On a rain soaked Silverstone circuit, it was Leopard Racing’s Jaume Masia who took pole position ahead of Britain’s Scott Ogden in 2nd and championship rival Daniel Holgado in 3rd.Masia taking the fight to Holgado as best he can to keep his title hopes alive.
It was a qualifying session full of yellow flags and riders tip toeing round the circuit in cold damp conditions.. Well it wouldn’t be a proper British Grand Prix without the rain and clouds now would it.
Into Q1 and with 9 mins left of the session the first set of times were coming through with Xavi Artigas posting the quickest time. Just as Artigas went quickest, David Alonso lit up the yellow flags in sector 4 and was unable to get the bike going again. Alonso would have to start Sunday’s Grand Prix from the back of the grid.
As the riders confidence grew throughout the session the lap times tumbled with Artigas dominating the session, a surprise name in the Q1. With David Salvador at the end of the session going down at turn 17, the top 4 going through to Q2 were Artigas, Taiyo Furusato, Joel Kelso and Filippo Farioli.
Into Q2 we went and with these conditions it was anybody’s guess as to who would take pole for Sunday’s race. Ivan Ortola and Stefano Nepa were the first to come through with the KTM teammates posting the first batch of quick times. When the riders found the grip the lap times fell with the usual names of Holgado, Ayumu Sasaki and Masia all quickly into the top 10.
Last 5mins of Q2 and championship leader Holgado topped the times by a few tenths to Sasaki in 2nd. Masia then only a few moments later smashed the quickest time by over half a second to go to the top of the timings.
Pushing for pole Holgado in sector 4 had a big high side at club corner. The championship leader caught out and was likely to go quickest with just one corner left of the lap.
Only a minute left of the session now and with both sectors 1 and 4 in yellow flags could Masia hold onto pole position. The final laps came thick and fast as Scott Ogden was red in the first three sectors and Sasaki was also flying on his final attempt. With both riders pushing for pole position, Sasaki crossed the line only to be pipped to pole by Ogden. As Ogden looked up to the screen and started celebrating there was a lot of confusion as to why the timing screens were showing Masia on pole position.
After what must of been an agonising wait for Ogden, confirmation eventually came through to show that Ogden’s lap time had been cancelled. Still a fantastic qualifying from the home rider clearly showing his talent in mixed conditions.
Pole position for Masia then with Holgado in 3rd. Two championship rivals on the front row with British rider Scott Ogdon in the middle in 2nd.
With overcast skies, cold conditions and a damp track, it could only be Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and what a grand prix it was! David Alonso with the ride of a lifetime starting at the back of the grid to take his first Grand Prix win in Moto3.
Race winner at the Dutch TT in Assen and main title rival to Daniel Holgado, Jaume Masia failed to convert his pole position finishing way down in 18th place. Holgado finished in 3rd place taking a championship lead of 22 points to the next round in Austria. Ayumu Sasaki finished 2nd for the Husqvarna team also moving up to second in the championship standings.
AS IT HAPPENED
A British rider on the front row of the British Grand Prix, and it started with heartbreak for Scott Ogden as the Vision Track Racing Team rider couldn’t get the bike going for the warm up lap. A front row start ruined and Ogden would have to start at the back of the grid.
Masia got off to a great start only to be overtaken by Holgado into turn 1. A few corners in and Deniz Öncü was up from starting 9th to 1st battling with Holgado and Masia at the front of the Grand Prix. Now onto the Hangar Straight up towards Stowe corner, Öncü was side by side with Holgado as they come through the final corners to complete the lap 1. Öncü leading the way with Masia 2nd and Holgado in 3rd.
GASGAS Aspar rider David Alonso at the end of lap 1 was up an incredible 16 places and David Muñoz for BOE Motorsports up 12 places. Incredible starts for Alonso and Muñoz.
14 laps to go and Alonso goes by Artigas up to 11th, at the front its ever changing with Öncü making a mistake at Copse corner allowing Ortola and Sasaki to come through and join the party at the front. Alonso, didn’t stop there on lap 2 getting by Romano Fenati and quickly Joel Kelso up to 9th now for the Colombian teenager.
Into lap 3 now, Diogo Moreira posts the fastest lap of the race so far, Masia leads from Sasaki in 2nd followed by Holgado and Ortola. Yellow flags in sector 1 waved as Masia crashed out of the lead going into The Loop, a nightmare for Leopard Racing and Masia after such a strong weekend starting on pole position.
