#worldsbk2023

Just a few days after Round 4 at Barcelona, WorldSBK is already back testing at Misano as the 2023 grid gets ready for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista topped the timesheet at the end of day one. The Ducati rider completed 87 laps over the day. He was on a lap record pace setting a fastest lap of 1’33.035s, 0.510s quicker than Razgatlioglu. Toprak Razgatlioglu was the second fastest rider with a best time of 1’33.545s. He is the rider who completed more laps on Thursday with 92 laps. Having completed 90 laps over the day, Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi was third overall, 0.673s behind his teammate. Xavi Vierge was the lead Honda rider in fourth with a fastest time of 1’34.043s. Teammate Iker Lecuona ended the day in eighth place. Garrett Gerloff was fifth for BMW, 1.310s off Bautista’s best time. Stepping in to replace injured Michael van der Mark for BMW, Tom Sykes was seventh. Tarran Mackenzie tested for the PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team, making his return to WorldSBK. The first of two days of testing for the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field concluded with rain interrupting the final part of the day at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was under lap record pace in the morning as he used Pirelli’s SCQ tyre to edge closer to the 1’32s bracket, with Bautista finishing ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) whose day was disrupted by a Turn 3 crash in the morning session.

Reigning Champion Bautista led the way on Day 1 as he set a lap time faster than the existing all-time lap record after posting a 1’33.035s in the closing stages of the morning session while using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, with his time around three tenths faster than his own lap record set in last year’s Tissot Superpole session. Bautista’s opening day, where he completed 87 laps including 64 in the morning, was spent working on the bike with new their rpm limit as well as looking ahead to the Emilia-Romagna Round. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi took third spot on Day 1, 0.673s behind his teammate, as he worked on a setup comparison using setups from Mandalika and Barcelona as he completed 90 laps.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took second spot after posting a 1’33.545s in the morning session on the SCX tyre, around half-a-second down on Bautista. Razgatlioglu had a small crash at Turn 3 in the morning on old tyres, but returned to the pits on his bike, while he had a focus on swingarms and linkage that had already been tested before but with modifications. He completed 92 laps on Day 1.

Bautista and Lecuona closing on lap record pace in Barcelona despite crashes. Riders concluded testing before moving onto the Pirelli Dutch Round in a couple of weeks.Alvaro Bautista remained the fastest rider on day two despite a crash. His best time was half a tenth from the all time lap record. Iker Lecuona concluded the two-day test in second place despite a crash at Turn 14 in the morning which ended his test day early. Six-time Champion Jonathan Rea was third after setting a 1’40.659s in the afternoon. Lowes finished 0.194s off Rea to take fifth place. Michael Ruben Rinaldi was fourth, finishing 0.359s adrift of his teammate. Dominique Aegerter was the fastest Rookie on Day 2 as he completed the top six.

WorldSBK Day 2 Report It was a dramatic day of testing action in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with several crashes and exhilarating pace on display during the two-day test. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topped the times by less than a tenth of a second ahead of Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) despite the pair crashing in the morning of Day 2. Both riders closed in on the all-time lap record but the pair were just shy of it while three different manufacturers were in the top three at the end of the as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took third spot. The factory Ducati team opted to run for just half-a-day on Friday but were still able to conclude the second day on top with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as the Spaniard edged closer to the all-time lap record. Bautista posted a 1’40.459s to top the time, faster than he went yesterday and only half-a-tenth down on the lap record set by Tom Sykes in 2021. Lecuona was second after setting a 1’40.521s despite a crash at Turn 14 in the morning which ended his day’s running before lunchtime. He was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and did not return to track action on Day 2.

The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK duo of Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea opted to only test on the second day of the two-day test in Barcelona and the pair finished third and fifth respectively on the second day. Yamaha’s charge in the timing sheets was led by Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) with the Swiss rookie taking sixth place on his first visit to the circuit on WorldSBK machinery. The factory Yamahas finished the day with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in seventh place with a 1’41.196s and teammate Andrea Locatelli in 13th place, three tenths behind the 2021 Champion.

