Following his best round of the 2023 WorldSBK season to date, Rea, who was asked pre-weekend about rumours linking him with Yamaha, has given a clear update on his future.

Rea won Saturday’s flag-to-flag Race 1 at Most before claiming podiums in the Superpole Race and Race 2.

But when speaking post-race, Rea said his current situation at Kawasaki is not one he’s happy with, thus leading to thoughts regarding his future. 

Rea said: “I’m thinking a lot right now; I am not 100% content in my situation to be honest. I have quite a lot of days of thinking ahead but I don’t feel in any rush and there’s no panic. 

“It’s important at this point of my career and my life, that I make a good decision. One that’s right for me. 

“I’ll take my time but before thinking about that, I want to have a beer and enjoy this weekend. I feel like we did a really good job as a team all together. We’ll start thinking about 2024 in a couple of weeks.”

Rea is contracted to Kawasaki until the end of next season, however, it appears as though he could terminate his contract early, if both sides agreed to it. 

During the Czech round Rea resumed his battle with Danilo Petrucci from Donington Park, as the Italian again got the better of the 36-year-old.

What was a superb last-lap fight between the pair ended with Petrucci getting the better of Rea thanks to a move at the final corner.

“I passed Jonny at Turn 1 on the final lap, but he answered me back at Turn 2,” said the Barni Ducati rider. “I had a good braking point for Turn 6 but he was still there and I thought that if I’m going to pass him, we’re both going to crash. 

“I thought third was OK but in the penultimate corner, I saw him struggling so I tried to pass him, then he came back on the line and we did the last corner side by side. 

“He was a gentleman, because with a bit more throttle, he’d hit me and put me wide, but he’s a great World Champion. 

“I owe him at least two beers next time! P2 is my best result; we need to start better.”

Not something that’s always been the case in 2023, however, Redding was very strong in Most, which has been one of his better WorldSBK circuits.

Although an issue with his BMW machine cost him in the Superpole Race, Redding put that behind him to claw himself back into the top ten during Race 2.

The British rider’s best result came during Race 1 as he claimed fourth, as he took advantage of damp conditions. 

Summing up his weekend, Redding said: “Overall the weekend was pretty good. We were first on Friday in mixed conditions and second in FP3. 

“We were a bit more up there which was nice. Obviously we had to take a gamble in different conditions but it paid off. 

“I was a bit upset with the result in this morning’s Superpole race. We had an issue, something was not quite right, and it made it difficult to stop the bike. It was hard because I wanted to try and finish in the top nine, to have a better start position for race two, and knew I had better pace than that but I just couldn’t do it, so it was frustrating. 

“In race two, I wanted to try and bounce back and show my potential again as a rider, so to come from 15th and have a good pace in the second half of the race was good. 

“It took me a while to get through a few guys and to get a clear track but I felt I was riding well and the pace was good. 

“I think we were 13 seconds off the leader of which I was probably lost three, four, five in the beginning. It wasn’t ideal but I felt strong and the main thing is I enjoyed riding the bike today.”

On the other side of the garage, teammate Michael Van Der Mark secured three points scoring finishes on his return to action.

“This Sunday was OK for me,” added Van Der Mark. “My priority was to do as many laps as possible. Of course you also want to go as fast as possible too. 

“In this morning’s Superpole race, I was happy. I had quite a good rhythm but it was not more than ten laps. Then in race two, I had a good start but was a bit too cautious into turn one and then I was behind a big group. 

“I stayed with them for a while but I was pushing too much to stay with them so I backed off because I knew I had to do as many laps as possible. 

“It was a lonely race but we had to finish, we had to do the laps. So I am happy with the result. Overall, it’s nice to be back.”

After seeing Razgatlioglu pull back a significant amount of points during the final race of the Imola round and Race 1 in Most, Bautista knew he had to respond during Sunday’s double-header.

P3 in the Superpole Race was a good start, but with Razgatlioglu winning, the reigning world champion lost even more of his championship lead.

The same looked set to happen in Race 2 as Razgatlioglu managed to produce several stunning overtakes lap after lap.

Whether it was on the inside or outside, Razgatlioglu decided to out-break Bautista at every opportunity despite the Spaniard gaining several bike lengths by the time both riders hit the brakes for turn one.

Razgatlioglu swooped around the outside of Bautista with seven laps to go in what was a stunning overtake, and one that shocked Bautista who was unable to challenge the Yamaha rider on the next lap, which was the first time that had happened for many laps. 

