WSBK R5 Another perfect weekend for Bautista

Press Release

World Superbike | 2023 | R5 | Emilia Romagna (ITA) | Sunday 4 June 2023
Another perfect weekend for Bautista who takes a third triple win in a row. Rinaldi battles for second place but crashes out six laps from the end. Second place for Bulega in WorldSSP

Alvaro Bautista was unbeatable as he took his third consecutive hat trick of the season, conquering his 14th victory in 15 races, a new record in WorldSBK history. On the other hand, Michael Rinaldi crashed with six laps to go after a good battle with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha).

After winning Race 1, Bautista took the win in the Superpole Race and dominated Race 2 as well, taking the lead at the first corner and passing under the chequered flag with a wide margin. The Spanish rider is now firmly at the top of the Superbike World Championship standings with 298 points and an advantage of 86 points over Razgatlioglu.

Rinaldi finished third in the Superpole Race, and in Race-2, he was the protagonist of a good duel with Razgatlioglu. However, Six laps from the end, the Italian rider made a small mistake that compromised his race.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #1)
"It was a special weekend not only for Ducati but also for me. After so many years with this brand, I now feel half-Italian. Right now, my feeling with the bike is incredible, allowing me to take it to the limit on every track and in every situation. The season is still long, and the goal is to continue like this. I thank the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team for the great work done again this weekend!"

Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"The regret is great, and it is useless to deny it, but it was a very positive weekend in terms of performance. In Race 2, the feeling wasn't what it was on Saturday, but I still managed to stay firmly in the podium zone with a big advantage over the chasers. The crash? I was sucked into Toprak's slipstream, and he braked hard. The combination of these two factors led me to make a mistake. It's a pity, but I come out of this round with great confidence".


WorldSSP
Nicolò Bulega was the protagonist of a splendid duel with Manzi (Yamaha) and finished second in Race 2, bringing home 20 precious points for the classification that sees him firmly in the lead of the World Supersport Championship (+36 points over Manzi).

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP)
"Winning would have been better, but I am satisfied anyway. Manzi was incredible today, and I congratulate him because he was really fast, and the battle with him was really good. We bring home another 20 important points and remain first in the championship, so I am very happy about that. Now we will try to be just as competitive in the next round at Donington! Thanks to the whole team for the incredible work these days!"