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A captivating Geico U.S. Round at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has proved vital in the race for the WorldSBK crown, with an array of riders achieving top results, and a select few of them featuring in our top quotes. From disbelief to bemusement, proving people wrong and working tirelessly, WorldSBK’s stars give their opinions after a dramatic weekend in the USA.

“I would never have believed you if you told me I would come here and set a new lap record, win two races and take the overall lead!” – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

In what has been a staggeringly phenomenal turnaround, Jonathan Rea has overturned a 61-point deficit to lead the championship standings into the Summer break by 81 points. Rea’s uptake in form and wins combined with bad luck and misfortune for Alvaro Bautista at the Geico U.S. Round, has seen the reigning four-time WorldSBK Champion take back control with scintillating performance. Rea cited that two wins and a second, a new lap record and a big gap to second in the standings didn’t look possible a few rounds ago; as his hopes for a fifth championship in World Superbike get stronger.

“Maybe in the beginning of the season we did not expect to win so many races but for sure we did not expect this situation” – Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

Alvaro Bautista was left bemused after a hat-trick of point-less races in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round at Laguna Seca. The Spaniard, who has amassed more wins than anyone else so far this year, was in the leading group of three when he crashed from third in Race 1, before being clipped at Turn 2 at the start of the Tissot Superpole Race by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing), leaving him with a shoulder injury. The injury proved too much for Bautista who retired from Race 2. Speaking to bikesportnews.com, the Spaniard struggled to understand how this situation has arose.

“You do not forget – but people do” – Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)

After 16 months of hard graft and determination to get back to winning ways, Chaz Davies was finally back on the top step of the podium, as the Welshman stormed to victory in Race 2 at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. 2019 has not been the easiest for him, with a new bike and a new crew chief to adapt to, leading to Davies saying to bikesportnews.com that he never forgot how to perform, but other people think you have. Now however, with a hat-trick of podiums from Laguna Seca (including the Race 2 win), the 32-year-old looks to have turned a corner.

“I worked my ass off” – Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team)

It was another hat-trick of top-six finishes for Alex Lowes at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with the British rider consolidating his front-running pace, despite not being able to achieve a podium in the United States. Lowes’ season has been a strong one, with strong results right the way through slotting him into third overall in the standings, just five points clear of teammate, Michael van der Mark. Taking to Twitter to review his weekend, Lowes said that he ‘worked his ass off’ in the USA, and that he “will keep working” on his next targets.

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