Another 10, the last one, for the Ducati rider, who thus crowns his extraordinary season
November 20, 2022
Lhe Phillip Island track is notoriously favourable to the Ducati Panigale V4 but also Alvaro Bautista points to its pilot. Here in 2019 the Spaniard crashed his opponents inflicting record gaps.
This time it wasn’t quite like that, but even though they didn’t dominate, Alvaro and his V4 still brought home a Superpole and two wins out of three. To complicate things and probably to avoid repeating the results of 2019, the weather was extremely changeable, but also the two Kawasaki riders Jonathan Rea ed Alex Lowesappeared capable of approaching and even defeating the pairing that won the 2022 world title.
Ducati and Kawasaki on all of themtherefore, also why in Australia Yamaha appeared to be in trouble both with the R1 and with its best rider Toprak Razgatlioglu. On a track without braking at the limit and with long linked corners, the Turkish rider was unable to show off his proverbial braking and complained of grip problems.
Although I presented for a top-level rider like Testuta Nagashima, Honda’s balance is negative, thanks to a Xavi Vierge who has not been able to repeat the services provided in Indonesia. The usual BMW clung to Scott Redding but the Englishman only responded in Race 2 and in the other races the M1000RR struggled to enter the top ten.
But here are our votes for the protagonists of the last weekend of WorldSBK 2022
Alvaro Bautista: 10
Bbrave and lucky. Everything is going well for Alvaro this year, but he deserves it. He conquers his second pole position of the season which portends his possible dominance in the races, but the rain enjoys shuffling the cards. In Race 1 the tire change penalized him as it upsets the set up of his V4 and forces him to his worst result of the season. On Sunday he plays a joker who proves to be the winner in the sprint race, while the red flag prevents him from a tough confrontation with Rea in Race 2. In the end, he takes home three out of four. Loosely.
Jonathan Rea: 9
Sthis track his Ninja manages to be competitive and he takes advantage of it. On Saturday he breaks a fast that has lasted for too long and wins with merit. Sunday he doesn’t risk the slick tyres, but he is still third and in Race2 he only gives way to Babau. When the Ninja indulges him he proves to be the Cannibal ever.
Toprak Razgatlioglu: 8
Nnever finds the best set up and never gets the tires right right in the sprint race, but his main problem is that on this track his R1 has little grip and the secondary one is that there aren’t those braking points in which he makes the difference.
In any case, two second places and a fourth, with the excuse of the red flag, are certainly not to be thrown away, especially if you have nothing to play for now and are already thinking about your coveted vacation (in Miami).
Alex Lowes: 8
IBest Lowes ever. Third in Superpole and in the two long races, here in Australia he managed the feat not only of staying with the magnificent three, but also of once behind Bautista and another Toprak. If it seems a little…..
Andrea Locatelli: 7.5
In these two non-European rounds we have revised the Locatelli of the 2021. He always closes close to the leaders and finds excellent consistency in performance. A good viaticum for a 2023 that will be decisive for him.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi: 5
Un weekend to forget for the young Italian from the Aruba team, saved for a corner from seventh place in Race2. He sinks in Race 1 and loses his way home in the Superpole Race. Only on Sunday afternoon in the last race of the season does he see himself again in the upper parts of the standings, where we would expect to see him always. His fourth place in the championship names him as the best outsiders of the season, but 2023 will be the year of truth for him too.
Garrett Gerloff: 6.5
She works hard to leave a good memory of himself in the Yamaha GRT team and the results prove him right. Too bad about the crash in the first corners of Race 2. Except for an occasional cue in two years he hasn’t left his mark. We’ll see what he can do with the BMW.
Scott Redding: 6
Male on Saturday and fine on Sunday. cAs always, English breaks down in difficulties and exalts itself in positive moments. Nobody does it better than him with a BMW that often allows very little.
Philipp Oettl: 6
Torna a little bruised by Mandalika, but he amazed everyone with a seventh place in Superpole and an eighth in Race2. Too bad about the confusion with the tires in Race 1 and in the sprint race. Let’s not forget that it was his first season in Superbike.
Axel Bassani: 5.5
Pto have been therehe and his team’s first time on Philip’s Island didn’t go bad either. The young rider of the Motocorsa team was very alternating but the track conditions messed up a lot of an already complicated situation. All experience that enters.
Tetsuta Nagashima: 7
Ccatapulted into Superbike without knowing the bike and even less the Pirellis, the Japanese proved to be a master pilot. Despite the rain and the tire change he hit the spot top ten in the two long races and was wrecked only in the unknown and very particular sprint race. Really good.
Kyle Smith: 7
Dejumping into Superbike with a private motorbike and on a track never seen before is a tremendous undertaking, but the Englishman knows his stuff and in Race 1 he resisted stoically with rain tyres, managing to bring home 4 points. One more than Mercado and Konig collected all season.
Eugene Laverty: 8
Un vote for the career of this unfortunate driver, who suffers a pelvic contusion in his farewell race. He falls in front of Fores who can’t avoid him. In the end, nothing particularly serious, but he certainly imagined his farewell to racing differently.
Michael van der Mark: 5
Gwe recognize them as the alibi of the long injury and of a motorcycle certainly not up to the task, but 20 points in the last nine races are very few.
SBK 2022. Australian GP. Phillip Island report cards: Alvaro Bautista closes with flying colours [GALLERY]