However, just one corner later and Race 2 was flipped on its head as Razgatlioglu crashed due to a tyre failure, handing victory to Bautista.

Impressed by Razgatlioglu’s stern defence, Bautista said this about their race-long fight: “I think on a normal lap, I’d have hit Toprak after his crash. I was very lucky. 

“In the battle, I wasn’t thinking first or second. We were fighting and it seemed like the 100 times we entered the chicane, 100 times he got there first. He put the bike inside and we always missed the apex but it’s OK. 

“When you are half in the middle of the track, it’s hard to close the door, but I tried it so he couldn’t pass me between Turns 1 and 2, but he came from the outside! 

“Then I thought, ‘s**t! It’s impossible!’, but I had other options on the track but I didn’t see them as clearly as the first chicane. 

“I didn’t think that ‘today I could win or I’ll just finish second’, I just enjoyed the battle. I was fighting with him on the limit.”

Despite losing a huge amount of points at Imola and in the opening race at Most before regaining a significant part of that with his Race 2 win, Bautista does not believe either round was a turning point.

Bautista added: “The good or bad thing of racing is that anything can happen until the chequered flag. 

“This isn’t a turning point; neither at Imola or on Saturday at Most. We did our best but the best result was 12th with all the problems – and they were problems, not bad luck. 

“I don’t believe in bad luck. I believed in myself; I thought I could be fast without the problems but on Sunday, I felt better with the bike, proving the work and the confidence is there. 

“I haven’t seen, don’t see and won’t see this as a turning point, no; this is one race more and now, we have a break, we’ll try to work harder and be focused for the next one. 

“We don’t have to be more worried after Imola or less worried after here.”

Despite coming under attack as he began to struggle with his rear tyre, Gardner managed to claim his second P6 of the weekend in what turned out to be his best WorldSBK round of the season. 

Third in qualifying, Saturday’s flag-to-flag Race 1 saw Gardner slide down the order after using the intermediate tyre for the first time in his career.

Calling it a ‘daunting’ experience, Gardner then recovered by taking sixth in the Superpole Race. 

“It’s been a very positive weekend,” Gardner told WorldSBK.com. “We had a great qualifying and got lucky to be on the front row. 

“It was an unlucky Race 1 with the tyre choice and that’s down to experience with those tyres. I had never run the intermediates in the wet before so it was a bit daunting for me. 

“I had a good sprint as well and managed to keep the front two rows. Then I was having quite a good race until around lap 14/15 – the rear tyre really started to drop and I saw the guys coming at me fast. 

“They were closing the gap and I knew there nothing I could do. I was already on the limit. We were lucky to finish the race. 

“I had a few holes in the tyre just like Toprak. We were lucky not to get a flat tyre.”

Thanks to his best qualifying result since joining WorldSBK, and his performance in Sunday’s double-header, Gardner spent much of the weekend competing with the top riders in the class, which has not always been the case.

Blistering, de-lamination and punctures were the cause of Razgatlioglu’s tyre failure, and Gardner admitted he was lucky not to suffer the same fate. 

The Australian did feel as though he perhaps pushed too hard early on, causing him to lose grip from lap 15 onwards. 

“I finally got to see the head of the race which was cool,” added Gardner. “Maybe it made me push too hard in those [first] 15 laps and use too much tyre. 

“The other guys were capable of saving the rear tyre better. We’re trying to make up a deficit with straight line speed. 

“I think there’s a bit more we can get out of our package. Toprak is doing it and he was unlucky with his rear tyre situation. I think it was a confidence boost this weekend.”

Bassani failed to step on the podium in any of the three WorldSBK races at Most, however, the Italian was a constant threat throughout the weekend as he closed in on Andrea Locatelli for P4 in the championship.

The Motocorsa Ducati rider has been in great form over the last two rounds, as he nearly claimed a maiden win at Imola before contesting for third in both races on Sunday. 

But while P4 was a strong finish in Race 2, Bassani felt like the opportunity to win was there for the taking.

“Today, we had the possibility to fight for victory,” Bassani told WorldSBK.com. “Our pace was really good; I’m not happy with myself because I made a really s**t mistake and I don’t know why. 

“I got near to second position after a really good recovery, so I am happy for that but for the next races, I need to understand what way I can do the opening laps of the race. 

“Today, on the first lap, I tried to overtake Alvaro a lot of times, which isn’t good because I need to stay more relaxed and push at the end of the race.”

Bassani missed out on the podium as Danilo Petrucci and Jonathan Rea got the better of him.

