MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Two rounds into the WorldSBK season and it already feels that the back is broken on the season. After the shortest winter in memory, some team personnel said that they had just a few days off over Christmas, it’s been a hectic time for the paddock. This week will be a rare chance to catch their breath but with tests in Aragon, Montmelo and Assen on the schedule for teams it’s clear that there’s still plenty of work to be done!

After a hard winter, Indonesia should have been a reward for much of the paddock. With the track sitting on the stunning coastline of Lombok it’s a perfect holiday destination. Good weather, nice hotels, white sand and local cuisine makes for a perfect destination. Unfortunately, that postcard image didn’t quite work out for most teams. Food poisoning seemed to affect half the paddock and the weekend became a test of endurance on and off track.

It’s been a long, hard winter and this was the culmination of that for many...

Toprak wins again

Yamaha know the challenge they are facing in 2023; a horde of fast Ducati’s that can be competitive everywhere. For Toprak Razgatlioglu that means he has to be perfect week in and week out. Australia was far from that objective for the Turkish star, and with Alvaro Bautista having claimed five wins from six races it was critical that Toprak would win at least one race in Indonesia.

The Bautista crash in the Superpole Race opened the door for Toprak to claw back two points on Bautista over the course of the weekend but he had to work incredibly hard to do even that. The 2023 season will be a slog.

“All the Ducatis are fast,” said Toprak. “Bautista is a very strong rider but also now it is a good package with Bautista and Rinaldi too. I tried 100% every lap. This weekend we tried to find a good setup but it wasn’t until Race 2 that the front tyre was good and not destroyed. In the races I’m strong, but not strong enough. After the red flag we didn’t have a new SC0 tyre so I just tried my best. After a few laps it was just spinning. Finishing second in Race 2 was good for the championship.”

Australia was a tough weekend for Toprak and Indonesia had promised more. He was expecting to convert his pole position into race wins, but as it was he left Lombok feeling the weight of pressure from Ducati and Bautista. The Spaniard and the Panigale are a match made in heaven, and now as we move back to Europe Toprak, Yamaha and the rest of the field will be left clutching at straws hoping that cooler temperatures will come to their aid.

Cooler temperatures, better times?

The Ducati works well in hot and cool conditions. It works on fast tracks and stop-start tracks. It’s a complete package, but in Toprak’s favour he’s a complete riding package. The championship is long and there’s a way to go yet, but with Assen next on the calendar Toprak will be keen to get to the front at a track he loves. Last year’s crash with Rea meant we don’t have a full form card of the Yamaha versus the Ducati, but don’t be surprised to see the Yamaha 1-2 in the Superpole session repeated next time out.

“I hope we are focused on the race and we don’t crash with Johnny again! This wasn’t an easy weekend for Johnny and I think it’s a similar problem to mine with the front tyre dropping. The Kawasaki isn’t working well in the hot conditions but Jonny is still very strong. He is always very strong at Assen and we need him to help fight with Ducati.”

Bautista and Ducati keep the ball rolling

Ducati claimed their first Indonesian victory in Race 1 on Saturday and Alvaro Bautista swiftly wrapped up a second in Race 2. Being able use the softer SCX tyre in the feature length races once again showed the advantage that Bautista holds over his rivals; the fastest bike and the softest tyre is a tough combination to beat. On Sunday however Bautista was able to race with the harder tyre and still prove his pace.

The Spaniard said that the softer tyre was faster but the harder tyre offered him more stability. While others had to compromise he could make both work. Sandwiched between his Indonesian victories the Spaniard highsided out of the Superpole Race after a battle with Jonathan Rea. The Spaniard hit the deck after running off the racing line and touching the dirty track surface. It was, almost, a wet weather crash.

“I came into the corner and Jonathan came up the inside,” explained Bautista about his crash. “Both of us wanted to be on the good line but then we went both went wide. If you're off line here it’s very easy to crash. I tried to pick up the bike and to be smooth with the gas but I just touched the gas a little bit and lost the rear. Jonathan was the same. It was dangerous there because I think in a normal track, I wouldn’t crash. If I’m on my own I don’t go off the line but it's normal when someone overtakes you. In this situation we both tried to stay on the line and it was a good overtaking move. It was aggressive but I’m not complaining. I crashed because of the dirty track, not because of Jonathan.”

