WSBK News

Toprak Razgatlioglu is on the backfoot compared to rivals Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea after Friday Free Practice, but the Yamaha rider hasn’t lost hope of contending for WorldSBK victory at Phillip Island.

After going 24 races without a WorldSBK win, six-time world champion Jonathan Rea appears to be back in the hunt for Race 1 in Phillip Island after doubling up with the fastest time in both Friday free practice sessions.

Alvaro Bautista says this weekend’s Australian WorldSBK round is ‘more important than everybody thinks’ as preparations for 2023 begin.

With Iker Lecuona ruled out of this weekend’s Phillip Island round, Scott Redding looks poised to claim eighth place in the WorldSBK standings.

Toprak Razgatlioglu is gunning for another perfect weekend in Phillip Island after completing his second hat-trick of the season in Mandalika, however, the 2021 WorldSBK champion has labelled Alvaro Bautista the heavy favourite.

Jack Miller believes Remy Gardner has what it takes to switch MotoGP for WorldSBK and become a challenger to the likes of Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea, all of whom have dominated the series in 2022. 

Tetsuta Nagashima will replace Iker Lecuona for the final WorldSBK round of 2022 after the Spaniard suffered a fractured left vertebra and fractured left sacrum in a crash at Mandalika.

Toprak Razgatlioglu says Yamaha will not be introducing a new bike for the 2023 WorldSBK campaign, which is not the case for Ducati who are bringing a brand new Panigale V4 R.

New WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista believes he beat Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea whilst the pair were in the form of their life.

Scott Redding believes a P4 finish was there to be had in Race 2 at Mandalika before the 2020 WorldSBK runner-up made several costly mistakes, leaving him ‘angry’ in the aftermath.

Jonathan Rea has given credit to new WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista after seeing the Ducati rider secure his maiden Superbike title in Mandalika.

Alvaro Bautista is your new WorldSBK champion after finishing second in Race 2 at Mandalika behind Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Toprak Razgatlioglu once again left everything he had on the table in Mandalika as he completed his second WorldSBK hat-trick of the season.

Toprak Razgatlioglu has joked that he will bring his Pata Yamaha WorldSBK machine to MotoGP after setting a pole lap just three tenths shy of what Fabio Quartararo managed earlier this year.

Alvaro Bautista’s wait to become WorldSBK champion goes on after finishing second in Race 1 behind Toprak Razgatlioglu.

After qualifying a second down on Toprak Razgatlioglu and finishing 11 seconds down in Race 1, Jonathan Rea has given high praise to the current WorldSBK champion.

Particularly fast over one lap, WorldSBK series leader Alvaro Bautista looks to be in contention for victory again in Mandalika after topping Friday practice.

Jonathan Rea has described the decision from WorldSBK to allow teams another tyre after FP1 as ‘ridiculous’, and that teams who purposely saved a tyre for the remainder of the weekend have now been ‘short-changed’.

Toprak Razgatlioglu says he’s ‘not scared’ by the lack of grip off the racing line in Mandalika, but that WorldSBK series leader Alvaro Bautista might be feeling that way.

98 points behind Alvaro Bautista, Jonathan Rea has called it ‘empty-headed’ to even consider thinking about the WorldSBK championship.

With just six races to go and an 82-point deficit to Alvaro Bautista, reigning WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu knows that only race wins can help save his title defence.

Alvaro Bautista can clinch his first WorldSBK title this weekend in Mandalika but the Spaniard is expecting a ‘very complicated’ weekend.

The final round of the 2022 WorldSBK season in Phillip Island, Australia, will return as the season-opener for the 2023 season.

Portimao will remain on the WorldSBK calendar until 2027 after signing a new five-year deal.