Bassani and Rea have been closely matched in recent races and the young Italian is aiming to get one up on the Kawasaki star before the end of the season.

“Jonny has many years in this World Championship and it’s not easy to beat him,” added Bassani. “He’s an old fox! I’ll try to beat him again before the end of the season; we’ve beaten him at Imola, so it’s possible. 

“We’ll try to repeat that result. But now, I want the victory; I need to win.”

In terms of his future, Bassani is expected to remain with Ducati next season although it looks as though the coveted Aruba.it Ducati seat is heading to Nicolo Bulega.

That means staying with Motocorsa is the most likely scenario for Bassani, who claims money is not driving his next move.

Bassani began by saying: “My manager has a lot of work to do in this break. For me, I need to stay alone with myself and start to understand how I can do the first part of the race better and try and win the last races of the year.”

“The money is not important; it’s important to be the best rider. Alberto Vergani, my manager, starts to think about it.”

The six-time WorldSBK champion made the most of his intermediate tyre gamble, while the likes of Axel Bassani and Alvaro Bautista had to pit after choosing the full wets.

The two Ducati riders made hay during the early stages as they fired up their full wets quicker than others, however, Rea was best placed of the intermediate riders when they boxed. 

Toprak Razgatlioglu began to reel in Rea lap after lap, however, the Yamaha rider ran out of lap and had to settle for second.

During Sunday’s dry double-header, Rea had very good pace especially in the Superpole Race, but was unable to contend for victory on both occasions. 

Speaking after Race 2, Rea said: “My pace felt okay, and I thought I could be there; especially in the Superpole Race because I didn’t realise I had that pace. 

“In the long race, I went for different tyres to pretty much the whole grid. Me and my team, when I tried them on Friday, felt they had a little bit more grip. 

“At the end of the race, the bike was moving so much, and entry traction was gone. It was all I could do to keep Danilo behind. 

“I could see on the pit board he was coming and then he parked it at Turn 1, but I went the long way around and parked it at Turn 2! I tried to do everything perfectly. 

“I defended into the penultimate corner but in the last corner I could feel him, but not see him with my peripheral vision. He leant on me a little bit. I thought, ‘if I ride into him, there’s as much chance of me going down as well as him’ so I gave him a little bit of space.”

On pure performance winning a race in 2023 appeared unlikely for Rea, however, his achievement now means he’s won at least once in all 15 seasons that he’s taken part in the championship. 

“I can’t complain, I would’ve snapped your hand off if you told me I’d have these results at a track I don’t have much affection with,” added the Kawasaki rider. “We came away with a big haul of points and a good feeling with the bike.”

Aruba.it Racing rider Alvaro Bautista had the odds of a good performance stacked against him as his weekend faltered on Saturday placing fourteenth in Superpole, which he could only translate to a small improvement of twelfth in race one.

Problems started when the reigning champion had his best time deleted in Superpole, having been set under yellow flags for Dominique Aegerter’s crash in that session. That was compounded by tyre woes in race one with choosing the wrong option for the wet weather further impacted by a lengthy pit stop.

Still full of fight, Bautista set about putting himself back in play on Sunday. That reversal of fortunes began in the Superpole race, where he sped through the field to move into third after passing Axel Bassani on the last lap.

Bautista credited the effort he and the team put into that race for getting him into contention for the win and a complete reversal of fortunes by the end of race two:

“I didn’t expect to win this weekend, especially after a really tough Friday and Saturday. I always believed in myself, tried to be calm and do my best. The Superpole Race was the key. I knew it was important to have a good race and improve the position from P14 on the grid for Race 2. I was fifth or sixth on Lap 1, I think it was one of the best starts of my life!

When I was fourth, I was lapping similarly to the three guys in front of me and I thought P4 was nice for Race 2. After mid-race, I saw Bassani dropping a little bit. When it was two laps to go, I tried to close the gap and did my best lap on the penultimate lap. I was very close in the last two corners, and I knew I was a bit stronger than him there”.

That set up the #1 plated rider for a front row start for the final race of the weekend at Autodrom Most, and the thrillting battle that ended all too soon as tyre trouble took Toprak Razgatioglu out of contention with six laps remaining, handing Bautista a clear lead over his rivals:

“Third position was nice for Race 2. I had a good battle with Toprak. He always tried to put the bike on the inside at Turn 1. Even if we missed the corner, he was in front. One time, I tried to stay on the inside, but I didn’t want to miss the first corner to avoid him passing me exiting between Turns 1 and 2. He came from the outside and the same”.

