WorldSBK Sunday Race Reports | Rea Doubles up but Toprak crowned champ

2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round 13 Indonesia, Mandalika

Despite some rain falling prior to the start of race one, which was delayed and shortened to 20 laps from the original 21, all riders started on slick tyres.

Polesitter, Razgatlioglu lost ground as the lights went out but battled his way back to lead the race at the start of lap three after overtaking Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) into the right-hander that is turn one. Behind, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was making his way through the field to briefly lead the race after passing Rea on lap four at turn 12, and then Razgatlioglu on lap five at turn ten.

At the end of lap five, Rea forced his way through on Bassani on the exit of turn 16 before Razgatlioglu followed him through at turn one at the start of lap six, before Rea and Razgatlioglu then exchanged first place throughout lap six. Rea eventually re-claimed the lead and started lapping around one-tenth quicker than his title rival, who remained in second place.

On lap nine, Razgatlioglu took the lead with a move on Rea into turn ten. Lap ten featured yet another change for the lead as Rea passed Razgatlioglu into turn 16, before Razgatlioglu responded straight away into turn one. On the same lap Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed second place from Rea with a similar move that Rea made on Razgatlioglu at turn 16.

Turn 16 continued to provide drama as Razgatlioglu ran wide into the long left-hander at the penultimate corner, losing the lead of the race to Redding, and Rea moved into second place with the Turkish star re-joining in third place. Although he lost the two positions, he started chipping away at the gap chasing down the lead two riders. Rea took control of the race on lap 16, before Redding lost ground trying to respond to Rea’s move allowing Razgatlioglu to close the gap. Redding lost more time at turn 16 and, despite defending into turn 17, Razgatlioglu made the title-winning overtake on lap 18 at turn one.

Razgatlioglu closed the gap to Rea throughout the final two laps but claimed second place behind Rea which was good enough to take the 2021 title; although the gap was 25 points, Razgatlioglu had won more full-length races than Rea, as Tissot Superpole Races do not count in the event of a tie.

The top three in the Championship were locked into place after the opening gambit; Razgatlioglu in first, Rea in second and Redding in third. Razgatlioglu claiming Yamaha’s first title since 2009, when they won with American Ben Spies.

The Turkish star, at 25 years, one month and five days, becomes the third-youngest champion of all time, behind James Toseland and Troy Corser.

Bassani ran in the top three for the majority of the first half of the race and briefly led the race, before he eventually dropped back from the leading three. He eventually finished in fifth place after losing out to Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) in the closing stages of the race, as Locatelli made up ground as track conditions continued to improve.

He had also made a move on Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to move into fifth place and push the Dutch rider down to sixth place; van der Mark showed strong pace again in the difficult conditions as he looked to challenge for a podium, but ultimately fell to sixth place. Locatelli’s fourth place means he moves into fourth in the Championship standings, one point clear of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), while van der Mark could still claim fifth from Rinaldo.

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Alvaro Bautista’s penultimate race for Team HRC saw him claim seventh place after withstanding a late charge from Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven), with Davies looking to end his WorldSBK career on a high note. Argentinean rider Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) claimed ninth place after another strong performance, beating Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who claimed tenth. Sykes had been running inside the top six in the early stages of the race before dropping back.

Despite a strong start and running in the top positions in the early stages of the race, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished in 11th place; with Bassani in fifth, the battle for Top Independent Rider in 2021 will go down to the final race. Rinaldi finished in 12th place as he lost ground in the race for fourth place in the standings.

Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was another who had strong early race pace but dropped back slightly in the closing stages, finishing in 13th. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) claimed 14th place with Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claiming the final points-paying position.

Oliver König (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) had made a good start from the back of the grid but had a crash at turn three on lap two from a points-paying position, which put the Czech rider out of the race. Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) was another retirement following a turn one crash in the latter stages of the race, while Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) also retired from the race.