Still on lap 3 and the order is now Holgado leading with Moreira in 2nd who started 17th on the grid, followed by Tatsuki Suzuki in 3rd who started 10th and Alonso in 4th who started the race at the back of the grid.
Lap 4 and Holgado now looking to capitalise on Masia no longer at the front trying to break from the group, but the rest of the pack have other ideas. Moreira, Alonso and Sasaki ever dicing and changing positions at every opportunity along the long winding Silverstone circuit.
Lap 5 and Öncü is now back on the attack on Sasaki’s back wheel trying to take the lead hard on the breaks as they break into vale corner coming to the end of the lap. Holgado lead at the start of Lap 5 and ending it in 7th place. Any of the top 10 to 15 riders could possibly win this race with 10 laps to go. A classic Moto3 race unfolding here at Silverstone.
From qualifying LAST to running FIRST in the race! 🔥
Coming up to half way through now and Alonso leads, a potential superstar in the making, you would never of thought that this was his very first time racing at Silverstone.
Collin Veijer posting fastest lap after lap now up to 8th after starting down in 15th. The leading group of 10 riders all fighting for the win. With constant dicing and changing of positions the race is shaping up a for a last lap battle to take victory.
Lap 11 of 15 and Holgado leads with Ortola, Alonso, Sasaki and Öncü all dicing and swapping positions. Its been an incredible Silverstone Grand Prix so far and its impossible to call as to who is going to take victory. No rider able to pull a gap at the front and Silverstone offers so many different lines and overtaking opportunities.
3 Laps to go now and yellow flags appear in sector 4, Matteo Bertelle and Suzuki crash out as Alonso is making his way back from 8th to 5th. Sasaki leading from Öncü and now Alonso up to 3rd place half way through lap number 3. To the end of lap 3 we go now and across the line Holgado pulls alongside and by Alonso into first along the Hamilton Straight. Sasaki now into turn 3 past Alonso as they go onto the Wellington Straight. This race is heading for a photo finish.
Last lap now and championship leader Holgado leads with Alonso 2nd and Öncü 3rd. Sasaki and Ortola coming together battling for 4th place just behind the leading 3.
Into Luffield Corner and the Colombian teenager Alonso goes up the inside of Holgado and takes the lead. Sasaki now goes by taking the lead into Maggotts and Becketts. Down into Stowe corner Alonso retakes the lead from Sasaki and hangs on to take the win. What a race. The GASGAS Aspar Team have found a superstar.
The top 15 point scoring positions were covered by just 1.572 seconds at the end of the Grand Prix. One of the closest finishes in Grand Prix history. What a comeback race for Moto3 after the summer break.
There were times when it felt like we were watching a Moto3 race today at Silverstone – there was drama up and down the grid and 5 riders all in contention for the win when we reached the final lap.
Aleix Espargaro has won the British grand prix at Silverstone in stunning fashion. Despite starting the race in 12th, he quietly made his way up the field, capitalised on others crashing, and then found himself in the leading group of four. There was plenty of tussling and battling but he kept his eyes on race leader Pecco Bagnaia to then make a move on the final lap of the race.
Bagnaia ended the day in 2nd, despite looking pretty untouchable and dominant for much of the race.
The final podium position was taken by Brad Binder, who mastered the tricky weather conditions and used them to his advantage. As others tiptoed round the circuit, making cautious moves, he threw his KTM machine around on his way up to 3rd.
Binder enjoyed a lot of battles with Miguel Oliveira, who is back this weekend after taking some time out due to an injury. He was very close to the final podium spot as well as Maverick Vinales. The pair eventually came home 4th and 5th respectively.
As is becoming so normal now on race day, Jack Miller flew off the start line and was an early leader. However, he began to drop back a little bit and then, on lap 3, Vinales made an aggressive move up the inside as the pair were fighting for 4th. This move pushed Miller out wide and dropped him back to 14th. He eventually finished the day in 8th.
Rain started to fall on lap 13 of 20. Four riders opted to change bike and run the wet tires, including Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli. However, the gamble didn’t pay off and they all finished at the back of the grid.
Joining them at the back as the checkered flag fell was Fabio Quartararo. But his day wasn’t as bad as it seemed. The Frenchman started the race from last on the grid and worked hard to get himself up to 8th. Whilst fighting with Luca Marini for 7th, the pair collided and he went down at turn 4. He lost much of the carbon fibre off the front of the bike but was able to keep going. He came in to the pits to change his bike and then ended the day 15th. A disappointing result for the Yamaha rider, but he did show glimpses of the old Fabio today.
