World Superbikes Insight: how Bautista secured Ducati’s first back-to-back titles since Carl Fogarty

ROUND 1 PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

• RACE 1: Bautista, Rea, Razgatlioglu
• SPRINT: Bautista, Rinaldi, Razgatlioglu
• RACE 2: Bautista, Rinaldi, Locatelli

Alvaro Bautista kicked off in style by repeating his 2019 Phillip Island treble, winning all races – rain or shine.

On Sunday, Michael Ruben Rinaldi completed a pair of Ducati 1-2 finishes. Bautista took a series lead which turned out never to be relinquished.

He was challenged in Race 1 by Jonathan Rea but the Northern Irishman was denied by a quickshifter problem. In Race 2, Toprak suffered a costly non-finish as Alex Lowes crashed in his path…

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ROUND 2 MANDALIKA, INDONESIA

• RACE 1: Bautista, Razgatlioglu, Locatelli
• SPRINT: Razgatlioglu, Locatelli, Lowes
• RACE 2: Bautista, Razgatlioglu, Vierge

Mandalika brought Bautista’s first DNF of the season, crashing out of Sunday’s Sprint as he was distracted by Rea and drifted onto the filthy off-line part of track.

The incident allowed Toprak to clinch his first victory of 2023 following a Yamaha 1-2 in qualifying.

Bautista’s comeback meant he’d still won all of the long races…