The FIM, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola and Dorna WSBK Organization (DWO) are delighted to announce a new agreement that will see the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race at the iconic Italian circuit in 2023. Imola will host the Italian Round as it returns to the WorldSBK calendar after three seasons away with the legendary venue hosting the seventh round of the 2023 season from the 14th to the 16th of July. All three classes will take to the track at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola, including Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) but also Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) who will make their debuts in 2023, competing in the Superbike class. Featured on the calendar for the first time back in 2001, the iconic circuit was the scene of unforgettable moments such as the season finale between Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss in 2002 and Bayliss’s title in 2006. The 2023 Italian Round also promises to be a thrilling event with Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista who will be fighting to retain his title. Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK Executive Director: “After three seasons away, we are thrilled to welcome back Imola to the calendar in 2023. This second round in Italy confirms the popularity of the Championship amongst the Italian fans as there is a lot of passion for our sport there with many Italian riders and teams in our Paddock. Imola has an illustrious history within World Superbike, and we look forward to the 2023 Italian Round which promises to be an exciting event for the fans.” Pietro Benvenuti, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola General Director: “It is with great satisfaction that we announce this agreement with Dorna WSBK Organization, which brings Imola back to the prestigious WorldSBK calendar. We know that there are many fans who wouldn't miss this event for anything as Imola always had strong ties with this series. Not to mention that a World Champion on a Ducati will take to the track, undoubtedly a great incentive for many of the “Rossa” to watch on from trackside. Opting for the month of July is also strategic for the region as it will open business opportunities during a period when local accommodation options are not at full capacity, confirming the role of the circuit as a driving force of the local economy. It's a great result made possible thanks to the full support of the Municipal Administration, which strongly wanted the return of Superbike to Imola.”

The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team is pleased to announce the contract extension of Michael Rinaldi who will ride the official Ducati Panigale V4R also in the 2023 WorldSBK season The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team thus completes its line-up that will see the Italian rider alongside Alvaro Bautista in the upcoming World Superbike Championship. Michael Ruben Rinaldi was born in Rimini on 21st December 1995 and started racing with the minimoto when he was 7 years old, winning the Italian championship in 2006. After winning the Italian Sport Production Championship in 2011, in 2014 he faced his first international experience in the European Superstock 600 championship, which closed as runner-up in 2015. In 2016 Rinaldi rode the Ducati Panigale R of the Aruba.it Racing - Junior team in the SuperStock 1000 FIM championship, finishing sixth and then conquering the European Champion title at the end of the following season. With the Aruba.it Racing - Junior team, Michael Ruben Rinaldi also made his WorldSBK debut in the 2018 season, racing only in European rounds and then competing in all events of the 2019 Championship with the Barni Racing Team. In 2020 Rinaldi achieved his first WorldSBK success with the Panigale V4R of the Go Eleven team in Race-1 at Aragon, a weekend that also saw him on the podium in the Superpole Race (P3) and in Race-2 (P2). The 2021 season saw the Italian rider as the absolute protagonist of Misano round, with two victories ( Race-1 and SPR) and a second place (Race-2). Rinaldi then took his third win in Race-2 in Barcelona, ending the 2021 season in fifth place in the Superbike World Championship standings. In this season Rinaldi has finished twice on the podium in Misano, and once in the last race held in Magny-Cours: this second place during the French Round got him to the fourth place of the WorldSBK current standings. Stefano Cecconi (Team Principal - Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). "Michael has the potential to be one of the fastest riders in the World Superbike Championship and he has been able to prove it on several occasions. Our long journey together will be extended at least until the end of 2023, thus giving continuity and preserving the current team set-up that is also allowing us to be first in the manufacturer and team championships. We believe 2023 will be for  Michael the year of definitive consecration; at the same time, we are confident that during this second part of the season we’ll reap the benefits of the work done so far, in terms of satisfaction and consistency of results". Paolo Ciabatti (Ducati Corse Sporting Director) “Michael Rinaldi is a young rider who grew up in Superbike with Ducati and has proven time and time again that he is very fast and knows how to make the most of the potential of the Panigale V4R machine. That's why we are also happy to count on him for the next Championship. With an extra year of experience with the official Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team, we are convinced that he will be able to aspire to even more important results in 2023” Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) "I am very happy to race again next year for Aruba.it Racing - Ducati because I firmly believe in this project. I am very confident that in 2023 we can reap everything we have sown together with the team. I will be the first to work even harder, both in training and on track, to get better results and have the consistency that has been lacking so far. I want to thank Stefano Cecconi, Claudio Domenicali, Luigi Dall'Igna, Paolo Ciabatti, Serafino Foti, and all the people who trusted in me. I can't wait to be in Barcelona to get a good result and repay this confidence. And I am sure that 2023 will be a great year for us."