WorldSBK Race One

WorldSBK Race Two Report

A shortened Race 2 provided plenty of drama in wet conditions, with a delay to the start due to weather conditions causing the race to be reduced to 12 laps, down from the originally planned 21 laps.

The lead five quickly looked to break away up front when the race finally got underway with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) then breaking away further to make it a two-way battle for the win in the final encounter of season 2021.

As the final lap started, Redding was able to make a move into Turn 1 before Rea responded into Turn 10. Heading into Turn 16, Redding went up the inside of Rea but ran wide, allowing Rea to move back into the lead of the race and claim his second victory at Mandalika for the 215th podium of his career. Redding’s second place earned Ducati their 660th race on the podium.

Scott Redding

“I had a lot of fun today, especially in Race 2 in a good battle with Jonathan. I want to thank the team for these two years. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team and Ducati represent a big family for me. I thank everybody, from my team in the pit, to the guys in the hospitality area, to whoever worked at Borgo Panigale to put me in a position to win. It’s a very emotional moment for me, but I’m calm because I know I’ve given everything for this group that has welcomed me in an extraordinary way. A new adventure awaits me but without a doubt, the whole team will always have a special place in my heart“.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) got a good start to be in the lead group of five riders, and on Lap 4 he looked to move up the order into a podium place. Into Turn 17, Bassani and Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made contact and Bassani crashed out of the race, with the incident placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards, with no further action taken. On the run to Turn 17, Bassani and Razgatlioglu were battling which allowed van der Mark to get alongside Bassani on the exit.

Van der Mark and Razgatlioglu battled it out for third place with the former team-mates going head-to-head for the final place on the podium, with van der Mark passing the 2021 Champion on Lap 7 to claim his third podium of the 2021 and the 50th podium placement in WorldSBK for BMW.

Michael van der Mark

“Race one this morning was quite fun. At the start, it was a bit wet here and there and this track has quite a lot of grip with slicks in the wet patches. So I was enjoying the first part of the race and thought I could be battling for the front but then it started to dry pretty quick. I was battling for fifth, fourth position, feeling good and my pace was okay but I was still not feeling well. At the end of the race I was frustrated because I ran out of energy and I lost another position. I was really angry about that but I had to deal with it. Then race two unfortunately was postponed but it was the right decision. When we went racing, the track was fully wet and it was still raining a little bit. I knew that the track would have a lot of grip and these 12 laps I think were long enough. I had a good start and okay first laps. It was so much fun and at a certain point I was battling with Toprak. We had some really nice battles on track, it went back and forward and I really enjoyed it. To finish the season with third place is incredible, it is always nice to finish the season on the podium and especially knowing we had so much fun. I think the season has been quite good but we want to make steps forward this winter to be able to fight for the podium more often and also in the dry.”

Razgatlioglu came home in fourth place meaning the gap between him and Rea at the end of the season was 13 points, while it also secured the Manufacturers’ Championship for Yamaha for only the second time; Yamaha winning the Riders’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles in 2021.

Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished his BMW stint with a top five finish in the wet conditions, finishing three seconds clear of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in sixth place.

Tom Sykes

“It was fantastic to finally get back in the racing arena. Honestly, after the accident that I had and the break of nine weeks to come back here to competition I think was a tall ask and working with the guys is always a pleasure. I got settled in right away on the circuit in Mandalika. They have done a fantastic job, so to come here to this great track at this venue at this part of the world is already a pleasure and, as the weekend progressed, to qualify on the second row was already quite good, I think. Into race one, we got a good start and we were at the back of the leading bunch but just couldn’t manage that with some limitations I had with the package so I unfortunately dropped back and then made some mistakes myself. But regarding race two, fantastic. The surface is great in the wet conditions. There was another delay but there was great support from the crowd in the grandstand and finally we were able to get another race in front of those guys. I think it was a great race from a spectacle point of view. I enjoyed the racing and the grip the track offered in the wet. In general, the 2021 season was bitter-sweet for obvious reasons. At the start, we were not quite where we needed to be in terms of development and we had some issues, but I still was the strongest BMW rider. Donington was great for me, Mickey and BMW. This was probably the highlight of the season. Development was always difficult; we tried to do that during the events and race at the same time but it’s always a pleasure to work with the guys and we gave our best. When I came to the project three years ago, I joined a fantastic brand and I was happy to be part of the BMW team. We had some great success in the first year considering where we were at. In year two, we unfortunately had some technical DNFs and stuff. Unfortunately, the only concern I have in these three years is that I don’t think we ever got to see Tom Sykes’s full potential in a race. The only glimpse we have ever seen was in qualifying. But for me and the team and mainly for BMW I was really hoping we could get the package so I could show my qualifying performance over 21 laps. That is the biggest thing I have missed in these three years but we tried, had some good results, and I have to thank everyone involved for the efforts and appreciate the work.”

