WSBK Thai Round: Hat-Trick Again For Brilliant Bautista

Ed Hocknull

Alvaro Bautista completed another clean sweep, as he secured a commanding lead in the championship with a dominant performance in SBK Race 2.

Before the final race of the weekend got underway, Leon Camier (Moriwaki Honda) and Thitipong Warakorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) were both ruled out of competing following a collision in the superpole race with a sprained knee and concussion respectively.

Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) was not to be denied off the line this time. Hooking up the start and beating Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) into turn 1, blasting clear down the back straight. As has been the case throughout this weekend, the straight line speed of the Panigale V4R is unmatched. Combined with the Spaniard’s ability to haul the bike at pace through corners, there was no way back for his rivals.

It has been another faultless weekend from the 2019 world superbike rookie, who has started the season in style. Testament to both the talent of the rider, and the Ducati Corse operation who have produced an incredible machine. It is still far too early to be talking of winning the world championship, but the onus is very much on Kawasaki to give chase. When was the last time you heard that?

With Bautista out of sight, and out of mind, Rea was left to battle once more with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha) for the remaining podium places. Lowes has undoubtedly wrung every ounce of performance possible out of the ageing R1, and produced another performance to underline his early season status as team leader. Constantly within a second of the Kawasaki for most of the race, forcing the defending world champion to call on all his experience and racecraft to keep the English rider at bay. Rea only managing to put daylight between himself and Lowes in the closing stages of the race.

Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) once again had to make do with the title of ‘best of the rest’. The Dutchman once again found himself embroiled in a race long scrap with Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha). The latter regularly fishtailing his way down the back straight, trying to maximise all straight line speed from the R1. Haslam hounded van der Mark from start to finish, and the British champion will leave Thailand very satisfied with his strong haul of points this weekend.

The rest of the top ten contained the likes of Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha) and the two young independent stars Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Barni Racing Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki). Rinaldi will be relieved to have secured a decent points finish today after a testing weekend for both he and the team. Toprak, however, may be disappointed to have scraped into the top 10 having battled further up the order with Haslam in the superpole race earlier in the day.

There was disappointment though for two British riders. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retired after 3 laps. It has been a difficult weekend for the team, still without competitive superbike spec engines. The German outfit will be hoping for better when the series arrives in Europe next month. The attrition rate continued with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Ducati) also having to pull off the circuit after 8 laps with technical problems.

WorldSBK Race 2 Result: Top 10

  1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati)
  2. Jonathan Rea (KRT)
  3. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha)
  4. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha)
  5. Leon Haslam (KRT)
  6. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha)
  7. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha)
  8. Michael Rinaldi (Barni Racing Ducati)
  9. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki)
  10. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Kawasaki) 

Ed Hocknull

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