FORM GUIDE: all of the stats at stake in WorldSBK as Argentina calls
Who is looking strong, who could be a threat and is there anyone who could spring a surprise?
The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has arrived at the Circuito San Juan Villicum for round 12 of the season. The Motul Argentinean Round is back after a one-year hiatus and the stakes couldn’t be higher as both Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) has his first opportunity at the WorldSBK Championship. However, there’s plenty of other huge numbers to watch out for ahead of the return to South America; the statistical preview of the round is here.
980 – Ducati are aiming for their 980th podium place this weekend.
350 – With 348 podium places currently, Yamaha are within striking distance of a 350th this weekend, although they’ve never had a podium in Argentina.
300 – A front row for Kawasaki after Superpole – something they’ve achieved all year so far – will be the 300th front row place for them.
170 – Kawasaki have a chance to get their 170th win this weekend. They took their 125th in San Juan too, back in the first ever race at the track in 2018. They are currently on 169.
150 – Great Britain currently has 149 poles and for a third consecutive round, they’ll aim for the 150th.
50 – Toprak Razgatlioglu and Turkey currently have 49 podiums, meaning he has a chance to make it 50 this weekend, the Circuito San Juan Villicum being a circuit he’s achieved a podium at some four times.
48 – In 2018, San Juan became the 48th track which entered the World Superbike Championship, following Buriram, introduced in 2015 and preceding Catalunya in 2020.
25-25 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Razgatlioglu both scored 25 podiums this year: this is the first season in history with two riders recording this value. The all-time record is safe for this season: Jonathan Rea recorded 34 podiums in 2019.
14-14 – After Portimao, Toprak Razgatlioglu is tied with Ben Spies for wins with Yamaha, 14. Only Noriyuki Haga has won more for the Japanese manufacturer (27 wins).
11-11 – Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu are tied for season wins this year, with 11 apiece. This is only the third season with two riders winning at least 11 races after 2002 (Edwards 11 / Bayliss 14) and 2019 (Rea 17 / Bautista 16).
9x2 – All of the nine podiums places (the track record) of Kawasaki here were scored by just two riders: Jonathan Rea (5) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (4).
9 – Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) has the current-best streak of points-scoring finishes with nine.
6 – Six riders have had a San Juan podium: Jonathan Rea (5); Toprak Razgatlioglu (4); Marco Melandri and Alvaro Bautista (2); Xavi Fores and Chaz Davies (1).
3x4 – Rea has four wins whilst his main rival for the 2021 Championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu, has four third places, all the times he climbed on the podium at this track.
3/5 – Three Argentinean riders have started at least one World Superbike race in the history of the Championship: Nestor Amoroso (Monza 1993), Leonardo Esteban (Misano 1994) and Leandro Mercado (active since 2012). Luciano Ribodino and Marco Solorza will become the fourth and fifth.
1 - The Superbike World Championship in 2018 hosted the inauguration of San Juan, as it became the first world-class Championship to race in San Juan.
1+1 - This is the only track of the 2021 calendar in which Yamaha hasn’t scored a podium yet and the only one in which Kawasaki hasn’t recorded a Superpole yet.
SHORTHAND NOTEBOOK
2019 race winners:
- Alvaro Bautista (Ducati, Race 1)
- Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki, Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2)
Last two pole-sitters at Circuito San Juan Villicum:
- 2019: Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) 1’40.771
- 2018: Marco Melandri (Ducati) 1’39.012
Manufacturer podium places (and wins) from all WorldSBK races at Circuito San Juan Villicum:
- Kawasaki: 9 (4)
- Ducati: 6 (1)
Key gaps from Circuito San Juan Villicum in 2019:
- Front row covered by: 0.140s
- 1 second in Superpole covered… the top 5: 0.637s
- Closest race gap between 1st and 2nd: 1.562s (Bautista 1st, Rea 2nd, Race 1)
- Closest race podium: 3.327s (Bautista 1st, Rea 2nd, Razgatlioglu 3rd, Race 1)
- Closest race podium of all time: 3.327s (Bautista 1st, Rea 2nd, Razgatlioglu 3rd, Race 1 2019)
Manufacturer top speeds at Circuito San Juan Villicum in 2019:
- Ducati: Alvaro Bautista – 313.o km/h, Tissot Superpole Race
- Kawasaki: Chaz Davies – 311.2 km/h, WUP
- Honda: Leon Camier – 306.8km/h, FP3
- Yamaha: Alex Lowes – 305.9 km/h, Race 2
- BMW: Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger – 304.2 km/h, FP3 and Superpole Race
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