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The 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s first flyaway round of the season is done after a stunning spectacle in San Juan and the Motul Argentinean Round. After a final lap showdown in the Superpole Race, another step towards the title and big breakthroughs for riders further down field – as well as talks of big developments to come – the hot headlines from Argentina have it all.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I saw Toprak very close to me and I thought, ‘s**t’… I gave it everything!”

Speaking about Sunday, Bautista was in good spirits after another thrilling battle with his title rivals: “The only thing that had to be in his mind was to win. He tried and I knew that. If Jonny didn’t make the mistake, he’d have won the race; Jonny was stronger than Toprak and me. When Toprak was behind him, he was pushing so hard, whereas after Jonny made the mistake, the pace slowed down. When I saw that and I saw Toprak go slower, I thought ‘OK, let’s try!’ but he defended everything. I tried a couple of times but in the last lap, he just pushed me out but there was just no space. In Race 2, I saw Toprak very close to me and I thought, ‘s**t’, because if he was there all of the race then he would for sure try at the end. I didn’t think about anything; about the points, the Championship, nothing. Believe me, I gave it everything today, in the Superpole Race and in Race 2.”

The Championship leader then declared that his mentality won’t change even if the title is up for grabs next time out: “It’s better to not change? The way right now is working, it’s going well, I enjoy it a lot and I don’t feel pressure because I’m not thinking about the result, just about the moment. So, why change the mentality? I have to keep the mentality like there’s no Championship. This is 2022 and then there’s 2023. I have two more rounds and then a long break, and then more rounds.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK): “The team always believed in me”

After Race 1’s blunder, Toprak Razgatlioglu was back to winning ways on Sunday: “The team always believed in me. On Saturday night, my motivation was really down. Thanks to the team because they’re really key for my motivation. They also improved the bikes for Sunday. I’m very happy about this. I never see a team after I crash talking strong. It wasn’t easy for me, a mistake for the first time in two years. The team really helped for my motivation.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “I’m disappointed with the situation, we’re not competitive enough… we just can’t make the improvements we need”

After losing out in San Juan’s Superpole Race, Jonathan Rea was dejected, but did take positives: “I’m disappointed with the situation we’re in and that we’re not competitive enough. However, it is what it is: Ducati and Alvaro and Yamaha and Toprak are doing an incredible job and we need to step up. It’s clear the areas we need to improve but we’re not touching the sides; it’s hard. We can’t have it all our own way, but I don’t feel like we have that reference anymore, which is good because I just hope everyone digs in and realises and reacts to it. This year, in some circuits, we’re fighting with our hands tied behind our back and that’s frustrating. Apart from that, I feel like I’m riding well and that everyone inside the box is doing their best, but we just can’t make the improvements we need.”

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC): “I think it’s one of the best weekends!”

After P4 in Race 1, Iker Lecuona was overjoyed: “Honestly, I think it’s one of the best weekends. Maybe even better than the podium at Assen. It’s different because it’s a new track for me; I arrived on Friday and adapted very quickly. I went fast in every session. It was a big surprise for me to be P4 in Superpole. This gave me extra energy on the grid to fight for the podium. During the race, I was P3; Alvaro overtook me and, in this moment, I knew my speed was a bit slower compared to the top three; I don’t care. It’s the first race that the tyres dropped but two or three laps at the end.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “The target is working hard to have a great package to start 2023… Alvaro makes the difference”

Talking about the target going forward, Michael Ruben Rinaldi said: “The target is working hard to have a great package to start 2023. I signed the contract, the same bike, same team and same crew. If I want to fight for the title next year, I need to use these races the best I can to start next year as well as possible. I know that Alvaro, Toprak and Jonny will start on the right foot and that we must be there if we want to try and fight for the title. I think Alvaro is riding really well and also on tracks where there’s no big straight, he’s winning. He makes the difference compared to the rest of the Ducatis. He’s winning because he’s riding fast; I can only look at him and try and improve myself.”

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “In Japan, they’re working really hard… If in Mandalika, we can use the new things, I hope we can make a step forward”

Talking about the areas where Vierge feels he needs to improve and with the super concessions helping Honda, he shared his thoughts: “Especially in the last part of the braking, we can’t turn how we want and then we are delayed with the exit of the corner, and we can’t use the potential of the engine. So, we are focussed on making this part better, so we can use the traction of the bike. We arrived at some tracks where we are more competitive but there are other tracks where we struggled a lot. Last year, in San Juan for example, both riders struggled a lot but this year, we both did good results. In Japan, they’re working really hard, so are we and we’re getting closer. I hope that in the next two rounds, we can keep improving for 2023. We’ll have some changes, and these will help. If in Mandalika, we can use the new things, I hope we can make a step forward.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “Jonny’s Jonny, a World Champion; it was a really hard battle”

Before a Sunday Race 2 to forget, Axel Bassani spoke of a third podium of 2022 and his epic battle with Jonathan Rea in Race 1: “Jonny’s Jonny! He’s a World Champion; it was a really hard battle, we touched a lot, but I like racing like this. This is WorldSBK for me. Alvaro had an incredible pace; I tried to stay with him for two laps but it was impossible for me so I decided to manage the battle with Jonny and try to arrive second. My engine helped me today. In the last part of the track, the Kawasaki and Yamaha are really fast. It was difficult to stay in front of Jonny.”

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