WorldSBK: Alvaro Bautista completes the triple after an unforgettable race

Alvaro Bautista wins an exhilarating Race Two and the final WorldSBK race of the season.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)  came across the line to do the triple in Jerez for the final race of the season. Bautista won the race after track limits promoted Bautista to the race win. Ducati also raced with their special yellow livery, which was last seen at the Misano round.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) rode the race of his life to fight for victory. Razgatlioglu dropped his rear tyre off the side of the track onto the green on the final corner of the race. This demoted Toprak to second although he won the race on the road.

The battle between the two World Champions was incredible with multiple lead changes every lap. The final race of the season is seen to be one of the best races of the year and own of the best at Jerez.

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) came home in third position after claiming his first podium in the Superpole Race. It was a great result for the Swiss rider with Aegerter only 0.3 behind.

Aegerter’s teammate, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) ended his final WorldSBK season with a fourth-place finish. This fourth-place finish was enough for Gardner to secure ninth in the standings.

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top five and was less than three seconds away from the win. Petrucci entered WorldSBK this year after contending for the MotoAmerica title.

End of an era for Rinaldi

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)  was in sixth position in his last race as a factory Ducati rider. Rinaldi’s race fell apart in the latter stage with the Italian losing rear grip. His future is still unknown with rumours suggesting a move to Motocorsa Racing.

Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) finished where he qualified, in seventh position after a solid race. Oettl was ahead of some big names including Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Redding was eighth in his final race before he makes the switch to the Bonovo Action BMW team.

Redding’s teammate for next season will be Garrett Gerloff (A Bonovo Action BMW) after the departure of Loris Baz. Gerloff was ninth in his final race of the season, ending his first year with the German manufacturer.

Rounding out the top 10 was Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who will remain with Yamaha next season. Locatelli finished 10 seconds away from the win after a race-long battle with Gerloff.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) ended a nine-year relationship with Kawasaki. Rea was leading the race in the early stages but would lose the front at the tricky turn two. Rea’s teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) did not make the start of the race due to a crash in the Superpole Race.

After completing the triple, Alvaro Bautista said: ” In Race 2 I had a lot of fun, the duel with Toprak was fantastic: we fought in every corner but always in a fair way. I think everyone who saw the race got emotional.

“Now it’s time to celebrate even though from tomorrow we will start thinking about testing on Tuesday and Wednesday and the MotoGP Wild Card in Malaysia. The season is not over yet”.

Highlights from the race:

Image credit: Ducati Media