Gerloff’s sixth place result, coupled with Bassani’s retirement, meant Gerloff claimed the Best Independent Rider award for 2021.

Garrett Gerloff

“I wish we could have had a dry race. To have ever-changing conditions for two days in a row was a bit frustrating, but I am happy to have finished the season. The track in the wet was amazing today, it had a lot of grip and there was not too much standing water, but it just took me a while to find the limit. I just prefer racing in the dry, it’s less scary. Now I know where the limit in the wet is, though, and I felt really fast in the dry earlier in the weekend, so I look forward to coming back next year. I am also really happy that I was able to keep the lead in the Independents’ Championship to give it to the team, they deserved a positive result. I look forward to 2022 and to the winter tests, so we can work on some things. Next year I need to improve my consistency and the first couple of laps of my races, for sure, because I am not quick nor aggressive enough at the start. The bike feels great, but I need to work on myself.“

Gerloff finished ahead of teammate Kohta Nozane in seventh place, the best of his rookie season in WorldSBK as he ended the season on a high.

Kohta Nozane

“Today I had a very difficult time in Race 1. The conditions were very tricky as sometimes it was raining, sometimes it wasn’t, and my final result was not good. Then I hit the reset button and focused fully on Race 2, which was run in the wet. I like these conditions but it was my first time at this track in the rain, so it wasn’t easy. It was the same for everybody, though, and I was confident I could do well. In the end I achieved my best result of the season, a 7th place, after running my best race so far in WorldSBK. Next season, though, I will need to make a step up: the target for 2022 is to make it onto the podium for the first time”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) finished in eighth place after a battle with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Race 2.

Andrea Locatelli

“Looking back on this season, it’s great to finish P4 in the championship. I’m so happy for Toprak and the team because we win everything. I wasn’t too happy with the last race, but this is my first year and I’m starting to understand the WorldSBK championship now. For next year, we will for sure come back even stronger. I’m so happy for the guys in the team, because without them the success of this year would not be possible.”

Although Rinaldi did get ahead of Locatelli on track, he had a crash at Turn 6 which forced him out of the race and allowed Locatelli to claim fourth in the Championship standings. Following the race, Rinaldi was transported to RSUD NTB Hospital by air ambulance for further assessments after being diagnosed with a cervical strain.

Michael Rinaldi

“I’m really sorry for the way the race ended. I gave my best to be able to take fourth place in the final classification. Starting from the fifth row wasn’t easy but I was patient and made up positions lap after lap. In the final part of the race, after I managed to complete the comeback, I tried to push to create a gap and defend myself from attacks but I lost the rear, without warning. I thank the team for the work they have done this season. We have gained a lot of experience and this will definitely be an advantage for 2022“.  

Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) ended his rookie campaign with his best result of the season with ninth, ahead of fellow Spaniard Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC); whose Team HRC career ended with a top ten finish.

