PREVIEW: three races, two riders, one Championship – Razgatlioglu and Bulega set for WorldSBK title-deciding Jerez
The title race has been taken to the final round and it’s advantage Razgatlioglu at the moment, but who knows what might happen at the season finale?
From the Portuguese coast to close to the south of Spain for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as the title fight reaches a conclusion. It will be either Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) or Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) crowned as the 2024 Champion, with everything coming down to the Prometeon Spanish Round at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
THE TITLE FIGHT: advantage Razgatlioglu, can Bulega keep it going?
Razgatlioglu heads to Jerez with a 46-point lead over Bulega with 62 available. Mathematics and probability suggest the trophy will be going to Razgatlioglu but, in a title decider, anything can happen. If the #54 finishes Race 1 with a 37-point lead over Bulega, he’ll be crowned Champion on Saturday. He’s a two-time race winner at Jerez, both in 2021, while he’s been on the rostrum seven times. As for Bulega, it’ll be his first visit to Jerez in WorldSBK, but he was a double victor in WorldSSP at the Spanish circuit. Both celebrated their birthday on the Wednesday leading up to the round, so who will celebrate twice in a week?
WHAT ELSE IS UP FOR GRABS? Manufacturers’ and Teams’ Championships…
Ducati are in pole position to wrap up the Manufacturers’ Championship, leading BMW by 35 points with 62 available, and they’ll wrap that up in Race 1 if they outscore the German manufacturer by two points. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati outfit team can win the Teams’ Championship too, leading ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team by 92 points with 111 available. Bulega and teammate Alvaro Bautista will aim to wrap that up, while Razgatlioglu and teammate Michael van der Mark will look to pull off the seemingly impossible and overturn a huge deficit. Bautista has won five races at Jerez, including the last three, while van der Mark has one win and four podiums at the Andalusian venue.
TOP TEN IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP: lots still to play for…
Bautista’s bronze medal for 2024 is confirmed, with the next biggest battle in the Championship between Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Just six points separate the pair, although neither have taken a podium at Jerez in WorldSBK. Then, van der Mark, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) are separated by just 12 points heading into the season finale in the battle for P6. There’s also a battle to finish in the top ten, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 10th but unfit for the weekend after fracturing his wrist at Estoril. The Australian rider will be replaced by Alessandro Delbianco, who returns to GRT Yamaha for the second time after stepping in for the injured Dominique Aegerter earlier in the season. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona are 15 and 17 points behind the #87 respectively, with Honda currently showing strong form following on from Lecuona’s Estoril Race 1 rostrum. Ahead of the battle for P10 is Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), with the American 44 points behind Locatelli but 34 points clear of Vierge.
FAREWELLS: the last race in this era of Kawasaki
Jerez will mark the end of an era for the Provec Racing squad and KRT. It was announced earlier this season that Bimota would return to the Championship, with the Alex Lowes and teammate Axel Bassani remaining with the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team next year. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) will wave goodbye to Motocorsa after a difficult season, although he was fighting for top tens at Estoril, while Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) is braced for his last WorldSBK race before returning to British Superbike in 2025.
AIMING TO END THE YEAR ON A HIGH: can Rea take Estoril form into Jerez?
Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) took a front-row grid slot at Estoril and finished fifth and fourth in the long races, marking one of his strongest weekends of the season. Can he repeat, or improve, on that at Jerez? Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) returned to action in Portugal and will be hoping to build on that, while Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) will be hoping to finish the season on a high at a circuit he’s won two races at. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha), Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda), Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) have all shown flashes of brilliance this season and will be aiming to repeat that at Jerez.
WILDCARDS AND RIDER LINE-UP NEWS: two Hondas, two Yamahas
Four wildcards will compete at Jerez. 2024 British champion Kyle Ryde (OMG Racing) will compete on a Yamaha R1 machine, as will the rider he defeated in this year’s fight. Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) makes a second appearance of 2024 on a CBR1000RR-R machine. Tetsuta Nagashima (Team HRC) completes the quota of Hondas, with six Fireblades on the grid, while Luca Bernardi is back with Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team for a second wildcard after his Estoril appearance. Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) will hope to be back in action after missing Estoril, with the Malaysian rider needing to pass pre-round medical checks.
Catch up on all the action from Estoril HERE with the highlights show, read the Official Programme for Jerez HERE and don’t miss any of the action from Spain using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!