There were further DNFs for Alex Marquez who retired with a technical failure on lap 5. It looked as though his gear linkage was broken as he limped his way back to the garage.
His brother, Marc Marquez, also failed to meet the checkered flag. He was battling with Enea Bastianini at Maggotts and Becketts when the two collided and both went down – it seems they were just making moves that were too risky when the track was greasy and wet.
Full Results
1st
Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia
2nd
Pecco Bagnaia
Ducati
3rd
Brad Binder
KTM
4th
Miguel Oliveira
CryptoDATA RNF
5th
Maverick Vinales
Aprilia
6th
Jorge Martin
Prima Pramac
7th
Luca Marini
Mooney VR46
8th
Jack Miller
KTM
9th
Johann Zarco
Prima Pramac
10th
Raul Fernandez
CryptoDATA RNF
11th
Augusto Fernandez
GASGASG Tech3
12th
Pol Espargaro
GASGASG Tech3
13th
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Gresini
14th
Franco Morbidelli
Yamaha
15th
Fabio Quartararo
Yamaha
16th
Takaaki Nakagami
LCR Honda
17th
Icer Lecuona
LCR Honda
DNFs = Joan Mir (Repsol Honda), Alex Marquez (Gresini), Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
In typical British fashion, all we could talk about for most of today’s sprint race was the weather. It was unpredictable and difficult to master. But one man came out on top – and for the first time in his premier class career!
It was Alex Marquez who came out on top for today’s sprint race at the British GP. He started the race in 3rd, took the lead on lap 2, and never looked back. He faced a late charge from Marco Bezzecchi, who came home in 2nd, but he lead easily and took the checkered flag in dominant fashion.
The final podium spot was taken by Maverick Vinales, who was thrilled to squeeze a podium out of his Aprilia machine which, typically, doesn’t like these damp conditions.
Early race leaders, Jorge Martin and Jack Miller eventually came home in 6th and 7th respectively.
Further down the pack, it was a difficult day for reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia – he came home in 14th and scored no points, meaning his championship lead over Bezzecchi has been cut to 27 points.
It was an even tougher day for Marc Marquez, coming home in 18th and seemingly facing yet more issues on his Honda, and Fabio Quartararo who made no waves in the race at all – the Frenchman started the race last, in 22nd, and was only able to make up one place across the entire sprint race. A day to forget for both former champions.
The sprint races format, which is new for 2023 in this new era of MotoGP, has now given us 5 different winners across 9 different race weekends. The forecast for tomorrow’s main race is looking dry – can Alex Marquez replicate his win under those normal conditions?
As it happened
After a saturated free practice and qualifying session earlier in the day, the track was beginning to dry as the riders took to the grid for today’s sprint race. That left a lot of questions around tire selection and mid-race bike changes. As it turned out, every rider opted for medium wet tires and this seemed to be the ideal option as the rain would start falling before the race ended.
As the lights went out, Jack Miller and his KTM machine took an unsurprising early lead. He flew off the line and quickly got past polesitter Marco Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi put up an early fight but it was the Aussie who was clearly out in the lead by the end of the first few corners.
The reigning champ has had a terrible first lap! 🤯
Further back down the pack, Pecco Bagnaia had a wobble and fell back from his starting position of 4th and in to a pack of squabbling riders. He was now back down in 12th after losing 8 places. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini clashed in the opening few corners, causing a large gap to form right in the middle of the pack.
Miller wasn’t able to keep hold of the lead for long – after getting past Augusto Fernandez to take 3rd, Jorge Martin flew up the inside of both Bezzecchi in 2nd and Miller in 1st to steal the lead of the race at Stowe corner. It didn’t last for long though and the Prima Pramac rider soon lost out to Bezzecchi and Miller again.
It was on lap 2 that Alex Marquez took the lead. He first shoved his way up the inside of Bezzecchi and then, a few corners later, flew past Miller and into the lead. By the end of lap 3, Marquez had a 0.5 second lead over the rest of the pack.
On lap 4, Maverick iInales and Aleix Espargaro make their way past Martin, who has now been shuffled back to 6th. On the following lap, Vinales was now battling with Miller for the final podium position.
At the halfway point, with his brother leading the pack by 0.8 seconds, Marc Marquez was still struggling down in 14th and he could be seen looking over his shoulder, suggesting there might have been an issue with his bike.