Opportunity knocks

The crash gave the rest of the grid some cause for optimism in Race 2. Bautista would start from the fourth row of the grid and would have to come through the field. As the initial race got underway Michael Ruben Rinaldi opened a lead of three seconds over his teammate. The Italian looked on course for the win, although Bautista said afterwards that he was still confident of closing down that margin, but a red flag caused the race to be restarted and instantly Bautista was the favourite for a 14 lap dash for the cash.

Afterwards Bautista said that you can never take anything for granted and that his focus is very much on the here and now, despite winning five of the opening six races.

“I have so much confidence with this bike and that’s the important thing because if we can keep this feeling for the next races, we can be competitive and we can fight for victories. Anything can happen until the chequered flag but you try to forget about the championship. We have a test in Barcelona soon and that's what I'm focused on because I'm enjoying riding the bike.”

That Alvaro is enjoying riding the bike seems like the biggest understatement in WorldSBK at the moment...

Locatelli - A changed man

It’s always surprising to see a former Supersport World Champion fly under the radar. That’s exactly what Andrea Locatelli has managed to do over the last six months. From Indonesia last year, the penultimate round, until now Locatelli has been a constant top five runner in WorldSBK. During the winter there were noises that he had closed to the gap to his teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu, and the opening two rounds have borne that out.

It truly is a thankless task to be teamed up with a rider like Toprak. The Turkish superstar is the benchmark. There is no rider with more talent in WorldSBK and he is also a relentless force of consistency. For the last 12 races however Locatelli has been superb. Four podiums and twelve top five finishes is a solid return for anyone, but for Loka it’s given him the confidence to believe in more.

“I do prefer when we get the podium but it wasn’t easy to get that Race Two,” said Locatelli after finishing fifth on Sunday. “It’s been a good weekend. We made no mistakes. We will test before the next round but I would prefer to keep racing!”

Raising his sights

Locatelli’s performance was impressive but the most important step was being disappointed by his final race of the weekend. Three podiums would have been a fantastic return but being disappointed with two podiums and a fifth says a lot about his progress. He has started to believe in himself to a much greater degree and the next step is knowing that he can fight with his teammate. The front row start, less than a tenth slower than Toprak, was a superb lap, but now he needs to start making those opportunities count. Assen is a gift wrapped opportunity.

“I had my first podium Superbike podium at Assen and it’s a good track for me. I think we have a good package and I have a good feeling. We need to be fast in Assen but I think we need to be faster everywhere this season. We have started the season in a good way. We can continue to build our confidence and try to fight for the podium or for the top five. The top five is a good result.”

Top five finishes and podiums are good results but for Loka and Yamaha the goal is evolving; they are expecting to win soon.

Results elude Rinaldi but the tide is turning

While Alvaro Bautista was receiving the plaudits for another great weekend in Indonesia his Aruba.it Ducati teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, was left licking his wounds. Three crashes over the course of the weekend left the Italian with bumps and bruises, but it was the red-flagged final race of the weekend that left its mark on Rinaldi.

Leading the way by almost three seconds when the flags came out he instantly felt his heart sink. He knew that he had no front tyres and that it would be almost impossible for him to win.

“All weekend with a used front I struggled for grip after a few laps,” said Rinaldi. “I felt OK at the beginning and I pushed and gained over a second. Then I lose the grip on the front. I knew where the limit of the front was because I crashed in the warm-up and I just tried to bring the bike home in the best position. I couldn’t push because I had no front grip. Alvaro overtook me and on the last lap I was trying not to crash. It was really difficult.”

It’s been a difficult start to the season for Rinaldi. In both rounds he has been very strong, at tracks where his past form hasn’t been impressive, but the wet weather of the season opener left him way down the order. Lapping 2.5 seconds per lap slower than Bautista he was nowhere in Race 1 of Australia, before claiming back-to-back podiums the next day. In Indonesia he crashed on his first flying lap of the weekend and wracked up another couple of crashes, including at the first corner of Race 1.

