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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s trip to the Autodrom Most provided incredible fights up and down the grid during the Czech Round, and that led to some spicy quotes after the race. We’ve gathered the best from the weekend’s debriefs so you’re up to date with the fighting talk…

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team): “I’ve got nothing against him, it was a good and clean race, but I was like, ‘Just let me do a couple of laps in front of you!’”

Speaking after a mega battle with rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing), the Texan said: “I’m glad you guys liked it; I was getting frustrated! I’ve got nothing against him, it was a good and clean race, but I was like, ‘Just let me do a couple of laps in front of you!’. The big slide at Turn 4 was the one pass where I was a bit, ‘Come on man!’. In the last moment, he came and was right there. I had no space and had to pick the bike up. I was just happy I crossed the line in front of the group. I hope Manuel’s happy! It’s good for the sponsors and stuff, but we’re still pretty far behind from the win. I want to be closer to the front. I felt really good and that I had more pace than Surra, but I couldn’t make the pass stick or stay in front of him, he just passed me back.”

Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing): “It was a very good Race 2 for me… I am sorry for Sam who crashed, I touched him with a wing as I was without my right wing”

The Italian gave his thoughts on the Gerloff battle, saying: “It was a very good race for me, and I’m really happy for the whole weekend. It was a very strong battle with Garrett. The Kawasaki has very good grip but in Race 2, I had a different tyre; the new one. The Ducati has very good electronics and the grip is good with used tyres, but the electronics are very sensitive. In this situation, I was very focused on the race. I didn’t overthink too much. Garrett is a very good rider and in the last laps, he closed the corners very well. My target and the team’s was top ten or 15. It’s very difficult in WorldSBK. All riders are very fast. My target is top ten and it’s possible.”

Surra also spoke on Saturday about the Race 1 incident with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and apologised to the Brit: “I am sorry for Sam who crashed but I didn't see him on the outside. I saw him when he came up beside me in the first part of the corner, then I looked into the corner. I touched him with a wing as I lost my right wing. I am sorry for the team that had to fix the bike. I haven't spoken with him, I guess he is angry now, until now Sam and the others are a good reference to go faster. I have never imagined causing him a crash.”

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “I made a clean move, he said he didn’t see me or whatever. It was strange, I ended up on the floor”

The #14 gave his thoughts on the Race 1 incident on Saturday as well: “Am I p****d off? Yes and no. It’s racing, so this could happen to anybody. When I’m fighting for third in the Championship and had a good Superpole, with some problems, Surra made a good lap behind me; the reason he qualified up there was because I towed him. He still did the lap, well done to him. The move was strange. I made a clean move, he said he didn’t see me or whatever. It was strange, I ended up on the floor. He got a Long Lap Penalty, which are the new rules which I agree with, but it’s not a massive penalty. I got 0 points; he lost a couple of positions which he would’ve lost anyway. This is part of the game; it is what it is. He hit the side of me; he also didn’t make the corner. Everyone’s entitled to race. I’m the first person to say we should be racing. He was struggling for speed, I was faster. If he did that to me on Lap 19, I wouldn’t really be p****d off, because you’re fighting for position. At this point of the race, he was dropping back anyway, so there was no need to make that move. He’s a young guy, making his way and it’s pointless for me to say too much.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “In the lap Iker overtook me, I made a lot of mistakes”

After a duel with his teammate in Race 1, Bulega said: “Iker was very strong, but I wasn’t at 100% with my feeling. I also had a small problem with the front brake from the first lap. Every time I got to the penultimate corner, every lap, I had to be careful because the lever was touching my fingers. I had to think about the brake every lap and I wasn’t very focused. I think Iker was faster in some parts of the circuit and I was faster in others. In the lap Iker overtook me, I made a lot of mistakes; some due to the brake and some because I was thinking about the brake. I decided to stay behind him for a few laps to see where he was faster than me, understand where I could improve for the last laps and then I overtook him. Iker was a bit closer, but I wasn’t at 100%. I hope to improve in the slow corners, like Turn 6 and 10, as he’s very strong in the entry. He can stop and turn better than me.”

Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “I almost crashed twice towards the end, at Turns 15 and 17. I missed the foot on the footrest”

Lecuona was able to give his view of Race 1 as well: “He made some mistakes; I made some mistakes. I almost crashed twice towards the end, at Turns 15 and 17. I missed the foot on the footrest. I’m really happy because it’s another second, but it’s different because I fought with him. I needed to push a bit too much in the first three or four laps to catch Nicolo, and then in the last two or three laps, I struggled with the tyres. It was good, but if I was second from the beginning, maybe it would’ve been a bit different for me. For you, it was fun! For the team, I can say it was stressful inside the box!”

