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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship headed to South America and Argentina for the Motul Argentinean Round last weekend at the Circuito San Juan Villicum and it proved pivotal in this season’s fascinating title race. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed two victories in Argentina, and a second place, to put one hand on the title and he will have the chance to secure his first WorldSBK crown when the Championship returns to the track in Indonesia. After the Argentinean Round, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Team Manager, Serafino Foti, gave his thoughts on the round as well as the title fight.

Bautista took fourth in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session but he was able to fight his way to the front in Race 1 to take victory and, combined with Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), extended his Championship lead by 24 points in Race 1; with Razgatlioglu fighting back to take a solitary point. In the Superpole Race, Razgatlioglu denied Bautista with the pair battling right until the end of the race with the reigning Champion passing Bautista at the same corner he crashed at in Race 1. In Race 2, despite pressure from Razgatlioglu in the early stages, Bautista was able to take victory and extend his Championship lead to 82 points with two rounds remaining.

Reflecting on Bautista’s weekend, Foti said: “A really perfect weekend. Alvaro and the team were really perfect, I want to thank them because when you leave Europe, you never know what you're going to find. Everyone was very focused; they did a great job. Now we will enjoy these two victories, we will go back to Italy and then we will prepare for the last two rounds. We are very optimistic, but we will not lose our concentration.”

With the results of Argentina in the history books, attention turns to Indonesia from the 11th-13th November; WorldSBK’s second visit to the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit and it could be the second year in a row the venue has decided a WorldSBK title. Bautista goes into the Indonesian Round knowing he can win the title in Race 1 if he outscores Razgatlioglu by 17 points and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) by one point; although Bautista refused to be drawn into title talk after Argentina.

Foti insisted it was a similar approach for Ducati, saying: “Even this weekend, Alvaro only thought race by race without thinking about the Championship. He has had this approach since the beginning of the year. He is a really good rider and some people forget that he won a world title in 125cc, he fought with Marco Simoncelli in 250cc and, in MotoGP™, in the days of Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner, he was a top five rider. He is a super rider. We don't want to think about the title, now we just think about going to Mandalika to do our best, of course if we make it, we would be very happy. We will talk about it in Mandalika or Phillip Island.”

Watch the final two rounds of the 2022 campaign for only €9.99 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!