Ducati factory rider Alvaro Bautista won the second main race at the Superbike World Championship in Mandalika (Indonesia), which was overshadowed by many crashes. The second run had to be restarted after a serious crash by Michael van der Mark (BMW) and Philipp Öttl (GoEleven-Ducati).
The podium was completed in the second main race by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) and Xavi Vierge (Honda). Michael Rinaldi (Ducati) was leading before the break and was in the lead for a long time after the restart. A driving error on the last lap cost the Italian a safe podium.
Two drivers are already missing at the first race start
The field of riders shrank from 22 to 20 riders before the second race. Loris Baz (Bonovo-BMW) has been diagnosed with a fractured right calf and broken ankle following the controversial clash with Kawasaki rider Alex Lowes in the sprint race. In addition, Eric Granado (MIE-Honda) dropped out due to a gastrointestinal infection.
Toprak Razgatlioglu started the final race from pole and shared the front row with Yamaha teammate Andrea Locatelli and Kawasaki rider Alex Lowes. World Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) only went into the second race from P10 after falling in the sprint race.
Yamaha works duo in front after the start
In the sprint to the first corner, Toprak Razgatlioglu prevailed and led the field ahead of teammate Andrea Locatelli through the first corners. Jonathan Rea moved up to third position. Alex Lowes was unable to use his starting position on the front row and lost a few positions.
Alvaro Bautista found it difficult to make up many positions in one go. He ended the first lap in eighth position. In the second lap, the championship leader dueled with BMW driver Scott Redding and won the duel.
Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli clash
In the second lap, the two factory Yamahas dueled at the top. Toprak Razgatlioglu lost many positions as a result of the maneuver. Andrea Locatelli was passed a few corners later because Axel Bassani sat next to the Yamaha and pushed Locatelli onto the dirty part of the track. Bassani led the race after the scene but later received a penalty.
There were a number of position changes in the leading group. On lap four, Michael Rinaldi took the lead on his works Ducati. Jonathan Rea experienced a moment of shock and lost third position to teammate Alex Lowes. Toprak Razgatlioglu was in fifth position. Alvaro Bautista was seventh behind compatriot Xavi Vierge (Honda).
Michael Rinaldi breaks away at the top
On lap five, Razgatlioglu got the better of Rea and took fourth position. The race director imposed a penalty on Bassani. The Italian had to drop a position. Bassani opened the door for Lowes, but Razgatlioglu also passed.
Razgatlioglu pushed past Lowes at the end of lap six. Early on lap seven, Lowes had to straighten his Kawasaki after nearly hitting Razgatlioglu in the rear. It was chaotic, the race was very restless.
Philipp Öttl cannot avoid Michael van der Mark
On lap eight, Michael van der Mark and Philipp Öttl fell. Van der Mark flew off his BMW via a highsider in turn 11 and Öttl was unable to avoid it. There were many crash parts on the track. Van der Mark and Öttl stood after the fall, but were shaken up badly.
Van der Mark signaled that he injured his left hand. An examination after the race revealed that the BMW works driver suffered fractures in his fourth and fifth fingers.
A little later, BMW team-mate Scott Redding was also hit when he crashed while attempting to overtake Andrea Locatelli. The race director stopped the race because there were too many parts on the track.
That was bad news for Michael Rinaldi. The Italian was leading the race by a comfortable margin before being abandoned. Toprak Razgatlioglu was in second place ahead of Honda’s Xavi Vierge when the race was stopped. Alvaro Bautista had prevailed against Alvaro Bautista and was fourth at the last sector timing.
Ducati, Yamaha and Honda on the front row at the restart
The race director set the race distance at 14 laps. Michael Rinaldi started from pole and formed the front row along with Toprak Razgatlioglu and Xavi Vierge. At the restart there were only 16 bikes left on the starting grid.
Michael Rinaldi took the lead on the second start but was attacked by Toprak Razgatlioglu on the first lap. Alvaro Bautista drove in third position. Xavi Vierge defended his fourth position ahead of Jonathan Rea.
At the front, Michael Rinaldi, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista pulled away slightly from the rest of the field. Razgatlioglu struggled to follow Rinaldi and came under pressure from Bautista. On lap five, Bautista pushed past. At this point, however, Rinaldi had already gained a 1.5-second lead.
Ducati factory duo drives away from the rest of the field
Michael Rinaldi controlled the race at the front. Alvaro Bautista was able to quickly free himself from his pursuers. Setting the fastest lap of the race, Bautista closed the gap to Rinaldi halfway through the race and fought hard to catch his teammate.
Toprak Razgatlioglu could not follow the two factory Ducatis. The ex-champion was put under pressure by Xavi Vierge. Behind them, Axel Bassani and Jonathan Rea dueled for fifth place.
Jonathan Rea retires after a fall
On lap nine Jonathan Rea crashed. The Brit crashed at Turn 7. Rea was slightly off the racing line and the front wheel lost grip on the dirt part of the track. A small driving error was severely punished. Rea had to be admitted to the medical center. So there were only 15 drivers left in the race.
At the front, Michael Rinaldi’s lead shrank from lap to lap. Alvaro Bautista had come within 0.6 seconds four laps before the end of the race. Rinaldi experienced a moment of shock that put Bautista within striking distance on lap eleven.
Drama for Michael Rinaldi in the last lap
Rinaldi’s pace dropped sharply. Bautista looked at where he is stronger than his teammate. This brought Razgatlioglu closer in big steps. Two laps before the end of the race, Bautista took the lead.
Rinaldi went off the line at Turn 10 on the final lap, giving away a safe podium. Razgatlioglu took second place without a fight. Rinaldi slipped down to fourth position.
Ducati, Yamaha and Honda on the podium
Alvaro Bautista drove towards his fifth win of the season and is still unbeaten in the main races. Second place went to Toprak Razgatlioglu. Xavi Vierge secured his first World Superbike podium and gave Honda its first top-three finish in WSBK 2023.
Michael Rinaldi finished 4.1 seconds back after making a mistake on the last lap and finished fourth. Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli completed the top 5.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni-Ducati) was classified sixth and was the best independent rider. Remy Gardner (GRT-Yamaha), Axel Bassani (Motocorsa-Ducati), Iker Lecuona (Honda) and Scott Redding (BMW) completed the top 10.
Another loss for the series champions: no Kawasaki in the top 12
Dominique Aegerter (GRT-Yamaha) was only able to make a limited impression at the restart and finished twelfth behind Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo-BMW).
Kawasaki endured another disastrous race. Alex Lowes was the best Kawasaki rider in 13th place out of 15 riders. The final points went to Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94-Yamaha) and Hafizh Syahrin (MIE-Honda).
The 2023 Superbike World Championship will continue in Assen (Netherlands) at the end of April.