WSBK in Catalunya

07.05.2023
On one hand, the dominant race of Alvaro Bautista, who took his ninth win of the season by a wide margin. On the other, the disappointment of Michael Rinaldi, who showed he could easily take the second step of the podium but crashed after a maneuver by Bassani, which was later judged irresponsible.

These were the emotions for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team on Saturday at the Catalunya Round, the fourth round of the 2023 WorldSBK season.

Bautista started from Pole Position, and his race pace was unbeatable even after the "red flag" that interrupted the race on lap four.

Rinaldi made a great start from fourth position, and by the first corner, he was already up in second. After the red flag, he tried to stay with Bautista, but he was hit by Bassani (who was later sanctioned with a long lap penalty for 'irresponsible riding') and crashed. Rinaldi had to seek treatment at the Clinica Mobile for a severe contusion to his right hand.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"I am very happy to have taken this victory in front of my family, friends, and many fans. I can say it was a perfect day, starting with the pole position and ending with a race in which I was very fast. The feeling with the bike was extraordinary. I had a lot of fun. I want to thank the team, who are working really well".

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"We had all the right cards to take second place. We had a great start to the weekend right from FP1, and the feeling today was really good. Unfortunately, however, I was hit by Bassani: a senseless maneuver also because up until today, he had shown that he didn't have the pace to be among the leaders, as, in fact, happened at the end of the race. It's a real shame. I hope the pain in my hand will allow me to make up for it tomorrow".
Another sensational hat-trick, the third of the season so far, for Alvaro Bautista who dominates the weekend at Barcelona and celebrates at the parc ferme alongside his team-mate Michael Rinaldi, protagonist of an excellent race.
Alvaro Bautista is in sensational shape and he completes another perfect weekend that began with Pole Position and ended with three wins. Race-2 is also a domination of the Spanish rider: on the second lap he starts building the gap, and he passes under the chequered flag with a big advantage.

Michael Rinaldi is in pain on his right hand after the crash in Race-1, but he grits his teeth and makes himself the protagonist of a fantastic Race-2. He first fights with Lowes (Kawasaki) and Razgatlioglu (Yamaha), then he pushes hard.
When the second position seems conquered, the sudden drop of the rear tyre allows Toprak to steal him the second step of the podium.

The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team now moves on to Misano for testing on 11 and 12 May.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"I want to say it: it was a perfect weekend. I am very very happy. It's clear that this is a circuit I really like but to win three races in front of my family, friends and fans is always a great feeling. It's a fantastic start to the season but I only want to think about testing and *the * Misano round, where the competition will be fierce".

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"It was a very special weekend in which everything happened. In the Superpole Race I was going strong, I was fighting for the podium, but when some drops started to fall I had to focus on not falling in order to protect my right hand. In Race 2 things went very well even though in the last two laps the rear tyre dropped a lot more than expected. Toprak caught me but it doesn't matter. It's still a nice podium.

Race results

Pos.	Nr.	Driver	Bike	Time-gap to Leader
1	1	A. Bautista	Panigale V4R
2	54	T. Razgatlioglu	YZF R1	8.583
3	21	M. Rinaldi	Panigale V4R	8.643
4	22	A. Lowes	ZX-10RR	11.366
5	65	J. Rea	ZX-10RR	12.824
6	97	X. Vierge	CBR1000 RR-R	15.242
7	55	A. Locatelli	YZF R1	15.771
8	77	D. Aegerter	YZF R1	16.516
9	7	I. Lecuona	CBR1000 RR-R	18.946
10	31	G. Gerloff	M1000 RR	19.637
11	47	A. Bassani	Panigale V4R	21.561
12	9	D. Petrucci	Panigale V4R	23.410
13	87	R. Gardner	YZF R1	25.255
14	5	P. Oettl	Panigale V4R	29.381
15	28	B. Ray	YZF R1	34.437
16	76	L. Baz	M1000 RR	37.717
17	75	I. Lopes	M1000 RR	37.757
RET	34	L. Baldassarri	YZF R1	2 Laps
RET	45	S. Redding	M1000 RR	6 Laps
RET	32	I. Vinales	ZX-10RR
RET	66	T. Sykes	ZX-10RR
RET	35	H. Syahrin	CBR1000 RR-R

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