The grid then began to settle in to the race and everything seemed to calm down. Aleix Espargaro took 4th away from Miller, and shortly after we had Martin closing in on the Aussie too. Further back down the grid and Fabio Giannantonio took 12th away from Bagnaia, before Bastianini followed suit.
On lap 8, we had spots of rain appearing at various points on the circuit and, on lap 9, Bezzecchi was squeezing everything out of his Mooney VR46 machine as he went on the hunt for Marquez and the race win. By the start of the final lap, the gap has dropped from just over a second down to 0.8 seconds. Then, in the first sector of the final lap, Bezzecchi took another 0.3 seconds off this gap. Sadly, in the end, Bezzecchi just ran out of road and came home 0.366s behind maiden premier class winner Alex Marquez.
During a typical summer’s day at the British Grand Prix, the rain poured at Silverstone for our first qualifying after the summer break. The conditions were difficult to master, with many riders falling, but one man was able to secure pole.
Marco Bezzecchi mastered the awful conditions on track today to bring his bike home in pole – his second consecutive pole position. However, his bike wasn’t unscathed. Bezzecchi went down in the dying minutes of Q2 whilst trying to improve on his time. His bike looked very much like it was ready for the scrap heap as the Italian rider walked to parc ferme. He will be joined on the front row by Jack Miller and Alex Marquez who also mastered the conditions.
As It Happens
Qualifying 1
The first rider to fall victim to the conditions was Fabio DiGiantonio. He faced a highside going into Abbey corner with 9 minutes remaining on the clock. It was a disappointing early end to the session for the rider was was fastest in practice and was sitting at the top of the timing sheets so far in qualifying.
A few minutes later, Fabio Quartararo aquaplanes at turn 16 – he is able to keep the bike upright and gets it going again to rejoin the session.
Franco Morbidelli is next to top the timing sheets and continues to beat his own time on his way to a Q2 spot.
Enea Bastianini was looking set to join Morbidelli in Q2, sitting comfortably in 2nd for much of the session. However, he was bested by Augusto Fernandez in the dying moments, as the Spanish rider set a 2:16.885.
It was a hugely difficult day for Quartararo who wasn’t able to find his rhythm again after the mid-session incident. He will start both of this weekend’s races from the back of the grid.
Qualifying 2
The first rider to top the timing sheets was Jack Miller who set a blistering lap time of 2:15.629 – it seemed to come out of nowhere as the Aussie left everything on the track whilst others were tip-toeing around.
With 6 and a half minutes left on the clock, Pecco Bagnaia had a fast crash after locking the breaks. He went down at turn 6 and despite hitching a lift on a moped, he wasn’t able to get back to the garage with enough time to get back on track for a hot lap. Luckily for the reigning champion, he had already laid down a fast lap and will still the race from 4th.
With the rain continuing to pour, more and more riders were falling, with turn 1 looking especially tricky. That included Alex Marquez and Luca Marini. The multiple yellow flags that were out for the final 3 minutes meant that no riders were able to improve on their lap times.
The final rider to fall in qualifying was provisional pole sitter, Marco Bezzecchi. His bike ended up looking like scrap but, again due to the resulting yellow flags, no one was able to beat his pole lap time of 2:15.359.
The earlier Superpole race saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) claim his first win of the weekend, followed by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati), in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
WorldSBK 30.07.2023 Most, Czech Rep. Picture courtesy of Honda Racing Corporation.
With warm and dry conditions for race 2, as well as the fact that it would be the last race before the summer break, it was all to play for.
Lights out then for race 2 and it was Bautista with the hole shot, closely followed by Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who was aggressive from the off as always, Rea 3rd, and Toprak in 4th. Early drama yet again for Gerloff (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who ran off into turn 1 going down into the gravel. He rejoined at the back of the field.
Next lap and it was Bassani who over shot into the tight turn 1, he managed to “motocross” his way back on track but lost several places. Positions were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Rea 3. Toprak 4. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 5. Gardner (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 6. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 7. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 8. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) 9. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 10. Vierge (Honda HRC). Drama for Eric Granado (Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team) who crashed out, his race was over.
With 19 laps of 22 remaining, Toprak dived up the inside of Rea into turn 1 to take 2nd. The poor weekend for Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) continued as he crashed yet again, this time into turn 1, and his race was over. Meanwhile further back it was 10th Vierge, 11th Aegerter (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), 12th Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBKTeam).
With 17 laps to go, it was Toprak with the new fastest lap a 1:31.951. Bautista was coming under increasing pressure from the Turkish rider, who was aiming for his 2nd win of the weekend. Further back in 5th place, Gardner held a gap of 2s to Locatelli in 6th.