Jonathan Rea

“A super day of racing, super-content with that. After FP1 on Friday we faced some difficulties and to rebound like this – to come back and win in the dry and win in the wet – I’m super-happy. Especially so for the Mandalika fans because to get a Race Two was really good. I was really hoping the organisers would use that period after the heavy downpour to say yes to the track evaluation. When we knew were going out I was excited to race. Really excited. I tried to set a good pace directly in Race Two but Toprak and Scott were also very fast. I could understand where they were fast so I just rode with nothing to lose, to go out on a high. That was the target this weekend; to go home satisfied with my effort. We can really say that we have no regrets this year. I rode my maximum, with all my heart every race. Congratulations to Toprak and his team. They did an incredible season, they were very fast.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“For me not an easy season, I think the same for all riders. But we are champions. I don’t know what to say, but it’s a special day for me. Not easy races for me today, I tried my best and in the end we came out on top. It is not easy, because there were many races, many moments, but we tried our best and it’s good to be here. Johnny is a WorldSBK legend, a six-time champion and he’s good in the wet condition, the dry, every race. He helped me when I started, he is a good guy and we are friends off the track. I never changed my mindset and I just focused on the win every weekend. Congratulations to all riders, everyone tried their best. The season is over now, and it’s good to see Yamaha champions again for the first time since 2009. This title is for my dad, it has been an incredible day, he always said that one day we will see you as world champion, so I say again this is for him. I want more next season, I want to fight again and I will try every race to win.”

Frenchman Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) finished 11th place after he battled with the retiring Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) in the closing stages of the race, with Davies ending his WorldSBK career with 99 podiums, 32 victories and 2999.5 points. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in 13th place and Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) was 14th and the last of the classified riders.

Despite a good start and running in the top six, Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) crashed out of the race at Turn 14.

Oliver König (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) was declared unfit after a Race 1 crash, where he was diagnosed with a minimal head injury. Leon Haslam’s Team HRC farewell came to a premature end after he was declared unfit with a right shoulder functional impairment and missed both races, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was declared unfit with a right acromioclavicular join separation.

WorldSBK Race Two

WorldSBK Championship Points

Yamaha claims 2021 Manufacturers’ Championship

After a competitive season and being challenged by Ducati and Kawasaki, Yamaha has won the 2021 Manufacturers’ Championship, putting an end to Kawasaki’s strike of six consecutive titles. Yamaha has claimed its second Manufacturers’ Championship in WorldSBK, its first one since 2007.

Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli from Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK, and Garrett Gerloff and Kohta Nozane from GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, all scored points for the manufacturer during the 2021 season of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with Razgatlioglu fighting for winning the WorldSBK title.

With a 13-point advantage over Ducati, Yamaha secured the 2021 Manufacturers’ title in Race 2 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit. The Japanese manufacturer and their riders have completed a solid 2021 season highlighting the performance and reliability of the Yamaha YZF R1.

Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe, Road Racing Manager

“After having won the manufacturers’ title in the most important national championships like BSB, MotoAmerica, and JSB, this title in WorldSBK celebrates a fantastic season for Yamaha. It proves the competitiveness of the R1, the package has achieved its goals, which has been possible thanks to everyone involved, from the engineering side, team side and rider side. I really would like to thank everybody for this important achievement that we can be proud of. The R1 is clearly a fantastic base, a product that our customers can enjoy every day, and one that has proven to be the most complete package on the world stage.”

Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK

“What a season, it’s a very emotional moment. I’m so happy for the people in the team and in Yamaha. For Toprak as a human being, not only as an athlete, to achieve what he has is incredible. He’s kept his humble approach, he respects everybody and he works as a true part of the team. He had some difficult moments that weren’t his fault this year, and to come back from those without making a single mistake is very impressive. An incredible season, he deserves it and the team deserves it. It’s a bit cliché to say that it’s more difficult to defend a championship than to win it for the first time, so we have to stay focused for next year. Jonathan will come back strong again, he has elevated his own performance this year to fight with Toprak, so to beat him next year will be a challenge that we look forward to. Loka also capped off a fantastic maiden season with fourth in the championship and as the top rookie. He has really shown that he is an unbelievable talent and has done a fantastic job to be best of the rest behind the top three. The conditions were really tricky today, but he rode two mature races. We have a great group of people here in the team and I just want to thank everyone for their hard work and commitment this year.”