It was a shame for the Italian because the speed was there all weekend, and once again he was left wondering what might have been from the weekend.

Hope for the future

With his copybook blotted three times so far this year, his speed has allowed him to still sit fifth in the standings just four points behind Axel Bassani. It’s a good indication of what’s to come from Rinaldi and at Assen and Montmelo he will expect to challenge for his first win since Catalunya 2021.

“I was strong in Phillip Island. During testing in the winter at Portimao and Jerez I was strong. The speed is there but we need to work a little bit better and I need to not make mistakes. I need to be smarter. I made a stupid mistake in Race 1 but Sunday was another day. I know that I could be fast but I had an engine braking issue during the Superpole Race. I felt really good at the start of Race Two and when the red flag came out I had a lead of over two seconds, I knew I had no new tyre front and I knew the problems that I would face from the restart. The speed is there.”

The speed is there and soon too will be the results. Rinaldi’s start to the season hasn’t been reflective of the progress he’s made with the Ducati.

High points and hospitals for BMW

What can you say about BMW in Indonesia? A stunning top six finish in Race 1 for Michael van der Mark and a second row starting spot for Loris Baz showed a lot of potential for the Bavarian machine. However, on a weekend where they showed a good turn of pace and potential, the weekend still ended with both riders nursing broken bones.

One of the biggest talking point of the weekend was Baz' injury during the Superpole Race. Having had the initial race red flagged after a big crash involving Baz and Alex Lowes, along with Danilo Petrucci, it was ironic that the Kawasaki and BMW riders came into contact in the eight lap Superpole Race and left Baz with a broken ankle.

On the entry to Turn 10, the Frenchman dangled his leg and it was hit in sickening style by Lowes as the Englishman made his way through. It was, quite simply, bad luck and bad timing. Baz was doing what riders do on corner entry and Lowes was already committed to overtaking him when Baz stuck his leg out. It was gruesome but inevitable, because by the point Baz dangles his leg Lowes’ momentum meant that he was unable to change his direction.

“We've all been doing this with our legs for many years,” said Baz after the accident. “I don't blame Alex for the crash but I want to explain what happened. Lombok and Argentina are always very dirty tracks when we get there so we clean the track as we ride, but we are always on the same line. It's one metre wide that is clean and offers grip. Normally when you're trying to overtake someone you leave enough room for safety, but you can't do that in this situation. If you leave room you get on the dirt and end up going straight or falling yourself.”

It was bad luck for Baz and it’s left him with a nasty injury to recover from in time for Assen next month.

Bad luck never comes alone

For BMW it wasn’t the only bad luck either. On Saturday, Van der Mark managed his race perfectly to come strong at the end and march through the field to sixth. It was a stunning ride that once again confirmed his place as the top BMW rider so far this season. But, it was also the high point of the Dutchman’s weekend, which ended in the medical centre after a huge highside in Race 2.

A fracture to his left hand meant that his second home round - he is a quarter Indonesian - ended in disaster, but for Van der Mark there were plenty of positives to take.

“I think that the bike is good now. We are still struggling for traction on corner exit but honestly we're not far away. I can ride with the others and they aren't pulling a big gap on us. We're missing a few tenths of a second, which isn't massive but those are always the toughest tenths to find! It was a shame to have such a big crash on Sunday, but it was also the first time I had any problems all weekend. I ran off line after being pushed wide and I had a big crash. We have some tests before Assen and I’m excited to race again.”

A hard grind

While Van der Mark is excited to race again, the same didn’t appear to be the case for his teammate Scott Redding for much of the Indonesian weekend. The Englishman’s opening race of the weekend was ended by a stone through the radiator, but as he punched the tank and fumed in the pitbox it was clear just how frustrated he is at the moment. Last year, at the opening round in Aragon, it was a similar tale of woe for Redding and he turned around his season with a strong run of form mid-season.

“The bike needs to turn better and have a little more acceleration,” said Redding. “I was following some of the other riders and they had incredible acceleration coming out of corners. Sunday was the first time this year that I’ve felt more feeling with the bike and feeling like I can actually push with the bike. I hope we can continue like this.”

