The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto hosts the final round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and there’s plenty still to decide in Spain. One Championship still up for grabs in the Teams’ Championship, which will be fought between the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squads. Heading into the final round, Pata Yamaha lead Aruba Ducati by just seven points with everything to play for between the pair.
WHERE HAVE THE POINTS COME FROM: Razgatlioglu, Bautista score the majority
It’s no surprise that the top two in the Championship have contributed the most to their team’s scores. Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu has 506 points out of the team’s 806, while reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista has scored 566 of Aruba Ducati’s 799. Between them, they have taken all but one of the two teams’ wins this season with the #54 on seven wins in 2023 while the reigning Champion has taken 24 victories out of a possible 33. Despite most wins going to the red corner, it’s the blue side which leads the Teams’ Championship fight.
BATTLE OF LOCATELLI AND RINALDI: the #55’s advantage over the #21 proves crucial
While Razgatlioglu and Bautista lead the way, each team’s other riders have scored crucial points in the battle to win the title. It’s Yamaha’s ‘Loka’ who leads the way from the ‘second’ riders with exactly 300 points, with Rinaldi on 233 despite the latter winning a race this year and Locatelli not. That 67-point difference in Locatelli’s favour outweighs the 60-point deficit between Razgatlioglu and Bautista to give Pata Yamaha their seven-point advantage over Aruba Ducati heading into the final round, with three races to go and 111 points available from Jerez.
WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS: Pata Yamaha go for second title in three years, Ducati aiming to retain
There’s a lot on the line for both squads fighting for the title. The Yamaha outfit relinquished their crown last year after winning it in 2021 – the year Razgatlioglu won the Riders’ Championship and Yamaha won the Manufacturers’ title. Holding onto their lead would mean they win their second Teams’ Championship in three seasons. Aruba Ducati, however, are aiming to retain the crown they won last year and make it three in four years. Which one of the two teams will be celebrating at Jerez?
HOW IT CAN BE WON: Yamaha start ahead, Ducati aiming to fight back
With both riders able to score points towards the total, the battle cannot be won in Race 1, as the lead team need to be 67 points clear. The most the difference can be, with a Pata Yamaha 1-2 and neither Bautista nor Rinaldi scoring, is 52. With both riders contributing to the score across all three races, 111 points are available and with the gap as close as it is, it looks like it’ll go down to the wire. There are so many permutations, so the easiest way is that the Yamaha-powered squad need to lose six points or fewer across the weekend, while Aruba Ducati need to outscore their rivals by eight to move ahead.
OTHER BATTLES: GRT Yamaha vs Team HRC for fourth, Independent BMW vs factory BMW
The battle for fourth between the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team and Team HRC is really heating up with one point separating the two outfits. The Independent Yamaha squad lead the way on 277 points with riders Remy Gardner and Dominique Aegerter contributing 139 and 138 points each, while Honda’s Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona have added 140 and 136 respectively to the team’s 276 points. This battle threatens to go right to the wire in 2023. Elsewhere, there’s an intra-BMW fight going on. Independent squad Bonovo Action BMW lead the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team by just 13 points heading into Jerez, with Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark aiming for one last push to ensure the factory outfit finish ahead of the Independent squad.
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Source: WorldSBK.com