Manufacturer Championship Standings (after Round 13)

1. Yamaha (607 points)
2. Ducati (594 points)
3. Kawasaki (570 points)

World Supersport

The 2021 FIM Supersport World Championship campaign came to a thrilling conclusion at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit as Race 2 was decided at the final corner after an incredible 19-lap battle, with Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) taking his fourth win in the final three rounds. The top four were separated by just 0.714s at the end of Race 2 for the Pirelli Indonesian Round.

Federico Caricasulo (VFT Racing) was a fast starter as he moved immediately into the lead of the race with a move into Turn 1, with Turkish star Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) also making progress as the lights went out for the 19-lap race, with Öncü taking the lead on the opening lap before Caricasulo started fighting back. The Italian was able to close the gap to Öncü before making his move at Turn 10 on Lap 9 to re-gain the lead of the race.

Despite taking the lead of the race, the Italian was unable to pull a gap to Öncü, allowing Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) to close the gap, with the Finnish rider moving from third to first in one move at Turn 16 as he ducked under both Öncü and Caricasulo, while Öncü passed Caricasulo to move into second place. After taking the lead of the race, Tuuli looked to pull a gap to the rest of the field, setting a new lap record on Lap 11 with a 1’36.849s. On Lap 13, Caricasulo re-passed Öncü into Turn 10 to move back into second place and started chasing down race leader Tuuli. A lap after that move, Öncü dropped to the back of the six-strong lead group after a moment exiting the final corner, re-joining in sixth.

As the race entered its closing stages, Cluzel completed his charge to the front of the field after starting from 13th on the grid, as he made his move at Turn 10 on the penultimate lap of the race. On the final lap, at Turn 16, Cluzel looked to respond after losing out to Aegerter earlier in the lap, making a move at Turn 15 but running wide at Turn 16, allowing Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Caricasulo back through. At the final corner, Cluzel swept past Aegerter and Caricasulo as they battled it out to claim his fourth victory in six races while Tuuli was able to take advantage of that fight to sweep back into second having run wide and losing time and positions earlier in the season. Aegerter claimed third place with Caricasulo just finishing off the podium. Tuuli’s second place means MV Agusta now have 50th podium placings in WorldSSP, while Ten Kate Racing Yamaha were able to claim the 2021 Teams’ Championship.

Race 1 winner Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) backed his pace up with fifth place, just over a second behind Caricasulo, while he finished ahead of Öncü who claimed sixth place. Estonian rider Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) battled his way up the order from 12th place to finish in seventh place, with 2019 Champion Randy Krummenacher in eighth place.

The WorldSBK-bound Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) claimed another points finish, his streak now up to 21 races, in his final WorldSSP race before he makes the step up in 2022, with Hungary’s Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) rounding out the top ten after his half-season campaign in WorldSSP.

Finland’s Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) was 11th place, just half-a-second away from a place in the top ten, but eight seconds clear of Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing), with the Spanish rider’s half-season campaign in WorldSSP coming to an end with another points scoring finish.

Home hero Galang Hendra Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) secured points in front of his home fans with 13th place as he helped Ten Kate Racing to secure the Teams’ Championship with his points finish. Andres Gonzalez (VFT Racing), in his fourth WorldSSP race, claimed 14th place with 2020 WorldSSP300 Champion Jeffrey Buis (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti) rounding out the points with 15th place; Buis was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start.

Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) ended his WorldSSP career with a crash at Turn 7 on Lap 2, with the Spaniard now switching to Moto2 for 2022. Gonzalez was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Spanish rider Daniel Valle (Yamaha MS Racing) also retired from the race. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) was out of the race with a technical issue on his Yamaha YZF R6 machine, when the Dutchman was running in the points. South Africa’s Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) crashed out of the race at Turn 10 on Lap 15.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

WorldSSP Championship Points