Last round of the WorldSBK Superbike championship, Jerez will determine the final order of the general classification by potentially distributing up to 62 points. Even if Álvaro Baustita is a hair away from a new world crown, all drivers are still subject to a change in their position and therefore have no room for error!
Alvaro Bautista not having spoken yet, let's give the floor to his main playmates...
Toprak Razgatlioglu : “The Jerez circuit, I like it a lot! Especially the hard braking in turn 1, because normally we are very strong there and I hope we can fight for victory once again. I want to finish strong for my last weekend with Yamaha, we’ll see! Ok, the drivers' championship is not possible, but I am motivated race after race, as always. It won't be easy, but everyone is doing their best, and I think the race pace will be very high, and not as hot as in the past. We will see what happens on Friday during free practice and then during the race. »
Jonathan Rhea : “It's a strange feeling going to Jerez knowing that it's my last race with KRT and I'm sure it will be an emotional weekend with the team. On the track we will try to do the best job possible. It's a circuit that may have been difficult for us, but we also had some great moments there, winning races. This is also where I won my first world championship for Kawasaki. We do a lot of laps there during winter testing, which allows us to get a good idea of the settings. Of course, the Ninja ZX-10RR has evolved throughout the year and we have taken steps in the right direction. I really want to finish the year strong for my team. We are still fighting for third place in the championship. The big goal for this weekend is to have fun on the bike and do the best job possible, but also to make sure that we manage to place in the top three of the world championship. I really want to try and enjoy the weekend with my team. Throughout the build-up to the weekend, throughout the weekend, and of course after the race, reflecting on the incredible partnership we had – I'm sure it will be very emotional. I hope I can give a good image of myself and do credit to the team. »
“The Jerez round marks the end of Pirelli’s twentieth season as exclusive supplier to all categories of the World Superbike Championship. For the grand finale that will decide the 2023 Champion in the premier class, we have brought practically our entire range with the three front options and all the rear options that have been most used during the year. This season our efforts have mainly focused on developing the SCQ to increase its mileage and enable its use in the Superpole Race, a goal we have achieved with the new C0004 specification which has been used successfully in recent rounds. Let's see how the new B1333 specification performs at Jerez and then decide whether or not it can become the new SC1 benchmark for the Supersport class starting next season. In this category in Jerez we will have several wild cards and one-event drivers who race with Pirelli in national teams and who, thanks to the co-presence of Pirelli in the World Championship and in the national championships, can demonstrate their talent on an international stage.
Here are the schedules taking into account the time change on Sunday:
Friday October 27
09:30-10:15 – WorldSSP Free Practice 1
10:30-11:15 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1
13:00-13:45 p.m. – WorldSSP Free Practice 2
14:00-14:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2
Saturday 28 October
09:00-09:30 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3
10-25 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
11am-10am – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole
12:30 – WorldSSP Race 1 (17 laps)
14:00 p.m. – WorldSBK Race 1 (20 laps)
Sunday October 29
09:00-09:15 – WorldSBK Warm Up
09:25-09:40 – WorldSSP Warm Up
11:00 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)
12:30 – WorldSSP Race 2 (17 laps)
14:00 p.m. – WorldSBK Race 2 (20 laps)
