Alvaro Bautista, vote 10 and praise! Razgatlioglu from 7, too bad the tires. Rea limits damage: 8.5. Van der Mark, grade 4, better to stop?
September 26, 2022
Nel motorcycling the last word is never said, and often even the most obvious results are subverted. So let’s imagine if, four rounds from the end of the championship, with twelve races still to be held and 248 points still to be awarded, the 2022 World Superbike World Championship can be considered already decided. Nothing has been written yet, but what we saw in Barcelona undoubtedly tip the balance of predictions towards Alvaro Bautista and his Ducati. As he himself declared after the race, Alvaro is probably at the height of his sporting maturity and in this he reminds us a lot of Carlos Checa, who once he left the GP for Superbike used his great experience to bring to Bologna what he is so far the last title won by Ducati in the premier class of derivatives. Compared to his compatriot, the current Ducati rider can count on an even more competitive bike than the 1098R, which in 2011 was on the avenue of sunset, while the V4 is probably at its most competitive, so much so that it is fast on practically all circuitsand able to bring on the podium even with the young outsiders Rinaldi and Bassani.
As far as we have seen in Barcelona the most dangerous rival for the Spaniard is Toprak Razgatlioglu, which not surprisingly follows him in the standings at 59 points. In addition to his great talent, the Turk can count on a bike perhaps without great merits, but certainly free from defects like the R1.
Who seems to be in crisis at the moment, but considering his indomitable character certainly cannot be given up for dead, is six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea, now third, 67 points off the lead. A crisis of results for which he cannot be blamed. Among the three bikes competing for the title, the Kawasaki seems to be the least competitive. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Cannibal, notoriously unwilling to make mistakes, is instead accumulating a whole series of straight, slips and “contacts” that he had never shown in his previous years with the verdona.
In Catalunya, Honda did better than BMW. The HRC team has carried out numerous tests on this track and its two Spanish riders know it very well. After seeing the light in the previous three rounds (but always only with Scott Redding), the M1000RR has plunged back into darkness. A clear sign that the Bavarian bike has certainly improved, but is still far from consistent performance.
Alvaro Bautista: 10 and lode
Dahead of his fans Alvaro proves not only that he is a great driver, but that he knows how to drive the Panigale V4 like no other. He was in the lead in all laps of all three races, setting a new record for the Catalan track among other things. Virtually perfect.
Toprak Razgatlioglu: 7
Sthe choice of tires in Race 1 is broadened, but also in the following ones he proves to be struggling to manage the tires. He complicates his life with a bad Superpole (only eighth) and climbs on the lowest step of the podium only in Race 2, when he tries without luck to track Rinaldi. It’s okay that the Barcelona track doesn’t like Yamahas very much, but Toprak disappointed us this time.
Jonathan Rea: 8,5
Qhen Bautista becomes unstoppable he knows what to do: limit the damage. He does it well in the first two races, while in the long one on Sunday he makes a mistake that costs him the podium. He makes the most of a Ninja with many limitations, but he can’t work miracles. Has Alvaro’s domination managed to undermine his proverbial determination? We will find out in two weeks in Portimao.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi: 7.5
AEven if he denies it, the renewal for next year has given him morale and serenity. He badly in Superpole, but in the race he is always among the protagonists and in the last he manages to keep a certain Razgatlioglu behind. He must continue like this.
Axel Bassani: 6.5
Aeven in Catalunya the young man from Verona has consistently lacked. He showed many good things, but he never materialized. His mistake in the Superpole Race was serious, partly rewarded by his fifth place in Race 2. He must continue to work and progress.
Andrea Locatelli: 5
Vfive points in the last six races are a very meager booty for the Bergamo rider, who after deceiving everyone with fourth place in Superpole was the author of a weekend to forget. Too bad to be true.
Alex Lowes: 6,5
Rsheep everything with a crash on the first lap of Race 2. After the second position in Superpole, he finishes seventh in Race 1. In the Superpole Race he would have deserved the second position, but he obviously made it easier for his team-mate to fight for the title. The limits of the Ninja are there for him too, but he (almost) always does his homework well.
Iker Lecuona: 7
Conquest his first Superpole, after being the fastest in free practice. Well in the Saturday race, he crashes and loses a bit in those on Sunday. He confirms that he is one of the best talents in Superbike, but does what his bike allows him.
Xavi Virgo: 6.5
Un weekend in crescendo for the young Spaniard, who goes from twelfth place in Race1 to sixth in Race2. Unfortunately, the CBR does not allow him to show his talents, which are not few.
Scott Redding: 5
LEnglish BMW seems to have plunged back into the nightmare of the beginning of the season. His crashes in long races bring back the problems of his M1000RR, which his skill and his determination had kept hidden in Most and Magny Cours. Road still uphill.
Garrett Gerloff: 6
Sand were it not for the podium in Saturday’s race, it would have been the usual Gerloff from mid-grid. He likes this track, but here too he has confirmed his limits of concentration and performance.
Michael Van der Mark: 4
Forse would do well to stop to recover a good physical and mental condition. Nineteenth in Superpole, in race 1 he drops Bernardi, while in the Superpole Race he falls, after having served the penalty inflicted on him for the misconduct committed against the young Italian.
