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The penultimate round of the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is in the history books with new Champions crowned in fine style. However, along with the records achieved and the enjoyment of racing in Indonesia at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, there were plenty of other stories too. The hot headlines from Indonesia have arrived…

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I tried to be the best possible rider”

Crowned WorldSBK Champion for the first time in Race 2, Alvaro Bautista was overwhelmed to get the job done: “I tried to be the best possible rider, not make mistakes. I think our performance has been really, really high. I think I had the best performance level ever from Toprak and Jonathan. They performed at a really high level in all races. I was lucky that I made fewer mistakes than them. What’s important is also consistency. I could beat Jonathan, a six-time World Champion and Toprak, a one-time Champion, breaking all the records at all the tracks which means the level is so high. We can win with this amazing level.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “It was the last chance for me… we need more power”

Relinquishing the #1 at the circuit he claimed it at in 2021, Toprak Razgatlioglu knew it was an uphill challenge and has made his requests clear for 2023 to Yamaha: “I always said I needed three wins as it was the last chance for me, and Phillip Island would be difficult. I gave everything this weekend, especially in the last race, because of hot conditions. I fought a bit with Alvaro, but I said, ‘I need to win this race’. After I passed him, I pushed again but riding calmer. I saw the fastest lap, a 1’32.7s, and I’m really happy. In a Muslim country, I won three times, and this is unbelievable for me. We lost the Championship but I’m not looking at this, I was just trying to win. Congratulations to Alvaro, it was a good season for him. Also, congratulations to Ducati, it’s a very fast bike this year. The Championship is changing again and next year we will do our best again. I am now focused on next year. We need a good bike; we need more power, and we are again fighting for the Championship.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “Alvaro’s a worthy Champion!”

Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea fought hard with Bautista in 2022 and was one of the first to congratulate him: “Of course, Alvaro’s a worthy Champion; Championships don’t get handed out. It’s clear that Ducati have worked hard, and they have for the last few seasons, and Alvaro understands how to get the best from the package. The combination of him, his weight and the bike, of course they have an advantage, but he’s making the magic happen. Big congratulations and respect; I know how it feels a lot, so I hope he enjoys it!”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “I was really close to winning and we got a podium… sometimes I get home a little sad”

A second podium of the season for Andrea Locatelli, who showed great pace throughout the round: “In general, it was a great weekend. To be honest, I think I did a really good race in the Superpole Race. I was really close to winning and then we got the podium. In Race 2, I made some mistakes and lost the opportunity to follow the front group but in the end, we finished fourth. In general, I’m really happy about this weekend. Now, we’re looking to Phillip Island. I think we will arrive with a good motivation after a few months without a great result. A positive weekend. I don’t like to say no positive weekends, but sometimes I get home a little bit sad because I pushed and had a difficult weekend and we got nothing. For example, Barcelona was a great weekend for us, we were really fast every weekend, but we didn’t get many points. This is the life, this is racing.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “Before the season, I wanted to win the Independent Riders’ title… now I want to win races”

Wrapping up the Best Independent Riders’ title, Axel Bassani now has eyes on a bigger prize: “Before the season, I wanted to win the Independent Riders’ title because last year I lost it on the last race after a crash. We won it with four races before the end of the season. I think we did a really good job. The second independent is 100 points behind us, so I think we did a really good job. We had three podiums and now I want to win a race I need to start from Friday with a good setup and pace. I arrive in every round on Sunday morning. It’s not easy because the top three guys, on Friday afternoon, it’s okay. They can do the race pace, they can push and, for me, it’s not the same. I want to start from Friday with a good feeling with the bike and after I think we can have a good race and try to have a good battle for the win. I hope, next year, Ducati can help me to stay with the top three guys because it’s my goal. I want to win races and try to battle the top three in the Championship. I think it’s possible. We are here to do this, and we are not so far from the top three.”

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “We can adjust more with the bike setup”

All the hype surrounded Team HRC’s upgrade with the super concessions and Xavi Vierge was positive: “Basically, it’s the same bike but we can adjust more with the bike setup. This isn’t the easiest track to take profit of that, because of the track conditions changing from FP1 and the rest of the weekend. Basically, we used quite a base setup and tried to take the most from what we have. Me and Iker more or less have the same feeling when we have testing, and we have the same comments, so when something comes, it helps us both.”

Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha): “A second dream come true”

Having taken a second consecutive WorldSSP title, Dominique Aegerter was elated: “A fantastic job we did this year. Three races before the end, we got the second World Championship. We also got the MotoE™ title. We had 15 race wins, 17 podiums and my worst place this season was a fourth place when I finished the race. We had a fantastic season. For me, a second dream come true to be World Champion again. I want to dedicate this Championship to my family, my friends, to all the sponsors, the Ten Kate Racing team and Yamaha. It feels great; we achieved really great things this season, many records, but our goal was to fight for the Championship.”

Watch the last round of 2022 FREE when you purchase the 2023 WorldSBK VideoPass, here!