WSBK: Five things to take away from the 2021 Czech Round

A gentlemen’s agreement in the paddock to not test at Most promised thrills on an unknown, level playing field. The Czech Round delivered with the closest finish of the season when Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) were separated by just 0.040s in Race 1, and yet another twist in the title race.

Razgatlioglu bagged two wins across the weekend to reinvigorate his championship challenge. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) meanwhile had to bounce back from a DNF and recorded his second-lowest points score across a three-race weekend; the lowest came at Estoril in 2020.

Only three points separate Rea and Razgatlioglu – the title fight hasn’t been that close after 18 races since 2004 when James Toseland lead Chris Vermeulen by the same margin. Fierce fights, last lap lunges, fighting for the future and the rumour mill spinning, it was all happening at the Czech Round.

Piling up the pressure

Across the seasons, the reliable constant in WorldSBK was that Rea does not make mistakes. Evermore surprisingly, it seems the Kawasaki rider has already racked up more errors this campaign than in the past five years put together.

Two crashes in Race 1 and a braking misjudgement on Sunday morning at Most were the latest additions to that unfortunate trend. When dissecting Rea’s errors, a pattern emerges and the main factor is riding a Yamaha.

The first Saturday crash occurred when Rea pushed hard to cling on to Razgatlioglu. The bumps at T1 caught him cold, his front tyre folded and Rea was demoted to a passenger. The second crash was a mere aftereffect when the slightly bent Kawasaki could not handle the fast T20.

In the sprint race, Rea learned the hard way that Razgatlioglu isn’t the rider to use as a braking marker. The young Turk braked routinely late and Rea right behind went in too hot, forcing him on the detour chicane.

Rea also found himself in the gravel after an unforced error in Race 2 at Donington Park. Trying to gap Razgatlioglu, he lost the front going off the gas and over the bump at Coppice. By no coincidence whatsoever, Coppice had emerged as Razgatlioglu’s favoured overtaking spot across the meeting.

It would be somewhat overly dramatic to claim that Razgatlioglu has broken Rea, but the pressure is evidentially on. For the first time in a long time, the serial champion is being seriously pushed on track and the unfamiliarity shows.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) posed a substantial championship challenge, but the rivals hardly contested it 1-2-1 on the track. It is the direct face-off nature of the 2021 title fight that makes it so intriguing and so unpredictable.

Rubbing is racing?

The last-lap shootout between Razgatlioglu and Redding in Race 1 flared tempers on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two riders had very contrasting views on the former’s aggressive move at the penultimate corner.

Fighting for the victory, Razgatlioglu committed to a late lunge down the inside. The Yamaha rider was completely sideways but managed to hold on to the line and pass for the lead. Redding was sat up and the opponents made slight contact, but both stayed on their bikes.

Razgatlioglu was adamant that “this is racing” while Redding condemned the manoeuvre as “over the line” and “unfair”. The jury was out, but the consensus in the paddock deemed the overtake as hard but fair.

Redding got his revenge on Sunday afternoon when he secured an uncontested victory in Race 2.

Despite the controversy, a major aftermath is unlikely – they’re racers, they move on and speak their truth on the tarmac. However, Redding was clearly discontent which adds an extra layer to the pair’s pending next on-track encounter.

“I feel I deserved the win. The overtake from Toprak was, for me, a little bit over the line, a little bit unfair because if I was to commit to the corner, we both crash because he was stopping three or four metres later than you expect or plan. I’m a bit upset by that, but that’s racing apparently, so maybe I need to be a bit more aggressive.”

Scott Redding

200 – and counting

It’s been a weekend of mixed emotions for Rea in the Czech Republic. While he lost substantial and potentially crucial ground in the championship standings, he also added yet another milestone to his record by securing his 200^th podium in Sunday’s Superpole Race.

12 races into Rea’s debut campaign with Honda in 2009, the first taste of champagne arrived with P3 at Kyalami. From there, he went on a relentless glory hunt and collected podiums every season at 23 different venues. A total of 42 with Honda was supplemented by (so far) 159 with Kawasaki since 2014.

The Ulsterman now sits 71 clear of the next best mark – Troy Corser on 130 rostrum finishes. It also means that he stood on the podium in more than 60 per cent of the races he contested.

This new record to Rea’s name adds yet another superlative to his dominance of the sport in recent years.

Riding for the future at Ducati

Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s 2021 promotion to the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad sparked mixed responses. Had he done enough to warrant a factory ride? Would he be able to live up to Bologna’s expectations?

His outstanding home round at Misano suggested so, but overall, the Italian has been underperforming. As a Ducati factory rider, consistent podiums and race wins are practically obligatory. Apart from Misano, Rinaldi bagged only one rostrum – which he inherited due to track limit sanctions ahead of him.

It would be fair to remark that the distinctly average results are at least partially down to 2021 being Rinaldi’s first year in the works team, but unfortunately, Ducati aren’t known for their patience.

The good news for Rinaldi is that he’s Italian which guarantees a certain degree of leeway at Ducati. The bad news is that Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) is also Italian and has been tipped for a factory promotion.

Bassani secured his career-best result of fifth at Most, fighting with Rinaldi all race and finishing only narrowly behind. At the moment, Rinaldi is the more complete rider, but he will have to step up his game to tighten is place in the factory squad.

An unexpected way off the hook could come from next door should Redding and Ducati choose to part ways. The Briton confirmed interest from other manufacturers and that he is indeed talking to a variety of teams.

“It’s my first year here so every day I try to learn something new. I’m very, very, very happy for me, my team, my family, for everyone. I want to continue this way. We try to stay calm, focus on our job and try to do the best possible.”

Axel Bassani

Silly season

Raul Fernandez’ promotion to MotoGP with KTM leaves Danilo Petrucci looking for a new ride in 2022. The Italian has been strongly linked with a return to the WorldSBK paddock where he started his career in 2007. Riding both Superstock 600 and 1000 machines, he accumulated seven wins before switching to Grand Prix racing.

Petrucci did not rule out a superbike comeback and described it as “an option” to sky Italia. His ambition, he says, is to “get back to enjoying riding and fighting for wins”. Twice a MotoGP winner, Petrucci’s on-track talent and his likeable persona would be a huge gain for WorldSBK.

One of the possible options would be a move to Team HRC where the rumour mill is spinning. Current rider Alvaro Bautista hinted at contract talks but said to rather remain focused on the development of the project.

Team boss Leon Camier meanwhile relativised and stated that both Fireblades are still very much vacant for 2022. “Honestly, we’ve not had anything for next year at all yet,” he played down the rumours.

Only five riders are locked in for 2022 at the moment. Rea is on a multi-year deal with the Kawasaki Racing Team and will continue to share a garage with Alex Lowes who recently penned a contract extension. Razgatlioglu will remain a Yamaha factory rider while Garrett Gerloff is confirmed to stay with Filippo Conti’s GRT Yamaha squad. Loris Cresson is already on a two-year contract with OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing.