WSBK weekend in Australia

26.02.2023

Race 1

An extraordinary Saturday for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team. First the stunning win for Nicolò Bulega who enters the history of Supersport, taking to victory for the first time the Ducati Panigale V2 of the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team at the end of a race full of twists and turns. Then the amazing success of Alvaro Bautista who dominates in wet conditions.

The first race of the 2023 WorldSBK season took place with persistent rain.

Alvaro Bautista - who started from second position on the grid - chased Rea (Kawasaki) over the first eight laps before taking the lead halfway through the race and finishing by a wide margin.

It was an extremely difficult race for Michael Rinaldi, who was unable to get off a good start from sixth position, finding himself far behind in the field in the first lap and closing in P14.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"I am very happy with this victory also because we were able to take it in extremely different conditions to those we had in testing. We didn't have any reference data and that's why it was important to stay focused, especially in the first laps, to understand the track well, and to find the limit. We got a good win, the best way to start the season. If I have to be honest, though, I hope to race in dry conditions tomorrow.

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"It's certainly not the best way to start the season. We arrived at this race with great confidence but the weather changed the game and in these conditions, right from the first laps I couldn't get the right feeling with the bike. There are times when you have to stay calm, try not to overdo things and *not to risk making mistakes, as they could affect the following races. I'm sure that tomorrow we can get back to the positions where we have shown we can be during all the tests".

SP-Race and Race 2

The first round of the 2023 season goes down in the annals of Ducati and WorldSBK. The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team together with the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team in fact completed the first historic "clean sweep" for Ducati by winning all the races held over the weekend.

After the success of Bautista and Bulega in Saturday's races, Sunday at Phillip Island is dressed in red again with Alvaro Bautista and Michael Rinaldi respectively first and second in both Superpole Race and Race-2 and Nicolò Bulega on the top step of the podium in the second WorldSSP race.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"It's a dream weekend. Undoubtedly the best way to start the season also because we have shown that we were very fast in all conditions, both in the rain and with different temperatures. I am very happy and I want to thank my team, who put me in a position to be able to get these results."

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"It was a very positive Sunday. After yesterday's difficult race, it was very important to stay focused and show that the level we reached during testing was the one we can stay at this season. I had a lot of fun in the Superpole Race and in Race-2 I kept a very competitive pace. Compared to last year we have made a big step forward. Now we have to work to fix those details that will allow us to get closer to Alvaro".

Race results

Pos.	Nr.	Driver	Bike	Time-gap to Leader
1	1	A. Bautista	Panigale V4R
2	21	M. Rinaldi	Panigale V4R	6.191
3	55	A. Locatelli	YZF R1	9.099
4	47	A. Bassani	Panigale V4R	11.680
5	5	P. Oettl	Panigale V4R	12.020
6	7	I. Lecuona	CBR1000 RR-R	13.701
7	77	D. Aegerter	YZF R1	14.316
8	65	J. Rea	ZX-10RR	14.753
9	9	D. Petrucci	Panigale V4R	18.745
10	87	R. Gardner	YZF R1	21.331
11	97	X. Vierge	CBR1000 RR-R	21.500
12	60	M. Van der mark	M1000 RR	29.790
13	45	S. Redding	M1000 RR	34.265
14	31	G. Gerloff	M1000 RR	34.444
15	76	L. Baz	M1000 RR	34.846
16	34	L. Baldassarri	YZF R1	45.568
17	35	H. Syahrin	CBR1000 RR-R
18	52	O. Konig	ZX-10RR
19	51	E. Granado	CBR1000 RR-R
RET	22	A. Lowes	ZX-10RR	6 Laps
RET	54	T. Razgatlioglu	YZF R1	6 Laps
RET	66	T. Sykes	ZX-10RR

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