With Redding and Van der Mark both looking for improvement on corner exit this should be an area that BMW focus on in the upcoming tests. The team will be on track at Catalunya at the end of the month, and don’t be surprised if they use their extra testing days, as a result of being a Super Concession manufacturer, to also get on track at Assen.

War of words

After Sunday’s final of the weekend came to a close, Danilo Petrucci was keen to let everyone know his displeasure. Whether taking aim at Alex Lowes, Race Direction or the Superpole Race, the Italian’s frustration was clear to see.

“The Superpole Race is like bumper cars. I don’t understand the behaviour of Alex Lowes and also the Race Direction. If the race wasn't red flagged Baz was on the ground and I was in the the gravel, yet there was no penalty for Lowes. In Phillip Island, he crashed with Toprak. No penalty. I don’t understand it. I was in front and from the images Race Direction said he made a mistake and lost the bike, and hit me in the back. I was in front and it was a rider mistake. It’s okay that it’s the first lap, but he ruined the race of two other riders.”

While Petrucci was stressing his displeasure it should be noted that it would be unusual for Race Direction to confirm a mistake of this magnitude for Lowes and then not issue a penalty. For Lowes it was clear that he wasn’t to blame, with the Kawasaki rider stating in Parc Ferme that “I’ll have to talk to Danilo about this incident.”

Lowes felt pinched into Turn 2 and that Petrucci closed in front of him when there was no chance to react. Looking at the footage - which doesn’t show the full incident - it was clear that Lowes was ahead on the exit of Turn 1 but that Petrucci was exiting the corner with momentum that allowed him to get alongside and slightly ahead into Turn 2. The Ducati rider was though on the outside line, and with a rider inside you have to account for them. Speaking to other riders in the group on Sunday evening confirmed Lowes suggestion that he was pinched from the outside.

For Petrucci it was the second weekend in a row where he felt that the Superpole Race created too much risk for riders. In Australia he said that it was like being in a bar fight and in Indonesia he once again felt it was over the limit,

“The Superpole race is a mess. I don't think it's the safest option to do an eight-lap race on these bikes. In the last corner of the Superpole race, Aegerter overtook me and pushed me to the outside. I'm afraid of the Superpole race, my winglets are shaved off every time.”

Honda and Vierge on the podium

It was a tale of contrasting fortunes for the Honda riders in Indonesia. Iker Lecuona was distraught and out of sorts all weekend long. The Spaniard crashed in FP1, and from that point onwards he lacked confidence. He admitted to being afraid of crashing again, having had flashbacks to a serious crash last year.

His weekend of woes was compounded by losing his fastest time in Superpole due to yellow flags. This relegated him from the fourth row of the grid to the sixth row and left it almost impossible for him to make an impression on proceedings.

“We were a bit unlucky in Superpole because my lap time was cancelled. I don't think our results reflected our real level. It was a very challenging weekend. We had ups and downs in every session and in the end we just couldn't juggle it all.”

His teammate, Xavi Vierge, was comfortably the top Honda man all weekend. Three top seven finishes and a first career podium were his rewards. Being able to make the softest SCX tyre last for the duration of the feature length races played into his hands but the Spaniard needed to be at his best to come away with such strong results. Now he can look forward to Assen, a track where he had two top five finishes in Moto2, to build on this success.

“From my first day on the bike we’ve tried so hard,” smiled Vierge. “It hasn’t been easy and sometimes we have been close but we have always missed some tenths. The team gave me the support to stay calm and made a plan to do as many laps as possible with a stable base. I’ve been able to build my confidence back lap by lap. In Australia I struggled because the tyres were so hard and I couldn’t ride it like I wanted to. The softer tyre gives more grip and it’s better for me.

“Being consistently inside the top six is the objective. In WorldSBK every bike has its strong areas, and this weekend was us getting the most from our strong areas. We have some areas that we are quite fast and we have to try and not lose much in the sectors where we are struggling. We are working hard but everybody is working hard! I hope that step by step we can get closer.”