FINAL SCORES: who came out on top against their teammate in 2021?
After an incredible 2021 campaign, the head-to-head scores between teammates have been finalised
The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship came to a thrilling conclusion in Indonesia, which wrapped up the head-to-head battles for the 2021 campaign. The incredible season provided plenty of drama throughout, including in the intra-team battles at the five factory manufacturers. While there were some clear winners, there was also one battle where the riders could not be separated.
At Teams’ Champions Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK, it’s Toprak Razgatlioglu who came out on top against rookie teammate Andrea Locatelli with the 2021 Champion winning the head-to-head battle 33-4 compared to his teammate. Locatelli was able to show his prowess to score podiums in his maiden season as his teammate won the title, with three of the four times Locatelli finished ahead of Razgatlioglu coming when the Turkish rider did not finish the races: Assen Race 2, Catalunya Race 1 and Portimao Race 2. The first time Locatelli finished ahead of his teammate without an issue for Razgatlioglu was in the Superpole Race in Portimao, while in Tissot Superpole sessions Razgatlioglu finished the season 11-2 up.
It was a slightly closer battle at Aruba.it Racing – Ducati between Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi with the British rider finishing the season 27-10 up compared to Rinaldi. Rinaldi was able to claim three wins in his first season with the factory Ducati outfit. In Superpole, Rinaldi was only able to outqualify his teammate on one occasion throughout 2021, which also translated into races where Redding had a clear advantage in the head-to-head results against Rinaldi.
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK’s head-to-head record ignores the Portuguese and Indonesian Rounds due to Alex Lowes being declared unfit without racing, while Race 2 at Jerez and Sunday’s two races at Portimao are also discounted. It means six-time Champion Jonathan Rea ends the season with a 28-2 advantage over Lowes, with Lowes only finishing ahead of Rea when Rea crashed from races at Donington Park and the Autodrom Most. Rea also had a 10-2 advantage in Superpole, with Lowes only qualifying ahead of Rea in Jerez and Portimao; Lowes raced in Race 1 at Jerez and Portimao before being declared unfit.
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team intra-team battle could not have been closer with Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark level at 14-14 after 28 races. With Sykes missing three rounds due to injury, these numbers do not take into account the Spanish, Portuguese and Argentinean Rounds where he was replaced by Eugene Laverty. It also does not include the Superpole Race of the Catalunya Round where the two teammates collided before a Red Flag was deployed, with neither taking part in the restarted race. Sykes had the edge in Superpole with an 8-3 advantage over his teammate, and a 6-2 advantage in the shorter Superpole Races. In the full-length races, it was van der Mark who claimed ‘victory’ over Sykes by 12 races to 8.
Team HRC’s intra-team battle is another impacted by injuries, with the season-ending Indonesian Round not being taken into account after Leon Haslam was declared unfit ahead of all racing. Alvaro Bautista came out on top in the 12 comparable rounds, leading Haslam by 23-12 across 35 races. There was a clear pattern emerging at Honda between the top where Haslam would generally have the edge on a Saturday, especially in Superpole, with the British rider 10-2 while Race 1 results between the pair finished level at 6-6; all but two were held on Saturday afternoons. As Sunday rolled around, it would be Bautista who had the edge over Haslam with the Spanish rider 7-4 in the Tissot Superpole Race and 10-2 up in Race 2 across the season. Bautista claimed two podiums in his final season for Honda on his way to tenth in the Championship, with Haslam unable to stand on the rostrum.
Superpole head-to-head
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK: Toprak Razgatlioglu 11-2 Andrea Locatelli
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati: Scott Redding 12-1 Michael Ruben Rinaldi
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK: Jonathan Rea 10-2 Alex Lowes
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: Tom Sykes 8-3 Michael van der Mark
Team HRC: Leon Haslam 10-2 Alvaro Bautista
Race head-to-head
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK: Toprak Razgatlioglu 33-4 Andrea Locatelli
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK: Jonathan Rea 28-2 Alex Lowes
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati: Scott Redding 27-10 Michael Ruben Rinaldi
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: Tom Sykes 14-14 Michael van der Mark
Team HRC: Leon Haslam 12-23 Alvaro Bautista
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