Indonesia hosts fierce WorldSBK 2021 title race finale at all-new Mandalika Circuit on the island of Lombok this weekend.
One of the greatest seasons in memory is coming to a close, but does one more twist lie ahead in an unforgettable 2021 WorldSBK Championship battle?
35 races, 12 circuits, five different winners but only one thing left to decide: who will take the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship? The final round of a sensational season is on the horizon, with all the twists and turns up to this point making for a grand finale. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) leads the way into the Pirelli Indonesian Round, held at the all-new Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit on the picturesque Lombok Island. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is second, 30 points adrift but has three races to keep his crown for a seventh straight season in what would be one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever seen. In a rivalry that has raged all season, this is the final hurdle: Razgatlioglu vs Rea and the showdown that’s been on everyone’s lips.
It’s been a phenomenal season of racing, but Razgatlioglu has raised the bar. Despite not winning until the ninth race of 2021, he has racked up 13 wins and an astounding 28 podiums. He’s cemented himself as the rider to beat but the results are just the fruit of his hard work, as well as his never-give-in attitude. Never knowing when he’s beaten and fighting with resilient spirit, the 25-year-old Turk is on the verge of becoming World Champion, the first for Yamaha since Ben Spies in 2009. Will Toprak and indeed Turkey hold on for a first WorldSBK crown? His teammate, Andrea Locatelli – already rookie of the year – hopes to get fourth overall in the standings, being just eight points behind Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), whilst also aiming to help Toprak to the title and Yamaha to the Manufacturers’ Championship, as they lead Ducati by 16 points.
At Kawasaki, there’s still a chance of retaining the crown. Rea’s season started strongly with a 100th win in WorldSBK at Aragon and he, like Razgatlioglu, has demonstrated great consistency winning 11 races and taking 28 podiums. However, costly errors at Donington Park, Most and notably Portimao, have put Rea on the back foot. Despite this, Rea remains in touch and is in a position to pounce if Razgatlioglu can’t capitalise. The 34-year-old Ulsterman has never been in this position before and will do everything in his power to keep the crown. Teammate Alex Lowes will be wingman as he hopes to back Rea up, the pair aiming to give Kawasaki an opportunity of retaining their Manufacturers’ title. Lowes himself has a chance of sixth overall, 23 points behind Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
With the title fight no longer featuring a Ducati, Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) may well be the one who can ride at ease the most. He’s currently third in the standings, something that at the bare minimum he will hold on to, but he’s also not too far away from Rea to steal second. 36 is the gap between Rea and Redding, meaning Rea has to score two more points than Redding in race one to lock the Englishman out. Redding and teammate Rinaldi have the job of keeping Yamaha honest in the Manufacturers’ Championship too and may be the spoilers at the front amidst the title battle. Redding hopes to leave Ducati on a high by winning races, whilst Rinaldi looks to secure fourth overall, a respectable result after his first year in the factory team.
Whilst the battle for fourth is mainly a two-horse race, van der Mark has a mathematical chance of snatching it, something that really would be sensational in his first year aboard the all-new BMW M 1000 RR. 42 points back, the Dutchman can’t achieve that fourth place without podiums but with a threat of rain looming large, the 29-year-old is a contender. Coming back for what could be his final round in WorldSBK, with no clear future on the horizon, Tom Sykes aims to sign off his three years at BMW well and take advantage of a neutral track, something which could see both him and his teammate fighting for good positions. BMW has one hand on fourth overall in the Manufacturers’ standings, something it aims to consolidate in the first race.
Team HRC head to Indonesia after announcing their 2022 line-up of Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, with current riders Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam hoping to end their season on a high. Bautista comes into the round after a tricky San Juan, but the bike has had podiums in 2021. The Spaniard’s final weekend with Team HRC will see him hope that a good showing proves that two years of development paid off. Bautista can snatch ninth place from Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in the championship and has a mathematical chance of seventh overall, making Mandalika vital. Teammate Haslam hasn’t got anything signed for 2022, so like Sykes, this weekend has the potential to be his last. Regardless, the ‘Pocket Rocket’ aims to build on four top 10 results in the last six races to fend off Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) who is just three points behind.
In the battle of the independents, Garrett Gerloff and Bassani are set for their own showdown. As well as all the excitement in the factory teams, the battle for Best Independent Rider is still on and is tightening. GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Gerloff leads the way by 14 points from Bassani, but the rookie Italian is snapping at the American’s heals. Bassani was in the podium battle in San Juan and will hope to capitalise at the new Mandalika venue. Bassani is also in contention for a top seven overall, with Gerloff tied on points with Lowes. Behind Bassani is Davies, 13th overall having missed two rounds through injury. This will be Davies’ last weekend in WorldSBK, with the British rider hoping to end a career that’s seen him win 32 races and finish WorldSBK runner-up three times. Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is 14th overall as he faces the final round of his rookie season, four points ahead of Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing).
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) isn’t present, neither is Eugene Laverty, who has been a substitute for Tom Sykes in recent rounds, meaning there’s chances for Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport – Yamaha) to improve their positions overall in the Championship standings, with Viñales growing in confidence as the year has gone on. Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) sits 21st in the standings and will aim to finish his season strongly, whilst Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) will likewise have the same objectives. Finally, Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) is out of action after being declared unfit due to his Portimao injury, with new rider Oliver Konig graduating from WorldSSP300, where he was a podium finisher earlier in the year at Most, to lead the team.
Five key stats ahead of the Pirelli Indonesian Round
28 - In an incredible head-to-head this season, Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu climbed on the podium 28 times each, the second all-time season value. The only rider with more than 30 podiums in a season has been Jonathan Rea in 2019 (34).
25 - Troy Corser holds the record for podiums on different tracks with 25. A rostrum placement for Rea will tie this all-time record.
15 - After missing out in San Juan, Jonathan Rea has a second chance to tie and break the all-time season record of fastest race laps. At the moment he is on 14, a value he recorded in 2017 and 2018: Alvaro Bautista set the record in 2019 with 15.
14 - Toprak Razgatlioglu is just one win away from equalling the season record of wins for a Yamaha rider, 14, set by Ben Spies in 2009.
8 - 8 races (4 race weekends) have been run in Indonesia from 1994 to 1997.
