WSBK - Round 2 - Mandalika

[wull]

I thought the racing was cracking at Phillip Island so much more of the same this weekend coming please, just a pity about the few incidents but it is what it is.

The racing from 4th place back to 11th during race 2 was unreal, it was like watching a SS300 race, probably more overtakes in that race than the whole MotoGP season.

Anyway, hopefully an incident free weekend with cracking racing, hopefully Toprak can get on the top step but fuck me that Alvaro and the Ducati are unreal just now.

[weeksy]

Must admit, i didn't bother watching the replays from Oz. But that says more about me at the moment over the racing... I'll maybe get to watch it this week on catch-up and see if i fancy the Mandalika race or not.

[wull]

Must admit, i didn't bother watching the replays from Oz. But that says more about me at the moment over the racing... I'll maybe get to watch it this week on catch-up and see if i fancy the Mandalika race or not.

You’d have enjoyed the other guys getting in the mix albeit not bothering the front runners, well front runner, Rea and Toprak struggled a fair bit, especially in race 2. Not sure what problems JR was having but Toprak was struggling with the harder rear tyre, so he was falling back amongst a different crowd.

[Skub]

I only got to watch it yesterday,as the races didn't record,so I had to wait for highlights.

Good racing for the main part. As Toseland said, JR managing to bring the bike home in second with his electronics bother was unbelievable. Those Ducatis have made another step too,the others are going to have a fight on their hands.

[Skub]

Jonathan Rea's statement before Mandalika Round:

“It’s good to start the 2023 season at the two circuits where we finished the previous season. The Superbike calendar is really good this year. We will try to capitalise next weekend at Lombok with some good points scores and look forward to understanding the year in general. Last year in Lombok I felt good until the last part of the races where the risks I was taking were really overloading the front. I expect to be stronger in Lombok than I was last year. We will go and try our best. Lombok will be more of a gauge for us than Phillip Island, as it is more of a normal circuit design - although it will be very hot.”

[wull]

[Skub]

I don't think any of the Friday action is televised,is it? I didn't see anything on the Eurospurt listings

[wull]

I don't think any of the Friday action is televised,is it? I didn't see anything on the Eurospurt listings

Nah FP3 is the first that’s televised.

They are +8hrs

[wull]

[wull]

Rinaldi tops FP1 at Mandalika despite crash, Razgatlioglu shows strength






With the track taking time to rubber in, it wasn’t an indicative session for race pace, but mistakes were punished as big names crashed

The second round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is well underway with the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit hosting the Motul Indonesian Round. In what was a busy session, it was Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who topped the opening track action in WorldSBK and continued his strong form from round one at Phillip Island, as he looks to bring success to Ducati for the first time at Mandalika.

There was a crash for Rinaldi on his opening run, one of many high-profile names to hit the ground – the fall was at Turn 10 saw him back on his feet as he returned to the circuit with ten minutes to go, finishing on top and bouncing back strongly.

Waiting five minutes or so before heading out to the circuit, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) got out and down to the pace, which was around three seconds off the outright lap record – also set by Toprak – due to the track still being rubbered in.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) leads the Championship and finished the opening session in third. Leaving it late to go out on the circuit, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) ventured out with just under 17 minutes to go, ultimately finishing fourth, one place ahead of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), who improved on his final two flying laps.

Setting a fast time in his first run, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took top Independent honours with P6, one place ahead of second place in the Championship, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK).

Alex Lowes, like teammate Rea, left his running until the second half of the session and finishing in eighth, ahead of Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with all five manufacturers inside the top ten.

Elsewhere, there were crashes for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who was the first crasher of the day at Turn 10 in a peculiar highside off-line. Additionally, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) crashed at Turn 16 and whilst he walked away, looked uncomfortable when he got back to the Honda box. The crash happened on his first flying lap, meaning Lecuona didn’t set a lap time. There was also a big crash for Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) at Turn 6, but despite heavily scuffed leathers, he was able to walk away.

[wull]

[Bigyin]

Seen some footage on social media and there looks like a single clean line around most turns and stray off it at your own peril as the rest of the track is filthy

[mangocrazy]

Doesn't that track get used for anything else? It needs some touring car races a couple of days prior to WSB visiting just to clean the track up.

[wull]

Doesn't that track get used for anything else? It needs some touring car races a couple of days prior to WSB visiting just to clean the track up.

Other than MotoGP none that I know of. It was the same last year, times will drop I’m sure.

[weeksy]

Still, why wouldn't they make an effort in the weeks before with sweepers/hoovers. It looks fucking rubbish to such a massive organisation as WSBK if you turn up to a sand-pit.

[mangocrazy]

If that's the case then the organisers are taking the piss. There's something fishy about this - why wouldn't the organisers make an effort for the two big money-spinners (MotoGP and WSB)? And why don't they use it outside of those races? Racetracks are expensive things to build and you'd think the organisers would want to maximise their investment.

[wull]

They heard about our game and the guesses and thought “fuck em”

[G.P]

In the good old days they'd put the sidecars out first to clean the track / dry the track.
I would have lloved to have sen Toprackin MotoGP this season but hopefully it will be entertaining watching him chase the Ducatis around all year..

[Skub]

If that's the case then the organisers are taking the piss. There's something fishy about this - why wouldn't the organisers make an effort for the two big money-spinners (MotoGP and WSB)? And why don't they use it outside of those races? Racetracks are expensive things to build and you'd think the organisers would want to maximise their investment.

Maybe it's run by the gubbmint.

[Skub]

Jonathan Rea statements after Mandalika qualifying practices :

“The track has no rubber down and is so dirty, so the first session was a disaster. Because of the tyre allocation we just had to be conservative. I chose to only ride the last part of FP1 and even then with our normal preferred front race tyre, we destroyed it.

In FP2 we focused with a different weight balance of the bike, trying to take weight out of the front to save the front tyre. I think front tyres are going to determine the race outcomes. In comparison to last year, so we are focusing to improve in this area a little bit, but where our bike makes the time is in trail braking and corner entry. And if we don’t have a stable front, then it is so difficult. So we focusing to improve in that area tomorrow. Of course, I expect the track to be better tomorrow. There will be more rubber down and the track will be cleaner, which will help with front tyre life.”