The 35th anniversary season is coming to an end for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with another extraordinary year in the history books. The title remains alive but it would need a huge upset if Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) didn’t walk away with the crown. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) has kept him honest but perhaps the bigger weekend for him will be signing off his four years at Yamaha in style, whilst in the green corner and with third in the Championship all-but bagged, Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) nine-season tenure at KRT also concludes this weekend. It’s going to be emotional, so bring the tissues closer and get ready for our return to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
ANOTHER MATCH BALL: Bautista’s title to lose
After a sensational triple at Portimao – completed with a belting Race 2 win against Razgatlioglu – the maths are simple for Alvaro Bautista to become Champion for a second season: finish 14th or higher in Race 1 and hope that Toprak Razgatlioglu doesn’t win. If Bautista scores two points or more across the weekend, then he’s got the Championship bagged. On the other side of the equation, Razgatlioglu must win all three races. He won the last two races at Jerez in 2021 but he’s not enjoyed a triple all season. Even then, it is out of his hands, with reigning Champion Bautista certain to score his required haul – barring acts of God and misfortune. It’s been a sensational season by both and this is their last dance as we see them now, with Razgatlioglu’s departure to BMW awaiting.
ONE MORE TIME: Rea’s final round in green
50 points clear of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and not able to crack the top two for the second season running, Jonathan Rea’s chapter in Kawasaki green is coming to a close this weekend. Six titles won, the first of which came at this very circuit, it’s been a remarkable era of WorldSBK. A new challenge awaits at Yamaha but for now, he’ll aim to conclude this extraordinary time in the best way possible. He wasn’t positive about the prospects of winning at Jerez in his post-Sunday debrief at Portimao but can the magic come back for one final time with Kawasaki? Locatelli’s fourth in the Championship is virtually a done deal but perhaps there’ll be a surprise behind.
SPICY BATTLE FOR FIFTH: Bassani being reeled in by Rinaldi
With contrasting form in recent rounds, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) are pretty tight for P5 overall, something that looked like ‘El Bocia’s’ until his factory Ducati counterpart kickstarted his form after summer. Both of them are keen to snatch that fifth place; Bassani has held it pretty much since the opening round, whilst Rinaldi wants to prove that the next-best Ducati after Bautista is still the factory one, even if he’s not remaining there for next year. They’ve been bitter rivals all year, are going to see a showdown to end the year? 28 points further back, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) has his final chance to become a rookie winner in 2023 but he’s always fast at Jerez.
A HUGE FIGHT FOR P8: six riders, five points
It’s a huge fight for eighth in the Championship too and there could be some huge plot twists to come; it is currently held by Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), tied with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Lowes has a best Kawasaki result of P5 at Jerez whilst Vierge’s not raced there in WorldSBK despite plenty of testing. One point behind them, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is likewise a point ahead of teammate Dominique Aegerter, with both having plenty of experience at Jerez from the MotoGP™ paddock days. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) is two points further back and has already raced a MotoGP™ bike at Jerez this year. One point further back of him, the in-form Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) could well finish eight in the standings and top BMW, a remarkable effort by the American.
FURTHER DOWN: Redding one of the key riders to watch
17 points adrift of Gerloff is the first of the factory BMWs, Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who is going into his final round with Shaun Muir’s squad before moving to Bonovo Action. He was a double winner for Ducati at Jerez back in 2020, whilst teammate Michael van der Mark found form at Portimao to return to the top ten and he’ll hope to finish the season strongly. Splitting the two, Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) is searching for a ride as Andrea Iannone is now confirmed with the team for 2024, whilst it’s a similar situation for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who remains on the market for next year.
POINTS TO PROVE: uncertain futures aim for one last 2023 sparkle
Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) won’t compete at Jerez and he’s just four points ahead of fellow rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha), who is five ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team). His teammate Eric Granado hopes to score points in 2023 and this is his final opportunity to do so, as does Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO). Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) enjoys Jerez as he hopes to add to his tally before the year is out as well. IDM Superbike champion Florian Alt will make his WorldSBK debut with the Holzhauer Racing Promotion Honda team. None of the above riders have anything confirmed for 2024.
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Source: WorldSBK.com