Arriving in Argentina at the San Juan Villicum circuit, the Superbike World Championship is led by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with 56 points ahead of the reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and 82 on the six-time champion Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).
Even if the Spaniard has gained the upper hand over his two opponents, there are still two rounds to go after Argentina, a maximum of 186 potential points to score: The WorldSBK championship therefore remains open, as evidenced by the caution of the declarations of the three candidates for the title before the South American meeting…
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “ The good feelings from the Portimão race make me confident. However, this is a new challenge. I don't have much experience on this circuit with Ducati where I raced three years ago. We certainly go a little further than the others, but we are very focused. It will be important to find positive indications from the first free practice session. My expectations are always the same: Have fun on the bike and then add up at the end of the weekend. »
Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “ Now I can't wait to be in Argentina. I like this track, last year we won two races and this year we can improve more. I know it's not an easy circuit to win, because the straight is very long. I especially remember that Álvaro was very strong in Argentina in 2019, but this year is different, so we will continue to fight for victory, and we will see! Now I'm focused on these races, I'm going to enjoy them and we're going to do our best. »
Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki Racing Team): “ Argentina can't come soon enough, after a tougher-than-expected Portimão. Argentina kicks off the overseas races and it's a very busy time of year. We will try to continue our momentum. We will continue to work with Pere, Davide and my whole team to try to maximize the potential of the bike. Portimao highlighted a few areas we need to improve on, and being strong at the end of the race is something we will focus on in Argentina. The circuit doesn't have a lot of activity, so we will have to understand what the grip level is like on the first day and work from there. I really like the circuit and it has given me good memories in the past. The atmosphere is always cool around overseas, so we'll try to take that feel-good factor and turn it into some good results. »
