WorldSBK hits Catalunya this weekend – Preview/Schedule

2022 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Eight – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

With the WorldSBK battle raging and plenty of recent fallout amongst the title contenders, Barcelona will be pivotal.

The hot topic coming into the round is the fallout between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) from Magny-Cours’ Race 2 clash, both will be keen to get back on the top step as their battle looks set to resume once again.

After a crazy Magny-Cours, Championship leader Alvaro Bautista’s lead is down to 30 points but comes to a circuit where he and the Ducati Panigale V4 R should work well on paper.

Thankfully, races are decided on track and not on paper, but still, Bautista’s good record in Barcelona is great – 2006 125cc Grand Prix and the 2009 250cc Grand Prix winner, he took his first top five in MotoGP there as a rookie in 2010.

Alvaro Bautista

“I’m looking forward to the race in Barcelona because it will be my home race. It’s a track I like a lot. We will approach the race like we did before. We will try to work well from Friday to try to have a good feeling with the bike. Let’s see what happen. There is no expectation. On paper, it’s a good track for us. Magny-Cours was a bad track for us, and we were competitive. Nothing is clear right now, fortunately the bike changed a lot compared to the last time. I will try to do my best. The important thing will be to get the maximum in all situations and try not to make mistakes. After that, I will try to be competitive and try to do good races for the Spanish fans.”

After a best result of 2022 with second in Race 2 at Magny-Cours, team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi is keen to repeat his victory of 2021, his last win to-date.  Rinaldi also arrives with a new contract for 2023 in his pocket that will see him continue with the Aruba.it Ducati squad into next year.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi

“I am very happy to race again next year for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati because I firmly believe in this project. I am very confident that in 2023 we can reap everything we have sown together with the team. I will be the first to work even harder, both in training and on track, to get better results and have the consistency that has been lacking so far. I want to thank Stefano Cecconi, Claudio Domenicali, Luigi Dall’Igna, Paolo Ciabatti, Serafino Foti, and all the people who trusted in me. I can’t wait to be in Barcelona to get a good result and repay this confidence. And I am sure that 2023 will be a great year for us.”

Second in the Championship standings and a big beneficiary of the Race 2 clash at the front, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) may be in for a tougher round this weekend.

Despite a crash and a fightback to 11th in Race 1 at Magny-Cours, a win in the Superpole Race and in Race 2 whilst his rivals fought and fell out sees the reigning World Champion just 30 points behind Bautista.

Toprak Razgatlioglu

“Barcelona is not an easy track for the Yamaha because we are not fast like the Ducati in the straight. I know that it won’t be an easy race for us in Catalunya, but we will try to fight for the best position possible and we will see.”

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Team-mate Andrea Locatelli is in search of a strong round after a tricky Magny-Cours; he won the WorldSSP title in Barcelona back in 2020 and is just one point behind fourth overall.

Andrea Locatelli

“During the test in Barcelona, we worked very well with the bike. We need to start from here and continue working on the set-up to try to close the gap to the front. For sure it’s a good track for me, last year was good but a difficult weekend overall. I need to understand what we can do during the weekend, we need to continue pushing, but for sure the feeling in Barcelona is so good. I try to do a really good job there.”

With his longest win drought in a decade, Jonathan Rea is the only multiple race winner at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with two wins to his name, and heads into this round 47-points behind Bautista. His clash with the Spaniard at Magny-Cours hit the headlines but Rea made it clear that whilst apologetic, they’re ‘not the best of friends’ and that ‘racing is hard’, so how will it playout this weekend?

Jonathan Rea

“I’m really looking forward to Barcelona race because we had a great test there few weeks ago where I’ve felt comfortable on the bike, fast and consistent. We worked on pace in the hot conditions which has always been difficult there. It’s been a difficult circuit for us. Aside from winning the first ever race there, I haven’t had too much success in Barcelona so I’m looking forward to turn that around. It’s my team’s home race so I’m looking forward to see many friendly faces around the paddock, many team’s sponsors and local fans. Also, I’ve spent a lot of time in the area so it feels like a second home to me. After a difficult Magny-Cours, it’s important that we’re able to rebound in a good way and score some positive points. Like I said before Magny-Cours, these races are coming in really quick succession so it’s important to be healthy, strong and consistent from now until the end of the season.”

After three fourth places last time out, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) hopes consistency carries into Montmelo.

Alex Lowes

“We had a strong weekend in Magny Cours, although obviously it would have been nice to have been on the podium. After some improvements we have made to the settings of the bike at the Montmeló test last month I am looking forward to next week. It is an added bonus that it is a home race for the team, so a lot of the mechanics live close by to the circuit. My target is to keep building up and I really want to be back on the podium. I am enjoying riding the bike at the moment and I have a lot of confidence, so I can’t wait to get out there and see if we can get on the podium, and have a good weekend for the team’s home round. Hopefully the sun will be shining and we can have a strong weekend in Montmeló.”