Next lap, and after getting great drive out of the previous corner, Toprak blasts under Bautista into turn 13 to take the lead, Bautista had no response, super move. Meanwhile further back it was 12. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 13. Aegerter 14. Lowes.
With 15 laps left, local rider Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing Movisio) looked to have a mechanical issue and retired to the pits.
Next lap and in 3rd place, Rea had a gap of 1.0s to bridge across to Bautista. While he held a gap of 1.4s to Rinaldi in 4th. Gardner held a gap of 1.6s to Petrucci in 6th. At the front the Yamaha R1 looked good, and was right at home with the twisty flowing nature of the racetrack and Toprak was looking as determined as ever. Bautista had his work cut out for him, with the lap times between them very similar.
With 12 laps to go, Scott Redding got past Loris Baz up into 9th.
Next lap and Bautista attacked around the outside of Toprak, the Turkish rider defended his position. Absolutely nothing in it between these two, it was shaping up to be a cracking race.
Just over half race distance, and after his failed attempt to pass Toprak into the twisty sections of the track, the only real option left was the tight turn 1. Bautista got great drive down the straight and lined up a pass on the R1, only to have the door well and truly slammed in his face. Toprak a demon on the brakes as ever. Rea was just about hanging onto the back of these two in 3rd.
Next lap and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Bautista 3. Rea 4. Rinaldi 5. Petrucci 6. Gardner 7. Bassani 8. Locatelli 9. Redding 10. Baz.
Then with only 6 laps remaining, massive drama as the race leader Toprak Razgatlioglu high sided out of the chicane, in a very uncharacteristic mistake. He flew over the handlebars, and into the gravel, with his bike narrowly missing him. He got to his feet, with his arms held outstretched in utter disbelief.
WorldSBK 30.07.2023 Most, Czech Rep. Picture courtesy of Honda Racing Corporation.
A grateful Bautista took over the lead with enough of a gap back to Rea to ensure he wouldn’t get any immediate attacks. It was Rea 2nd, Rinaldi 3rd, and Danilo Petrucci in 4th, again showing great late race pace, and was reeling in Rinaldi.
With only 3 laps left, Petrucci made his move on Rinaldi, and took 3rd. Rinaldi next had to deal with Bassani who was gaining on him.
Penultimate lap, and Bassani had now caught his fellow countryman, and moved through on him into 4th. Petrucci was flying, and was closing in on Rea, looking like he had more pace. Petrucci caught Rea and attacked, Rea however, was able to defend his position.
Last lap, and Petrucci got great drive out of the last corner to pip Rea to the line to take 2nd. However it was his 18th win of the season, and a new record in WorldSBK, and it went to Alvaro Bautista. Petrucci 2nd, Rea 3rd, Bassani 4th, Rinaldi 5th, Gardner 6th, Locatelli 7th, Redding 8th, Vierge 9th, Baz 10th.
The earlier Superpole saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), claim top spot with an unbeaten time of 1:30.801, followed by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing), and Remi Gardner (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), in 2nd and 3rd respectively. A mix up for the Aruba.it Racing team saw both Rinaldi and Bautista penalised for passing under the yellow flag, riders were docked grid positions with Bautista dropping down to 14th and Rinaldi down to 8th.
WorldSBK Most, 29.07.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK
The usually blazing hot Most track was cool and wet for race 1, with a mixed prediction of weather across the weekend. With the race declared wet, riders would be free to change bikes at any stage during the race.
Lights out then for race 1 and it was Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), with a great start and the hole shot into the tight turn 1. Gardner was in 2nd, followed by Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 3rd, Toprak 4th, and Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) 5th. Meanwhile with a blistering start Bautista was now up to 7th, and then swiftly took both Vierge (Honda HRC) and Rea to move into 3rd, making up 11 places on lap 1.
Next lap of the 22 lap race and positions were as follows: 1. Bassani 2. Gardner 3. Bautista 4. Vierge 5. Rea 6. Rinaldi 7. Vd Mark (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 8. Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 9. Out in front Bassani wasn’t hanging around, and had already increased his lead to 5.2s. In 2nd the Aussie had a gap of 2.2s to Bautista. Meanwhile Toprak, who had opted for intermediate tyres, was struggling for grip on the wet track and had dropped down to 13th.
With 20 laps remaining, Bassani had the bit between his teeth, and put in the new fastest lap with a 1:46.5, and extended the gap to 7.5s.