Sven Blusch (Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport): “I hope on Tuesday or Wednesday we’ll know which direction it’s going”

Providing an update on Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) after his Race 1 crash, BMW boss Blusch said on Sunday: “On Sunday morning, he was feeling better and he’s already on the way back to Italy. That’s the best news at the moment. There are some scans planned for Monday and Tuesday, and I hope on Tuesday or Wednesday we’ll know which direction it’s going. It was no contact that caused it. Danilo was pushing and then he had the highside, which other riders said was really high. At the moment, from our side and what we saw, it looks like he was slightly off the line, pushed and then had the highside. It’s a difficult situation for us, being in the position to have both our riders injured. We’ll have to see what comes out before we can decide. We have the test coming up so we’ll have to make a decision. Miguel also has scans on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I talked to him and his manager recently. They’re positive that the recovery process is going well. In the middle of the week, we’ll have a guidance and direction of where to go when it comes to getting on the bike. We would race with two riders. We have an idea but we have to talk before we can communicate anything.”

Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates): “I was struggling at Turn 13 with a lot of chatter… when I understood what he and the other guys were doing compared to me, I had no chatter”

A best WorldSBK result for Bridewell on Sunday, who reflected on his double top ten finish: “I’m happy with the progress for sure. I think it’s testament to the way Ducati work. Mainly because of their open policy of data. I’ve never been to Most. I could do FP1 and then straight away look at data from Yari, Baldassarri, Iker, and Nicolo to see I’m weak at Turn 4, Turn 12, Turn 15 and I know exactly why. I’m going into this very green, so I’m trying to go from zero and where I want to be as fast as possible. In WorldSBK, the way they use the rear brake is exceptional. From what I see from the other Ducati guys, they’re very good on entry by pulling the front brake and rear brake at the same time, pulling a huge amount of rear brake pressure to stop the bike and as they start to turn the bike in, they just release both. I was struggling at Turn 13, braking on entry with the front brake, with a lot of chatter. My bike was setup the same as Yari’s within some small clicks, and then when I understood what he and the other guys were doing, pulling more rear brake than front brake compared to me, straight away I had no chatter. I think I was 10kph faster than I was before! The weirdest thing is the electronics are an unbelievably powerful thing… if you use it correctly. In WorldSBK, they are so much smoother with the throttle because even though you’ve got traction and wheelie control, the key is to not use it within reason. If electronically it’s activating, it’s slowing you down. That’s another area where I’m a really bit weak because I’m really aggressive with the throttle. I was struggling at Turn 4 because I was coming out of Turn 2, going first, second, third, fourth, fifth and just chucking it in with 100% throttle and letting the TC save me, basically! Sadly, it wasn’t then going forward. During the races, I was rolling the gas a little bit, and, on the data, I could see my speed was picking up.”

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team): “We are faster and I’m more focused on the bike, I know what I need to do and when which is really important”

Three P3 finishes for the #5, who said: “We’re working for this, always trying to be faster and trying to keep the feeling on the bike to enjoy it. We’re doing a really good job. Sunday was quite a strong race because I had Baldassarri pushing me from the rear. I tried to open a gap at the beginning because I felt really good. Honestly, after 10 or 12 laps, I started to struggle a little bit with the rear tyre and lost some grip. From that point, I started to manage the gap. I’m super happy for three podiums! In the winter, I worked really hard and so did the team. We deserve this. We are faster and I’m more focused on the bike, I know what I need to do and when which is really important. In the end, for my career, what I’m searching for is a bike where I can show my potential. For my future, if I need to make a decision, it’ll be for a good bike. I’m super happy with Barni.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “It’s true we weren’t far from the top five on Sunday, but we need to work hard to take another step forward”

A tough weekend for ‘Loka’, who ended it with P9 in Race 2: “I was working hard at home because I hurt my hip in my Balaton Race 2 crash. Friday for me was a bit tough to start in a good way. We missed something on Friday to be more competitive from then and faster on Saturday. We’re still struggling in some areas where we need to improve. It’s true we weren’t far from the top five on Sunday, but we need to work hard to take another step forward. It looks like the level every year is getting higher. If I consider that this is my sixth year, and for me it’s the worst year compared to 2021, which was my first year, it’s the reality. I don’t want to say something is wrong or not. The reality is we’re not competitive to be there. Why? It’s not in my hands.”

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