Tied on points with Lowes after achieving a third podium of 2022 in three rounds, Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is closing in on fourth overall. The British rider has been in great form recently, since the BMW M1000RR has sported a new swingarm, and with extensive work on electronics in the Barcelona summer test, Redding comes to round eight confident of strong points and with crucial data.

On the other side of the garage, Michael van der Mark had a difficult comeback at Magny-Cours, with a 12th in Race 1 being his only points and a crash in Race 2. However, like Redding, he tested in Barcelona back in August and despite it being a test of getting back up to speed, the familiarity and base setting for van der Mark will be closer to something of a normal feeling. Race winners in 2020 at the track, both BMW riders aim for strong weekends.

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and team-mate Xavi Vierge are readying for their home round. Lecuona has been quick in testing in Barcelona on several occasions, topping the time-sheets sporadically and generally being impressive, particularly over one lap pace. After what was one of the more difficult rounds of the year in France, Lecuona is now ninth in the Championship – just 27 points off fourth – and behind the BMW of Redding for the first time, so he’s going to be pushing hard at home.

In terms of home riders, they don’t come much more local than Xavi Vierge, who was born in Barcelona. A true home circuit and with plenty of testing experience at, is Vierge, like teammate Lecuona, in contention for a rostrum, his first in WorldSBK?

Two mightily impressive podiums in dry, full-length races at Magny-Cours sprung Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) into the spotlight and even further clear of his Independent rivals. The Italian is an incredible sixth overall in the Championship, 16 points behind Rinaldi and is the only rider to have achieved top ten results in the last ten races and scored points in all as he comes into Barcelona, where last year’s wet Race 1 saw him take a first ever podium.

Axel Bassani

“My approach for the round of Barcelona will be the same as for the other races. We will try to stay focus on our goals and try to continue in this way. I hope to repeat the same results as in Magny-Cours. It will be difficult but not impossible. We have a really good base to try to do a good job.”

The next Independent is Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), with the American taking a top five of the season last time out and returning to the circuit which gave him a first podium in 2020. With his future secured for 2023 and seeing him move to the Bonovo Action BMW outfit, he’s one point ahead of the team’s current rider Loris Baz, who took a podium in Barcelona in the Superpole Race back in 2020.

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP600

After the drama of the Pirelli French Round, the FIM Supersport World Championship returns to action at Catalunya with a title fight well and truly on.

After their incredible last-lap fight at Magny-Cours, Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) are separated by just 19 points in the standings.

The Catalunya Round could also be a bit of a level playing field for the pair, with both having plenty of experience of the circuit but not in WorldSSP races. Aegerter missed last year’s Catalunya Round due to his MotoE commitments while Baldassarri is in his rookie campaign.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) is almost 100 points back from Baldassarri and lying in third place in the standings but may find himself fending off a challenge from Turkish star Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in the second half of 2022.

The pair will also need to keep an eye on Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph), who is only 18 points behind Oncu in the standings.

Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) is sixth in the standings on 95 points, three points ahead of Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).

The three riders rounding out the top ten are separated by just eight points with five rounds and ten races remaining and all in with a shout of the top six overall. Rookie Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) is eighth in the standings on 79 points after an impressive maiden WorldSSP campaign, with the Spanish rider leading Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) and Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

Oli Bayliss is looking to make further forward progress as he strives to break into the championship top ten.

Countryman Ben Currie started the season with major injuries and looks forward to a strong latter part of the season.

WorldSSP600 Championship Points

WorldSSP300

Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) has been breaking records of late. The Spanish teenager already has nine podium finishes this season, a record for the class depite four races still remaining, and his streak of six consecutive podium finishes is another WorldSSP300 record.

Diaz heads into the Catalunya Round with a 40-point advantage over his title rival Marc Garcia.

Aussie youngster Harry Khouri left the last round in France empty handed and frustrated with the ongoing issues that have prevented him from being a regular point scoring finisher and hopes that as the season moves towards its finale in Portugal that he can show his true speed. Discussions with the team it is hoped will see things turn around at Catalunya, a circuit Harry has gone well at in the past.

Harry Khouri

“It was a disappointing weekend in Magny-Cours. It was clear from FP1 that it was going to be tough due to the ongoing engine performance issues but as a team we are doing our best to solve things so that we can end the season in Catalunya and Portimao in the strongest possible way. I was happy with the way I was riding but it’s hard to come away empty handed when I felt I was riding my best. I had my best qualifying in Barcelona, so I am looking forward to the next round.”

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

Catalunya WorldSBK Time Schedule
AEST

2022 WorldSBK Calendar