With 18 laps left, Rea who had also opted for the intermediates, took both Bautista, and Gardner to move into 2nd. The track was drying rapidly now, and combined with an abrasive surface, the wet tyres were getting shredded. It was now Bassani in the lead followed by Rea in 2nd, and Bautista in 3rd. Drama for Gerloff, the Texan crashed out into turn 15 and his race was over.
Next lap and it was Rea with the new fastest lap, a 1:40.3, and he was steadily reeling in Bassani, with the lead cut down to only 2.9s. Meanwhile the drying track was also helping Toprak who was up to 4th now, after carving through riders, most of whom were on full wet tyres. Bassani pulled into the pits for a change to slick tyres, and that meant Rea was the new race leader.
With 16 laps to go positions were as follows: 1. Rea 2. Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 3. Petrucci 4. Locatelli 5. Toprak 6. Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) 7. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 8. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) 9. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 10. Aegerter (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team).
Bassani exited pit lane and rejoined in 14th, while Bautista who did likewise ended up in 18th, with plenty of work ahead for both riders. Meanwhile Toprak got ahead of his team mate and was back to 4th.
With 15 laps left Rea had pulled out a massive gap of 13.3s. Redding was still behind in 2nd.
Bautista was clawing back time and put in the new fastest lap, a 1:34.925, and moved up to 11th ahead of Gardner in 12th. Meanwhile in 9th place Aegerter held a gap of 20.5s to Oettl (Team GoEleven) in 10th.
With 13 laps remaining, Petrucci put in a hard move on Redding, diving up the inside of the BMW to take 2nd, Toprak did likewise and took 3rd. Redding lost two places and ended up in 4th.
At the halfway point of the race it was Bautista with another fastest lap, this time a 1:33.368, although he had dropped two positions after previously running wide into a corner, and was now in 13th. Meanwhile out in the lead, and commanding a comfortable lead of 11s, was the Northern Irishman, Jonathan Rea.
Just over half race distance now and the positions were as follows: 1. Rea 2. Toprak 3. Petrucci 4. Redding 5. Locatelli 6. Lecuona 7. Baz 8. Aegerter 9. Lowes 10. Bassani.
With 9 laps left Locatelli had caught Redding, and made a clean pass up the inside of the BMW into turn 20 to take 4th.
Next lap and in 9th position, Lowes held a gap of 16.3s to Bassani in 10th.
With 7 laps to go, Rea’s lead had been getting cut down lap by lap, although he still held a sizeable lead of 8.2s. In 3rd place Petrucci held a gap of 4.4s to Locatelli in 4th.
Next lap and the Swiss rider, Domi Aegerter, made a nice pass on the brakes into turn 1 to take Loris Baz, and move up into 7th. He now had to bridge a gap of 6.4s to Lecuona ahead in 6th. Meanwhile Redding responded to the earlier move, and retook 4th getting past Locatelli.
WorldSBK Most, 29.07.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK
With only 4 laps left, the stand in rider for Syahrin on the Petronas MIE Honda, Soomer, crashed out. Meanwhile at the front, Rea still held a lead of 6.3s. Bautista had moved up a position to 12th.
With 3 laps to go, Lecuona had now caught the group of Redding, and Locatelli ahead, and was looking like he had more pace. Bautista had not given up, and put in yet another fastest lap a 1:32.4, but you felt it was all too late for him.
Penultimate lap, and Lecuona took Locatelli down the straight after getting a good slip stream to move up into 5th.
Last lap and on his 399th start, Rea took his first win of the season. Toprak 2nd, Petrucci 3rd, Redding 4th, Lecuona 5th, Locatelli 6th, Bassani 7th, Aegerter 8th, Lowes 9th, Baz 10th, Bautista 12th.
The earlier Superpole race was won by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), followed by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati), and Andrea Locatelli in 2nd, and 3rd respectively.
With the extreme heat conditions persisting, it was decided by the race organization to shorten the length of race 2, to 15 laps.
Lights out then for race 2, and after initially getting a great drive off the line, Bautista tipped into the right handed turn 2 and went straight down, he had no chance to save it, and the bike somersaulted into the gravel. A rare mistake from the reigning champion.
Toprak took over the lead, followed by his team mate Locatelli in 2nd, and Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) in 3rd. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) then dived through on Bassani and took 3rd. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 5th, and Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 6th.
Next lap and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Locatelli 3. Rea 4. Bassani 5. Lowes 6. Redding 7. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 8. Ray (MotoxRacing Yamaha) 9. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing) 10. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW).
