[WSBK] Buriram Race 3: Six victories in six races for Bautista and Ducati

Following the interrupted 10-lap second “Superpole” race, pole position for Race 3 was occupied by Álvaro Bautista with Rea and Alex Lowes alongside him. Michel van der Mark then preceded Leon Haslam, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese.

There was one who was only half interested in his place on the grid, happy to still be alive! Eugene Laverty was still in (moral) shock: “ For the fourth time in my career, I came into a corner without brakes and had to jump at 200 km/h. Once in a runner's career, it can happen. Twice is rare. Three times means I must have been a real bastard in a past life. But four times!? » 

After his triple defeat of Australia, Johnny Rea was ready to return to the front: “Phillip Island is a track on which Alvaro Bautista still went very well. It's a track that Ducati has always been incredible at, with lots of different bikes. Track and motorcycling suit his style. It was a perfect place to start. It certainly got everyone's attention, made headlines, but it's just one race. This is one test out of thirteen.

“I know I have a bike and a team to win. I am motivated by the fear of losing. I worked hard to get here and I know the ups and downs that have happened throughout my career. It takes a lot of willpower to get through them and I know it won't last forever. There is always something that motivates you. I feel like we are in Thailand with the pressure to fight. We were beaten by 15 seconds in Australia. The pressure is on for everyone to mobilize, but it’s a challenge that excites me.

“It’s easy to be motivated, to keep going. Sometimes comments from other riders motivate you. Sometimes it's motorcycle problems. Sometimes it's about beating my rivals because I like beating them. I reached the top. In my sport, the only way is to keep doing what I'm doing or decline. I’m not ready for that yet, and I’m worried about it.”

alex lowes, excellent third in Race 1, and best driver Yamaha , was only half satisfied: “It's a very good result, but I didn't feel as comfortable as I thought I would. I think the conditions were slightly different for the race compared to the morning. This meant I was struggling a bit with the front, especially with the fuel tank, but then I saw that the front two had opened up a gap and my pit chart said I had a group of three behind me, so I didn't want to make a mistake. I settled into a rhythm that I knew I could maintain. Although I'm happy to finish on the podium, it's also a bit disappointing to be so far away from victory when I felt very good. When I fought with Álvaro at the start of the race, the speed at which he passed me on the short straight was a bit frustrating, as I couldn't even stay in his wake ».

After Race 1, Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team, 13th) took stock of his misfortunes: “ To be honest, it was a tough race. I had a good start and was very strong in turn three. I think I overtook a few riders on the outside, but then someone in front of me touched and reacted, I dropped back to at least fourteenth. Although I was able to recover and slightly improve my pace lap by lap, something was wrong and once I got closer to the group at the front I was struggling more and it became impossible to ride properly. When I had a clear space, I could manage, but when I was in a group, something related to the temperature penalized me. Regardless, we will keep a positive mentality. Every day on the track and every race teaches us something and we will continue to give 100% at every opportunity.” Hit in the knee during Race 2, Leon unfortunately could not participate in the third.

When Race 3 Superbike took off, it was Álvaro Bautista who jumped to the lead ahead of Johnny Rea, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark, Marco Melandri, Chaz Davies, Tom Sykes and Sandro Cortese. Bautista retained the lead, but was closely held by Rea and Lowes. Haslam in fourth position was 1.3 ahead of van der Mark, Melandri and Davies.

Lowes tried to overtake Rea for second place, but the two Britons got in the way a little. Bautista took the opportunity to set the best time in the race in 1'32.818. The Spaniard opened up a healthy gap of 1.5 over Rea and Lowes, while Tom Sykes broke down with his BMW on the side of the track.

The top three widened the gap on the group led by Haslam for fourth position at 4.2, also including Melandri, van der Mark, Cortese and Davies.

The gap remained stable at the top with 1.8 ahead for Bautista over Rea, while Lowes was at 2.3. 0 7 seconds from Bautista, a very good fight between van der Mark, Haslam, Melandri, Davies and Cortese. Rinaldi ninth was 11 seconds ahead of Razgatlioglu.

Chaz Davies retired at the side of the circuit, suffering from a mechanical problem. Bautista increased his advantage to 3.6 over Rea and 4.3 over Lowes at halfway. Van der Mark fourth was already more than 10 seconds behind, ahead of Haslam, Melandri and Cortese. The first BMW, driven by Reiterberger, was 11th at 20 seconds. The best Honda, for Kiyonari, was 12th at 26 seconds. There is still progress to be made for the returnees.

Bautista had a 5.1 lead over Rea, who was unsuspecting of Lowes who was back to 5.5 in third. At 13 seconds, a great fight for fourth place pitted van der Mark, Haslam, Melandri and Cortese for fourth place.

Lowes did his best to catch up with Rea, but Johnny managed to maintain a half-second gap to the third-placed Yamaha.

Bautista reached the top step of the podium without problem, for the sixth time in a row! Johnny Rea at 8 seconds with 3 laps remaining, held off Lowes who was at 10.1. Van der Mark, Haslam and Melandri engaged in a very good fight for fourth position, 17 seconds behind the leader.

Congratulations to Alvaro Bautista and Ducati, who with six victories in six races have taken a very appreciable lead in the World Championship.

Race 3 Results:

Provisional classification of the Superbike World Championship:

 

Video: Kawasaki Team, V-Log | WorldSBK Round 1 – Phillip. Island 2019

Photos © worldsbk.com & manufacturers