“He missed the corner, but he was in front! It was fun. In races, anything can happen until the chequered flag. It’s the good and bad thing about racing. I’m really happy.”

The win was an important one for both rider and championship.

Victory brings Bautista to his 50th win, an elite club with only former champions Troy Bayliss(52), Carl Fogarty (59) and current rider and six time champion Jonathan Rea (119) having more.

It is also the first time in the history of WorldSBK that any one rider has won eighteen races in one season.

In terms of this season, Bautista now has an increased points tally of 427, exiting the Czech Republic with a gap four points larger than he started with after Razgatlioglu saw his attempts to chip away at the difference wiped out.

The World Superbike championship returns after the summer break at Magny-Cours over the weekend of 8-10 September.

Pata Yamaha rider Toprak Razgatlioglu began the day on a high with a win in the sprint style superpole race as he continued what was then unbeatable podium form at Autodrom Most. Bautista was the rider on the back foot, fighting through to third to limit points lost.

The title duo were the main attraction at the front of race two, duelling for position lap after lap with the Ducati’s horsepower allowing the #1 plate to match or sneak ahead of the Yamaha on the straight before Razgatlioglu shut the door firmly on repeat at turn one.

The rehearsals were a tantalising taste of what the final lap could have been – the battle ending on lap seventeen prematurely as the Yamaha violently and surprisingly threw it’s Turkish rider off. The highside at turn two, just after another battle for position, saw the #53 bike on the track riderless.

It didn’t take long for Pata Yamaha WSBK Team Principal Paul Denning to confirm to was not error by Razgatlioglu but a tyre failure – blistering, de-lamination and punctures all said to be present on the rear.

This was something confirmed by Razgatlioglu after the race, speaking via Yamaha Racing:

“I just try to do my best, very bad luck for me. I’m not angry for Pirelli – I don’t know why this tyre is like this, I am just very surprised and it is very strange. We have many races, and I keep looking to the future and keep fighting.”

The 2021 WorldSBK champion elaborated further to WSBK.com:

“It was a very strange race. My rear tyre burst. I am surprised because I looked back after the crash at the chain, and after I saw my tyre. It’s very strange for me, it’s the first time it’s happened in my life. I am okay. In the last six laps, I started to ride calmer, and I saw the gap getting bigger. It was a good race for me and I enjoyed it; I think all fans enjoyed it!”

There was plenty to enjoy too with the racing at the front fierce, often with a small amount of contact as they rehearsed their final moves over and over. Razgatlioglu had a plan to eliminate a close finale, that sadly he did not get to put into action:

 “My plan in the race, especially the exit from the last corner, was to exit alone. If he was right in front of me, it wouldn’t have been easy to pass him in the first corner. I’m always keeping him behind me. We get to the first corner and I’m passing him again because I’m braking harder, but sometimes he tried hard braking. I needed to pass him. In general, it was a very good fight with Alvaro.”

That good fight was especially beneficial for his title rival – unravelling all the good work done to narrow the gap in the championship standings.

On arrival in Most, Bautista had a reduced but sizeable 70 point lead to his name. A second in race one behind Jonathan Rea and a win in the Superpole race had seen that diminish significantly to a 49 point gap, with 44 possible if the Yamaha had placed first in race two.

Instead the DNF, matched with Bautista grinding out every possible point behind, sees the lead now extended to 74 points heading into the summer break, with a long gap to the next round at Magny-Cours in September to ponder what might have been and work on a plan to bounce back for a final assault on the 2023 World Superbike title.

 

Alvaro Bautista had everything go his way as he claimed an historic 18th win of the season in style, while main title rival Toprak Razgatlioglu suffered a strange crash out of the lead to damage his title chances.

A dry race after a weekend of mixed conditions brought lap after lap of close racing at the Autodrom Most for the Czech Superbike round of the WorldSBK championship.

Toprak Razgatlioglu once again started from pole after his hard fought  win in the Superpole race earlier in the day but it was again Axel Bassani who got a huge launch to initially lead.

That was short lived as the Motocorsa Racing rider sent his Ducati flying over the gravelat the start of lap two, leaving Bautista to take over out front.

The Aruba.it Racing rider had main rival Razgatlioglu for company with the pair duelling it out. It became almost routine, once ahead that the Spaniard would use his horsepower down the straight, occasionally being timed as leading over the line, with the Yamaha blocking and holding down the inside at turn one to retain the lead.