With 13 laps of 15 left, Bassani aggressive as always from the start, dived up the inside of Locatelli to take 2nd, Rea seized the opportunity and likewise did the same to the Italian who dropped down to 4th. Out in the lead, Toprak had pulled the gap out to 0.9s.
With 11 laps remaining Rinaldi took Redding into the chicane to take 6th. Meanwhile further back it was Petrucci 10th, Vierge (Honda HRC) 11th, Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) 12th. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) then crashed out, his race over.
With 10 laps to go Toprak had pulled the gap out to 0.3s. Bassani put in the new fastest lap with a 1:47.4. Rea was in 3rd. The leading trio had pulled away from the rest, with Locatelli now 1.7s behind Rea.
With 8 laps to go, Bassani had been steadily gaining on Toprak, and cut under him to take over the lead. Toprak now in 2nd, Rea 3rd. Further back it was Locatelli 4th, Lowes 5th, and Rinaldi 6th.
Just over half race distance and Bassani only held a gap of 0.1s to Toprak. Meanwhile it was Toprak who put in the new fastest lap with a 1:47.7. Drama further back for Isaac Vinales (Team Pedercini) who crashed out, his race over.
With only 4 laps remaining Rea was now struggling to remain in contact with the two ahead of him, and had a gap of 1.0s to overcome to 2nd. Drama for the other factory Kawasaki, Alex Lowes crashed out from a comfortable 5th place, losing the front end, his race over. Meanwhile up ahead Toprak had caught back up to Bassani, and cut up the inside of the Italian into turn 16, to retake the lead. Bassani, however, snapped straight back although Toprak was able to defend the lead.
Last 3 laps and the win would surely be decided between Toprak, and Bassani. Rea now too far back to be in contention.
Penultimate lap and Toprak had put the hammer down, obviously with more tyre grip, and broken the ability of Bassani to remain in contact. Great race for Brad Ray who was now up to 6th, in contention for his best ever WorldSBK result. Behind was Baz 7th, Redding 8th, and Petrucci 9th.
Last lap and Toprak took the win to make it a double across the weekend. Bassani 2nd, Rea 3rd, Locatelli 4th, Rinaldi 5th, Ray 6th, Baz 7th, Redding 8th, Petrucci 9th, Lecuona 10th.
After a weekend of British Superbikes action like we saw at Snetterton last weekend, it’s time to (try) and condense it all down.
But there’s one point that really needs nailed down and focused on in particular: Tommy Bridewell.
An eight-point lead heading into the fifth round quickly jumped up to a 25-point buffer come the end of the weekend’s action, making one thing clear.
Bridewell has truly stamped his authority on this year’s championship.
Of course, there’s still absolutely anything that could happen with six rounds and 18 races remaining this year, and as we’ve seen in the past things can change in the blink of an eye in the UK’s premier motorcycle racing series.
However we’re seeing a side of Bridewell that has been waiting to be unleashed for years, and right now the 34-year-old is flying.
“These types of meetings don’t come around too often, so I’m delighted to take my first ever treble”
Tommy Bridewell
He took three wins from three at Snetterton, something he’d never achieved in the BSB prior to last weekend, and each of those victories were more than deserved.
But the BeerMonster Ducati rider had to work for it right from the off, with Saturday’s opening race coming down to the wire as Bridewell snatched the lead from teammate Glenn Irwin at Nelsons corner.
The disappointment for Irwin didn’t end there however, as he then dropped another two places at the final corner with Josh Brookes sliding up the inside of the Ducati which then invited Jason O’Halloran through on the run to the line.
Snetterton’s second race of the weekend was a little more straightforward for Bridewell, who made the most of a red flag restart to edge away from his rivals as they scrapped for the remaining podium positions.
But once again the pair of PBM Ducatis put on a show in the final race, and this time it was Irwin chasing down Bridewell for the win after the Northern Irishman made a slight mistake in the closing stages when he ran wide and lost the lead.
On the final lap Bridewell looked comfortable out in front, but that gap quickly diminished in the final sector, and it was a drag race to the line with the championship leader coming out on top by just 0.032 seconds.
A treble in the books and a comfortable lead in the championship going to Brands Hatch meant Bridewell was understandably delighted.
“What can I say!? It’s been a great weekend and these types of meetings don’t come around too often, so I’m delighted to take my first ever treble,” he told Paul Bird Motorsport.
“We’ve hardly changed the bike all weekend and the team absolutely hit the nail on the head with set-up so a huge thanks to them.
