complete the podium, a first for Vierge; Rinaldi took P4. Bautista led Razgatlioglu in the title race by 37 points heading for Europe.

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The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship waltzes into summer on a high, with a hard-earnt break giving us plenty of time to digest the big things of the season so far. This time, we’re looking at stats, and there are plenty to delve deep into. Throttle up and check in on your latest pub knowledge, you’ll want to impress your friends from trackside – or sofa-side – when we’re back in September!

6000 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) became the first rider in WorldSBK history to amass 6000 points during the Imola weekend. Into summer, he has 6053.5.

1050 – At the same place where they achieved a 1000th podium in 2022 with Alvaro Bautista, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) took Ducati’s 1050th podium.

400 – At Assen, Alvaro Bautista made it 400 wins for Ducati. At the time, it was his 40th, exactly 10% of the manufacturer’s total.

333.3 – 333.3km/h is the top speed recorded so far this year, achieved by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) at Phillip Island.

100 – A total of 100 podiums in WorldSBK for Toprak Razgatlioglu was achieved at Imola in Race 1. As he entered summer, he had 104.

50 – 50 wins for Alvaro Bautista in WorldSBK, all achieved with Ducati. Other riders with 50 wins or more are Jonathan Rea (119), Carl Fogarty (59) and Troy Bayliss (52).

38 – For the 38^th time in WorldSBK history, five manufacturers were inside the top five places in a race, achieved in Race 1 at Most. It was the first time since 2022’s Race 2 at Assen.

38/36 – At 38 and 36, Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea both entered the top six for oldest wins with their Most victories.

29 – After 29 points-scoring races on the bounce came to an end at Most in the Superpole Race, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) is in P9 for all-time points-scoring runs, the highest-placed Yamaha rider.

27 – Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) has led 27 laps in his career, of which 13 are from 2023. The most laps led by a rider to never win is currently held by Davide Giugliano at 45.

25 – At Assen in the Superpole Race, Jonathan Rea set a new record for podiums at a single track: 25.

19 – Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was a substitute rider in the factory BMW team at Imola and scored points in Race 1, giving him the biggest interval from his first points-scoring race in WorldSBK to his most recent: 19 years, 11 months and 18 days from Brands Hatch Race 2, 2003 and Imola Race 1 2023.

18 – 18 wins in a season for Alvaro Bautista at Most after Race 2, an all-time season record.

14 – At 14 years, one month and eight days, Rea updated a stat he already held, for the interval between first WorldSBK win and most-recent after Race 1 at Most.

12 – 12 years since the last front row, Australia returned to the grid with a clear view down to Turn 1 at Most with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). It was the first time since Troy Corser was fourth at Monza in 2011.

9 – 9 different podium finishers in 2023 across four manufacturers; after summer, BMW will look to join the list.

5 – Fifth place on the grid by Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at Assen and Imola is the best for BMW this season.

3 – For the first time since Portimao 2021, three different winners on three different makes of machinery this weekend. Rea won for Kawasaki in Race 1, followed by Razgatlioglu for Yamaha in the Superpole Race and Bautista for Ducati in Race 2. In Portimao 2021, it was Razgatlioglu for Yamaha in Race 1, Michael van der Mark for BMW in the Superpole Race and Rea for Kawasaki in Race 2.

3 – Three podiums in his debut season for Danilo Petrucci, the most by a rookie in an Independent team since Garrett Gerloff at GRT Yamaha in 2020, who also had three.

1 – Scoring his first podium in WorldSBK, Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) put Honda in P3 at Mandalika in Race 2.

0.244s – At the chequered flag, the closest finish of the year came in the Superpole Race at Imola, with Razgatlioglu beating Bautista by 0.244s.

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Whilst the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is out for summer, stories are always breaking and if not, they’re being monitored closely. That’s the situation for Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK’s Guim Roda, who gave an overview of his team’s performance in 2023. What promised so much with a new engine homologation has turned out to be a rough ride; just one win – coming in the rain at Most – and not fighting for the title for the first time since Provec Racing took over the Kawasaki effort in 2012.

“NOBODY WINS FOREVER” – Roda lays it out bare

“2023 hasn’t gone as we expected,” began a direct Guim Roda, speaking at Most before the summer break commenced. “We came from a not easy 2021 and 2022 season. We were fighting for podiums, race wins and the title until the end, but unfortunately, this year, we could not start in a good mode. We’re trying to polish things with the tools we have and trying our best. Nobody wins forever; you need to accept to learn to lose and try your best. It’s important in racing and life, not just achieving success but fight for it and work for it. We’ll keep going; we have experience from the past to understand what to do to win and we’ll try again. That is our aim.”

“It’s obvious that there are no doubts on Jonny’s capacity to go fast; he demonstrated again in many conditions and we assembled the bike with the right tyres and he did the rest. We just need to continue, use the best opportunities and keep going. Alex is doing quite a good job and showing the bike’s potential in terms of speed; it’s not an easy bike to manage for a long race distance. Sometimes, we make a mistake with setup to gain something extra, instead we go back. He’s a big compliment for the team and he’s doing a good job.”

Both riders have had reasons to cheer in 2023; Rea took a masterful wet weather podium in the season-opening Phillip Island race, before he returned to the rostrum at Assen. His biggest achievement of the year was a 119^th WorldSBK win, coming at Most in Race 1, when an intermediate tyre choice proved to be the right one, staying out on a drying track to win. As for Lowes, he got the team’s first dry podium of the year in the Tissot Superpole Race at Mandalika and has had nine top six finishes, albeit not since Donington Park.

“RACING IS RACING; CONTRACTS ARE THERE, BUT…” – 2024 on the horizon

Low points for the pair included uncharacteristic crashes for 36-year-old Rea during races. Mandalika’s Race 2, Assen’s Race 2 and Barcelona’s Superpole Race all caught Rea out, whilst for Lowes, a double crash in Race 1 and 2 in Australia, a Race 1 crash in Barcelona, Race 2’s fall at Misano and a tumble at Imola have been low points. Both riders are pushing to the limit and beyond. This has meant rumours regarding Rea’s future to start circulating, with Yamaha seemingly being an option despite having a contract with Kawasaki for 2024. Alex Lowes signed for 2024 ahead of his home round this year.

Responding to the question for the first time, Roda – an ex-racer himself and paddock stalwart – know that anything’s possible in racing: “You never know; at the end, racing is racing. Contracts are there, the motivation is there but anyway, we’ll need to see. We don’t have a plan B because plan A is Jonny, so we need to work on that and try our best.”

Finally, a test at Aragon will give Kawasaki the opportunity to make steps, although coy on what it will be: “It’s a middle of the year test, so it’s important as we’ll need to test many things during the year to confirm the direction of the past, whether we were right or not. At the same time, trying to make steps for the future to understand how we improve the package. It’s important and we’ll try to extract the maximum.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com