WSBK Indonesian Round: Razgatlioglu takes title at rain-hit season finale

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) clinched the 2021 WorldSBK title at the brand-new Pertamina Mandalika Circuit in Indonesia. The season finale was cut short due to heavy rain that prevented track-activity on Saturday and reduced Race 2 to a 12-lapper.

Outgoing champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) did everything he could to keep his defence alive. The Ulsterman beat Razgatlioglu to victory in the postponed Race 1 before coming out top of a fierce battle with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Race 2. It was not enough to stop Razgatlioglu though whose second place in Race 1 was enough to wrap up the title.

The eventual gap between Rea and Razgatlioglu in the standings is only 13 points, illustrating the close match across the season.

RACE 1

Rea stole the holeshot while Razgatlioglu dropped into third from pole behind Redding. The Ducati rider ran slightly wide, allowing Razgatlioglu to sweep past into second. The damp and humid conditions forced the riders to caution, but Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) excelled and made his way into third.

18 to go: Razgatlioglu forced Rea wide to pass at T1 going into Lap 4 and only a lap later, the Kawasaki rider dropped behind Bassani. Razgatlioglu too was claimed by Bassani on Lap 7 and with the championship in mind, Rea responded to the opportunity.

The defending champion swiftly moved past both Razgatlioglu and Bassani to put some points between himself and his title opponent. Razgatlioglu passed back into second and after shadowing Rea for a few laps, he reclaimed the lead at T10 with 12 laps to go.

The title contenders challenged each other with Redding getting involved too. The Ducati soon passed Rea and his sight set on Razgatlioglu. He inherited the lead when Razgatlioglu ran well wide through Turns 15 to 16 and dropped into third.

Razgatlioglu resisted pressure from Bassani but had a more than one second gap to overcome to Redding and Rea. With five to go Rea capitalised on a mistake from Redding through Turns 10/11 and was back in the lead. The Ducati rider looked upset and fell into the clutches of Razgatlioglu.

Apparent front tyre issues for Redding made him vulnerable at corners and Razgatlioglu capitalised at T1 with three laps remaining.

Razgatlioglu was fastest through the final laps but could not catch Rea who secured victory. However, second was enough for Razgatlioglu to wrap up the championship. Redding completed the podium in third.

RACE 2

Razgatlioglu shot into the lead at the lights followed by Redding and Rea with Bassani in fourth. The quartet instantly exchanged punches in the soaking conditions, allowing Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to join the group.

The running order changed several times and none of the riders managed to maintain the lead for an extended period. Bassani’s race was over eight laps prematurely after a tussle with Razgatlioglu and subsequent clip from van der Mark.

Proceedings split into two front duels as Redding and Rea gained some breathing space over van der Mark and Razgatlioglu. Both pairs kept exchanging positions and the gap started to look too big to overcome.

Rea claimed P1 with six to go and set successive fastest laps but could not shake off Redding. Van der Mark capitalised when Razgatlioglu ran slightly wide and gained some clear space for the first time.

Fastest laps were exchanged at the front, but Rea managed to stay ahead going into the final stage. Redding, however, got great drive out of the final corner and swept past down start/finish, giving Rea work for the last lap.

The move came at T10 and Rea led through a few corners before Redding tried to retaliate. He overcooked the corner and the Kawasaki rider got the cutback to claim victory. Van der Mark completed the podium in third.