“It was nice to go toe to toe with Glenn in the final race with neither of us willing to give an inch, but it was good, clean racing.
“I focused on preserving the tyre in the early stages and we exchanged places on more than one occasion, so it was nice to come out on top and get the job done.”
As mentioned earlier, it’s been clear Bridewell has had this talent locked away for quite some time, and now with everything falling into place he certainly is the man to beat in 2023.
The earlier Superpole saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) claim top spot with an unbeaten time of 1:45.959, followed by team mate Andrea Locatelli, and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Scorching temperatures were already taking hold across Southern Europe, and the mercury was hitting 34 degrees Celsius for race 1, with a track temperature of nearly 60 degrees.
Lights out then for race 1 and it was Andrea Locatelli with the hole shot into turn 1, followed by Bassani 2nd, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 3rd, Toprak 4th, and Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 5th.
Next lap of the 19 lap race and positions were as follows: 1. Locatelli 2. Bassani 3. Bautista 4. Toprak 5. Rea 6. Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) 7. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 8. Brad Ray (MotoxRacing Yamaha) 9. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing) 10. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW)
With 18 laps to go, Bassani who had been looking aggressive from the off, dived up the inside of Locatelli to take the lead. Further back Rea held a gap of 0.7s to Redding, while Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was up to 10th. At the front Locatelli responded to retake the lead, Bautista moved into 2nd, while Bassani dropped down into 3rd. Drama then for Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) who crashed out, his race over.
Next lap and Toprak got through on Bautista up into 2nd. Pata Prometeon Yamahas were now 1 and 2.
With 16 laps of 19 remaining, Bassani continued to fall back and this time Rea got through and into 4th.
Next lap and Toprak got through on his team mate and took the lead. Meanwhile further back it was Redding 7th, Petrucci 8th, Baz 9th, Lowes 10th, and Ray 11th. Bautista then got through on Locatelli and up into 2nd, Rea too seized the opportunity and dived up the Italian into 3rd. Locatelli had now dropped to 4th.
With 13 laps to go, Bautista was slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Toprak. Rea put in a new fastest lap a 1:47.554 and was right on the back of Bautista. The leading trio were edging away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile further back Petrucci was up to 7th, Redding 8th. The factory Hondas were struggling again with Vierge 14th, and Lecuona 15th, although Vierge had to start from the back of the grid due to a last minute issue, so his position was well deserved. Leon Haslam (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) was in 13th and riding for the injured Tom Sykes.
Next lap and it was Locatelli with the new fastest lap a 1:48.353, he had clearly not given up and was trying to make contact with the leading trio. Bautista then had a massive tank slapper down the back straight and it allowed Rea to come through. Bautista was lucky to get away with what could have been a nasty crash. It didn’t deter Alvaro however, and he snapped back to take 2nd.
With 11 laps remaining Locatelli held a gap of 1.6s to Bassani in 5th, Rinaldi 6th.
Next lap and it was Petrucci who got through on Bassani up into 6th, Rinaldi was ahead of him in 5th, and Bassani had now dropped down to 7th.
Just over half race distance and Bautista had shrugged off his earlier moment, and was now right on Toprak. Rea was struggling to keep contact with the pace being set by the leading duo, and was falling behind.
With 8 laps to go Bautista had been lining up a pass and used the power of the Ducati to once again blast past Toprak down the back straight, and into the lead. It was a perfectly clean pass and Toprak could not respond. The 250 revs docked from the Ducati by the organisers, seemingly making no difference to the performance what so ever.
And if to reiterate the point, Bautista put in a new fastest lap a 1:47.065 with now only 6 laps remaining. Drama for Eric Granado (Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team) who crashed out.
With only 5 laps remaining the positions were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Toprak 3. Rea 4. Locatelli 5. Rinaldi.
Next lap and drama for Lecuona who had to retire due to a mechanical issue. Meanwhile further back Bassani continued to slide down the positions, and was now getting reeled in by Loris Baz. Lowes was 9th, Redding 10th, Haslam 11th. Vierge then got through on Leon to take 11th. Meanwhile drama for the Swiss rider Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) who retired back to the pits due to a mechanical.
Penultimate lap and Bautista now held a gap of 3.4s over Toprak, while Toprak held a similar gap over Rea in 3rd.
Last lap and Bautista secured yet another win followed by Toprak 2nd, Rea 3rd, Locatelli 4th, Rinaldi 5th, Petrucci 6th, Bassani 7th, Baz 8th, Lowes 9th, and Redding 10th.