Razgatlioglu DNF brings points advantage

It was repeated until lap seventeen, when with just six laps remaining and clear of his turn one recovery move, the Turkish rider was sent flying from his Pata Yamaha, his highside leaving the bike on track and rider bewildered.

Alvaro Bautista was back in play in a much elevated grid position for the first time this weekend, with a third place start  after a podium finish in the sprint assuring a slice through the pack was not necessary. Running at the front he immediately used evasive moves to miss the strewn motorcycle – and was clear out in front.

It was later revealed to be a rear tyre failure, with blisters, delamination and a puncture for Razgatlioglu.

Leading over the line by a comfortable 4.652s Bautista made history – his 50th race win achieved, it also marked the first time that a rider has claimed eighteen wins in a season.

The win also meant that a different manufacturer won each race in a meet for the first time since Portimao 2021.

Bautista’s win restores his title lead too – coming into the Czech round the lead stood at 70 points and after the superpole race that had dropped to an advantage of 49. With all Razgatlioglu’s hard work undone, Bautista has claimed an increased advantage from his win, now with a 74 point gap.

Petrucci stages comeback for second.

It was Jonathan Rea who was sat in behind the drama ahead. Once that duo was split all the action arrived at his door as Danilo Petrucci chased him down for some spectacular late race action.

From eighth after a comeback performance earlier in the day, the Barri Spark rider slowly worked his way forward. First working past Michael Rinaldi, the Ducati man then had Rea in his sights with  just two laps remaining.

The man from Ballymena tried desperately to hold on, but Petrucci put it all on the line. Committed, he went through at the start of the lap, only for Rea to slide back under at turn one. A push of Ducati horsepower saw the Italian pull ahead again, with a block seeing him in front and hold on to take second at the chequered flag.

Rea continued his strong run in the Czech Republic, backing up his win in race one and second in the Superpole race with third for Kawasaki, so although he missed out on second the Northern Irish rider still recorded a best for the season.

 

2023 World Superbike Most, Czech Republic – Race (2) Results Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati 22 laps 2 Danilo Petrucci ITA Barni Spark Racing Team +4.652s 3 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +4.725s 4 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +4.786s 5 Michael Ruben Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +7.538s 6 Remy Gardner AUS GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +10.717s 7 Andrea Locatelli ITA Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK +12.455s 8 Scott Redding GBR ROKIT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +13.273s 9 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +17.925s 10 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW +18.091s 11 Dominique Aegerter SWI GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +18.501s 12 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +18.586s 13 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati +23.138s 14 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +25.547s 15 Michael Van Der Mark NED ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +41.166s 16 Roberto Tamburini ITA PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing +50.118s 17 Isaac Vinales SPA TPR by Vinales Racing +53.767s 18 Tito Rabat SPA Puccetti Kawasaki +54.616s 19 Hannes Soomer EST PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing +1 lap 20 Garrett Gerloff USA Bonovo Action BMW +2 laps 21 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK DNF 22 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki DNF 23 Lorenzo Baldassarri ITA GMT94 Yamaha DNF 24 Eric Granado BRA PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing DNF

Bassani bites back for fourth.

After running wide early in the race Axel Bassani carefully navigated the gravel, losing the lead but rejoining in twelfth.

Like Petrucci, he too worked his way forward through the pack, picking of rivals one by one all the time closing on the leaders.

With the riders fighting ahead the Ducati rider was able to be in with a shout of a podium finish, but had to settle for fourth after an impressive comeback, with second to fourth almost a photo finish over the line.

Rinaldi finished fifth, after being passed by two private Ducati riders.

Sixth went to Remy Gardner, who pulled clear of Andrea Locatelli’s Pata Yamaha for GYTR GRT Yamaha.

The Italian, in turn had space over eight placed Scott Redding, who was well clear of the battle for ninth aboard his Rokit BMW.

That was lead at the chequered flag by Xavi Vierge, a strong result following his DNF in the superpole race. The top Honda, he held off advances from Loris Baz who placed tenth, Dominique Aegerter in eleventh and Iker Lecuona who placed twelfth.

The final points places were filled by Philipp Oettl, Alex Lowes, who went off track early in the race when in sixth, and Michael van der Mark in 15th.

