WSBK Superbike Indonesia FP1: Michael Rinaldi contains the headliners!

Only a few days have passed since the sumptuous weekend of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in Phillip Island (Australia), which is already at work in Indonesia with Alvaro Bautista et Michael Rinaldi to prepare for the second round of the 2023 WorldSBK World Championship season.

 

 

At first glance, the morale of the transalpine troops could seem high since, after the extraordinary hat-trick achieved in Australia, Alvaro Bautista returns to the Mandalika circuit (Lombok island) on which he won the WorldSBK world champion title last November. The Spanish driver also arrives in Indonesia as leader of the general classification, with 62 points, 28 more than Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) and 31 more than Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki) and Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). But Alvaro Bautista don't forget either that he did not win at Mandalika in 2022, contenting himself with 2nd, 4th and 2nd in the three races of the weekend.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #1): “ It is clear that this round will pose more difficult challenges than those we faced in Australia. Last year in Indonesia we weren't as competitive as we were at Phillip Island. The biggest problem was at the front, as Pirelli didn't bring the tire I used for most of last season. This year they brought it, so I'm excited to see if the problem I felt has gone away. but I have to admit that during the winter tests, as well as on Saturday at Phillip Island, I felt good, even if the track conditions were not exactly ideal. I don't think what we saw at Phillip Island is 100% reality because we did some testing before the race, and a lot of drivers had good setups at this very special circuit. As always, I will try to enjoy session after session, then at the end we will see our results, but what is certain is that here last year, Toprak went fast, and Jonathan was really competitive , so I expect them to fight for victory in all three races. »

Obviously, all eyes will be on Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) this weekend, triple winner last year on this Mandalika track, but only 6th after the Australian round after falling in Race-2 when alex lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made a mistake.

Toprak Razgatlioğlu : " I have good memories here. This year we will see. The first Round wasn't a very strong weekend for me, but this circuit is my favorite. My style is to brake hard and I want to do my best like last year. We had three wins last year. This year we will see because everyone is very fast and very strong; everyone has perfected their bike. I hope we get off to a good start and fight for victory again. »

Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is currently halfway between these two contenders and was on the Indonesian podium three times last year (3rd, 2nd and 3rd). He therefore intends to take advantage of this to reduce the gap of 31 points on Alvaro Bautista, and seems very motivated…

Jonathan Rhea : " It was a difficult week in Australia, without the points we had planned to score. Everything was going pretty well until race day. Difficult to know why. Back to square one this weekend, with a bike that we know should work. We must try to be more competitive. We are going to forget last weekend, we want to be strong this weekend, rain, wind or dry. I think we have a good chance of fighting for the podium this weekend. Our goal is much higher than that: I want to win a race and start my season on the right foot. »

Finally, it seems impossible not to be also interested in the “teammates” that are Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), but also to Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), Iker Lecuona (Team HRC)   Philipp Ottl (Team GoEleven), Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), Garrett gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Remy gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), all very lively at one point or another during the Australian weekend.

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When the 22 drivers prepare on the grid, with a little delay due to Supersport FP1 deadline, the weather conditions are already hot, with 31° in the air, 43° on the ground and a shining sun.

At the appointed time, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) sets off first on the track aboard a BMW which we hope is more competitive than in Australia, while half of the field remains in its box...

 

 

This is not the case for Alvaro Bautista who registered the first reference in 1'37.512, quickly surpassed by Remy gardner in 1'35.434 then 1'35.192.

It takes more to impress Alvaro Bautista who takes command in 1'34.783 even before the end of the first 10 minutes, at which time the two official Kawasakis are still in their box, waiting for the very dirty track to clean up a little, at least on the trajectory.

 

 

Conversely, Toprak Razgatlioğlu gained momentum and initially positioned himself 5th before snatching provisional pole position in 1'34.669, while Iker Lecuona makes a minor mistake but has to abandon his Honda in the gravel.

 

 

Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) does the same at turn #5, just like Michael Rinaldi to #10, who was on his way to taking the best time.

 

 

Midway through the session, Toprak Razgatlioğlu precede Alvaro Bautista of 14/1000s, then follows Remy gardner half a second, Andrea Locatelli at 7/10, Philipp Ottl at 9/10 and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at a second just like Michael Rinaldi.

 

 

And at this moment, Jonathan Rhea has still not entered into action, but appears serene in his box watching on television what is happening on the track!

With only 17 minutes left, everyone returns to the box and this is precisely the moment chosen by the Northern Irishman to leave.

First 14th, the Kawasaki rider then positioned himself 3rd, 2/100 behindAlvaro Bautista and 13/100 of Toprak Razgatlioğlu.

In the last minutes, Toprak Razgatlioğlu et Michael Rinaldi lit the first three sectors in red but lost time in the last, before the Italian managed to seize the leadership in 1'34.613.

In the end, and like last year where Toprak Razgatlioğlu had achieved pole position in 1'31.371 after an FP1 in 1'36.938, the track is still too dirty for the hierarchy to be really significant, even if we logically find the strong men at the front.

 

 

WSBK Superbike Mandalika FP1: ranking

Classification credit: WorldSBK.com