WorldSBK Indonesia: Bautista breaks Ducati duck

Aruba.it Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista continued his 2023 WorldSBK domination with a commanding victory at Mandalika on Saturday afternoon.

The Spaniard’s unbeaten run stretched to four as round two kicked off just as the season opener had concluded. Five seconds the gap to Pata Yamaha’s podium challengers Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli at the chequered flag.

Razgatlioglu maintained his impeccable Indonesian pole record as 2023’s race one prepared. Locatelli lining up alongside his teammate with Australia’s triple winner Bautista competing the Lombok front row.

Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea was forced to start the 21 lap race from eight on the grid after a late demotion for slow riding during the Superpole session, with fellow KRT rider Alex Lowes one place behind. Michael Rinaldi, Loris Baz, Axel Bassani and Danilo Petrucci completing the leading rows from fourth to seventh respectively ahead of lights out, with Remy Gardner and Eric Granado missing due to sickness.

The acton ignited on a dry and 50℃ temperature track with Razgatlioglu holding his advantage from a hard pushing Bassani, Bautista quickly bettering the satellite Ducati as his factory teammate skittled himself out of contention at turn one.

Petrucci sat fourth as the opening lap settled in. Locatelli dropped to fifth from Lowes and an advancing Xavi Vierge on the Honda Fireblade with Rea battling BMW’s Scott Redding for eighth.

Rea was through on Vierge for seventh as the second lap concluded. Bonovo’s Garrett Gerloff heading BMW teammate Baz on the edge of the top ten before Michael van der Mark split the pair on the factory M1000RR next time around.

A trio of Ducatis trailed Razgatlioglu by a quarter of a second as lap four fired up. Locatelli up to