WorldSBK: Double delight for Ducati in Superpole race

Ducati kick off Sunday’s race action with success, taking a Ducati 1-2 in the Superpole race.

Toprak Razgatlioglu started on pole position for the first ten-lap Superpole Race of the year, in Australia. Bautista would take the lead straight off the Pata Yamaha rider, after an incredible battle.

Dominique Aegerter attempted to make a move on Johnathan Rea at Miller Corner, forcing Rea wide. This move dropped the Kawasaki rider to tenth position, leaving Rea with a lot of work to do.

Alex Lowes was having a far better start to the race, compared to his teammate and would sit comfortably in second position. 

Toprak Razgatlioglu was in third position and under pressure from Michael Ruben Rinaldi. The 2021 WorldSBK Champion would defend from the Ducati power, as he lacks some pace around the Phillip Island circuit.

Rinaldi swiftly found a way past the Yamaha rider and set his sights on Alex Lowes for second place. A few corners later Rinaldi would made a move and made it stick, allowing Ducati to dominate at the front.

Razgatlioglu would find a way back past the Kawasaki of Lowes, as the Turkish rider looks for a podium. A group of five riders would form with nothing separating them.

Remy Gardner would make contact with his teammate, Dominique Aegerter at Miller Corner. The Australian went into the corner too fast and had nowhere to go, resulting in both GYRT riders crashing.

This crash would help Johnathan Rea as he would be promoted to seventh position in the race. 

Michael van der Mark was the top BMW with the German manufacturer still struggling in the dry. Van der Mark was in 10^th position, with the BMW preferring a wet/damp track allowing for a softer set-up.

Philipp Oettl was in the middle of the group, showing his true potential in the WorldSBK class. Tom Sykes would pull into the pits for the second time this weekend, with technical issues hindering the Puccetti team. 

Andrea Locatelli would have his turn at Alex Lowes and would try to find a past the Kawasaki of Alex Lowes. He would wait until the final lap of the race, where at Miller corner Locatelli would find a way through. Locatelli would run wide allowing Lowes to regain the position with a couple of corners left.

Coming across the line Bautista would win the race in scorching conditions at Phillip Island. Bautista would finish 2.462 seconds ahead of his teammate, Ruben Rinaldi after an incredible race.

Toprak Razgatlioglu managed to hang onto third position and the final position on the podium. Locatelli finished in fifth position, bringing home valuable points for the Championship and good starting positions for Race Two.

Rea would not manage to recover after getting forced to run wide on the first lap of the race. He would end his Superpole race in seventh position, meaning the six-time WorldSBK Champion will have work to do in Race Two.

The Superpole race was incredibly close, allowing the riders to finally race in dry conditions at Phillip Island. There is still one race to go, and we await to see if Bautista can do it again.

Image credit: WorldSBK.com