PREVIEW: match-point for Bautista in Indonesia as WorldSBK’s 900th race beckons
History awaits at every corner in one of the most tropical race circuit settings anywhere in the world, but how will it all play out in Indonesia?
Two rounds to go in the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and the title is on the line in terms of the title race. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) can take the title in Race 1 – WorldSBK’s 900th race – at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit if results go his way, although it’s never that straight forward. The tropical island of Lombok welcomes WorldSBK for a second season in what is one of the most picturesque settings of the season. With it being southeast Asia, a rain shower is never far away and if last year’s action is anything to go by, the Pirelli Indonesian Round may well be one of the most dramatic of 2022.
GAME, SET, MATCH (POINT): Bautista is Champion in Race 1 if…
It’s the first match-point for Alvaro Bautista as the Spaniard heads for history in Indonesia. WorldSBK’s 900th race is the first opportunity for Bautista to clinch the title if he outscores Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) by 17 points and if he outscores Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) by one point. In short, Bautista must finish first or second: if he finishes first, Razgatlioglu must be seventh or higher, whilst if he’s second, Toprak can afford to come home no lower than 12th. If he finishes ahead of Rea, that’s enough to rule Rea out of mathematical contention. Bautista’s never been aboard the Ducati Panigale V4 R at Mandalika, but that didn’t faze him on his way to wins at Estoril and Most, where it was the same story. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi can mathematically clinch fourth overall this weekend, but he’ll aim to continue his consistency into Indonesia, where his best result in 2021 was 12th.
OUT TO FIGHT: Razgatlioglu hopes to take the title fight Down Under
It's an uphill task but Razgatlioglu won’t give up on the title race just because the points are saying so; the very minimum he’ll hope to do is take the title fight to Australia and to do that, he must whittle the current 82-point deficit to less than 62 come the end of the round. In motorcycle racing, you never know what can happen; technical issues, bad weather or being caught up in someone else’s accident are just some of the external factors that have impacted this year’s title race for all three title contenders. Toprak has stated that Mandalika will be strong for him and Yamaha as well as for Rea and Kawasaki so if the weather holds firm, perhaps there will be a twist. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) continues his wait for a return to the top five which dates back to Estoril, but can he get himself in the mix to help out teammate Toprak?
CAN REA END THE WIN DROUGHT? A double winner on Lombok in 2021
In the green corner, title chances are hanging by a thread for Jonathan Rea; it remains mathematical, but it’d have to be the worst of bad luck for his opponents as well as domination to keep him in it. Realistically, it looks like being another year with #65 but that doesn’t mean he’ll be pushing any less. Nothing is ever left out on the circuit and the six-time World Champion is all too aware of his lingering win drought which goes all the way back to Estoril. It’s the longest of his spell at Kawasaki and it’s Kawasaki’s longest since Tom Sykes’ first win at the Nurburgring in 2011 ended their wait from Chris Walker’s wonderful wet win at Assen in 2006. Kawasaki and Rea were double winners at Mandalika in 2021 and whilst this year, the stakes are different, they aim for more of the same. On the other side of the garage, teammate Alex Lowes had a strong Argentina and has been a constant top five finisher in the second half of 2022, although he’s never raced at Mandalika before.
HONDA VS BMW: the vital fight for fourth in the manufacturers’ standings
The fight is alive for the fourth overall in the Manufacturers’ Championship standings; just three points separate Honda from BMW and so far, the Japanese manufacturer have the advantage. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) is eighth in the Championship standings, just one place ahead of Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), whilst Lecuona’s teammate Xavi Vierge is enjoying some strong races. For Honda’s rookie duo, it’ll be back to basics this weekend as both learn a new track in terms of the Mandalika layout. Last year, it was a double top ten for Honda in the races, but they’ll hope to be making gains, particularly if they’re able to bring their upgrades regarding their super concessions to Mandalika, something that seemed likely when discussed in Argentina.
Sitting in ninth in the Championship and just 17 points behind Lecuona is Scott Redding, with the BMW rider entering the final two rounds of what has been a learning first year aboard the M1000RR. Redding’s adaptation to the inline four-cylinder machine took some getting used to but podiums have been achieved and he’ll aim for more in Indonesia, where he was third and second in Race 1 and Race 2 respectively in 2021, albeit for Ducati. On the other side of the garage, positive memories emit for Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with the Dutchman keen to replicate his Mandalika rostrum of last year to take a first podium of the 2022 season. For BMW, they’ll be keen that both riders can get on terms with Honda in the last two rounds to remain in fourth overall in the Manufacturers’ Championship standings.
INDEPENDENT CROWN: will Bassani complete a memorable season as Best Independent?
It could be all over when the chequered flag flies in Indonesia in terms of the Best Independent Rider of 2022, as Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) sports a 94-point lead over Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). A podium in San Juan after a big battle with Rea for second place in Race 1 and a race leader at Mandalika last year, Bassani’s current form and circuit form are good. Gerloff enters his two rounds in Yamaha blue with optimism as he chases a consistent end to his season. He’s in a battle with Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), with Baz just nine points behind Gerloff in the battle for 11th overall and runner-up in the Independent standings. Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) is next up in 13th ahead of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), both of whom make their Superbike debuts at Mandalika; Oettl was 12th and 9th in WorldSSP there last year.
With Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) not competing in non-European rounds and Luca Bernardi returning to WorldSSP action, Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) will hope to leap up the order, as he’s just four points behind Michael van der Mark. Xavi Fores (BARNI Spark Racing Team) hasn’t raced at Mandalika before so will hope for points, whilst Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) hopes for a good result at the circuit where he achieved a best finish at last year with seventh in Race 2. Hafizh Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team) and teammate Leandro Mercado aim for points in Indonesia, where Mercado was up in sixth last year in Race 2 before crashing. Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) continues seeking first points of 2022 but this time at a track where he made his WorldSBK debut 12 months ago, whilst Kyle Smith (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) will make his WorldSBK debut for the Pedercini Kawasaki outfit.
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