Most World Superbike records

Fastest Lap: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1m 30.947s
Most Victories: Toprak Razgatlioglu (4)

2022 results:

Race 1: Alvaro Bautista
Superpole Race: Toprak Razgatlioglu
Race 2: Toprak Razgatlioglu

Last Round (Imola):

Race 1: Alvaro Bautista
Superpole Race: Toprak Razgatlioglu
Race 2: Toprak Razgatlioglu

This round so far: 
Race 1: Jonathan Rea (Razgatlioglu, Petrucci) 
Superpole Race: Toprak Razgatlioglu (Rea, Bautista)

Garrett Gerloff was the first faller – he rejoined but finished two laps down. Lorenzo Balsdassarri and eric Granado also suffered early exits. A disappointed Oliver Konig ended his home race experience by pulling into the pits.

It leaves the championship with Bautista with an improved advantage, a perfect result or him to apply the chasing pressure back onto Toprak Razgatlioglu after an exit that was no fault of his own as the championship enters it’s summer break – WorldSBK returns in Magny- Cours over the weekend 8-10 September.

 

 

Results from the Superpole race at round eight of the 2023 World Superbike championship from Most in the Czech Republic.

Toprak Razgatlioglu fought his way to the front of the Superpole race opening Sunday’s WorldSBK action in Most, Czech Republic, round eight of the championship.

Razgatlioglu continued an incredible run of form at Most, having featured on the podium at every race held at the Czech track.

All the riders lined up on slicks after a wet race one, with the softer zero tyre the one of choice.

Starting from pole, the Yamaha rider had victory in his sights but immediately had work to to with Axel Bassani getting a fantastic start, with pressure also coming from race one winner Jonathan Rea.

It wasn’t long into the sprint before the lead changed hands, with the #54 putting in a huge lunge for the lead at turn fifteen on lap four, with Rea quick to follow.

The lead three split with a fierce battle for position over the limited laps, which allowed Bassani to keep in touch as the duo ahead traded fastest laps.

As the lap ticked off Razgatlioglu pulled the pin to lead over the line by 1.203s, celebrating by collecting a Turkish flag to tour around with, before losing it as he celebrated his fifth win at Most in eight races.

With a victory at Autodrom Most in his 399th start, Rea didn’t set a time in warm-up as extreme changes were made to his Kawasaki overnight, continuing to right before the race start.

Those alterations paid off as the Northern Irish kept a second win in his sights right to the line for a superb second in hos 400th race.

Bautista battles back for podium

Alvaro Bautista was in the hunt for his 50th WSBK win. Launching from down in 14th the reigning champion had the odds stacked against him, but with a preferred tyre underneath him and no need for the pit stop which affected his race one massively, the Spaniard fought back hard.

Escapiing the crash filled first few corners, the Ducati rider was up a massive nine positions to fifth after just one lap – but his damage limitation mission was not over.

Next in line was his teammate at Aruba.It racing, Ruben Rinaldi, who put up limited resistance, allowing the championship leader to chase down the lead trio over the closing laps.

Starting with a three second gap, Bautista demolished it to quickly arrive on the back wheel of Bassani on the penultimate lap.

The last lap of the race saw thw #1 bike make it’s move claiming a valuable podium finish as the title lead was once again cut.

Bautista began the weekend with a 70 point advantage, which was cut to 54 after race one. Hie efforts to stem the damage sees the gap lessen again but only by a further four points to 49, with an improved front row start beckoning for race 2.

2023 World Superbike Most, Czech Republic Superpole Race Results Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK 10 Laps 2 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 1.203s 3 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati 2.968s 4 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati 3.180s 5 Michael Ruben Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati 5.310s 6 Remy Gardner AUS GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team 8.205s 7 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK 8.375s 8 Danilo Petrucci ITA Barni Spark Racing Team 9.021s 9 Garrett Gerloff USA Bonovo Action BMW 10.165s 10 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK 13.017s 11 Dominique Aegerter SWI GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team 14.448s 12 Loris Baz FRA Bonovo Action BMW 14.749s 13 Scott Redding GBR ROKIT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team 17.880s 14 Michael Van Der Mark NED ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team 20.022s 15 Tito Rabat SPA Puccetti Kawasaki 27.182s 16 Isaac Vinales SPA TPR by Vinales Racing 28.010s 17 Eric Granado BRA PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing 28.264s 18 Roberto Tamburini ITA PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing 31.741s 19 Hannes Soomer EST PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing 38.884s 20 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki 55.685s 21 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati 2 laps 22 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK DNF 23 Andrea Locatelli ITA Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK DNF 24 Lorenzo Baldassarri ITA GMT94 Yamaha DNF

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