The final FP3 session of the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season was an intriguing one, giving us an indication of what to expect ahead of Tissot Superpole and the races from the all-new Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia. With cloudy weather, high humidity and a threat of rain and thunderstorms looming large, it was a crucial session for further understanding of the new track. Times tumbled and we saw some of the fastest times of the weekend so far, with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) smashing in a 1’33.486 with just a few minutes to go.

Scott Redding elevated himself up the order in the closing stages of the session with the fastest ever lap of the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit to-date. Redding also did a longer run at the start of the session and is looking good as he found more than a second on his pace from Friday. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was in the box for most of the session, as it was his turn to lose out on track time after title rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) lost time in FP1 on Friday. Razgatlioglu eventually returned to the track to finish less than a tenth behind Redding with a final flying lap, both of them the only riders in the 1’33s. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was in mighty form and continued where he left off on Friday. The American set a 1’34.038 to place third overall, maintaining his pace and position from Friday. Jonathan Rea was fourth, more than six tenths behind Redding at the top, whilst Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) completed the top five, impressing once again.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was sixth on Friday and sixth again on Saturday morning as he and Honda continue to show their strength, whilst Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was a solid seventh, improving on his time and position from Friday. One of the biggest surprises was that Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) took eighth place with a phenomenal final flying lap as he looks to end the season on a high in Indonesia. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at the start of the session at Turn 16 and didn’t make it back out, whilst Chaz Davies was on the fringes of the top ten. Leon Haslam (Team HRC), who was ninth overall on the combined timesheets and ahead of Lowes and Davies, is out through injury with a right shoulder functional impairment. Top BMW honours went to Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in 12^th, whilst Michael van der Mark was 13^th.

Top six combined after FP3, full results here:

1. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’33.486s

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.082s

3. Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.552s

4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.611s

5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +0.760s

6. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) +0.947s

Watch the showdown of Mandalika and the #WorldSBKFinale with the WorldSBK VideoPass!