WorldSBK Most: Bautista back on top for Ducati’s 1000th podium

Aruba.it Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista completed a determined comeback with a two-second victory in Saturday’s WorldSBK race at Most.

Extending his lead in the FIM Superbike World Championship to 29 points, the Spaniard claimed Ducati’s 1000th podium in some style, holding off Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu and a determined Scott Redding on the BMW for the opening podium celebrations of round six.

A cooler Czech circuit greeted the Superbike class as the grid prepared for race one, the wind picking up as the threat of rain continued to develop. KRT’s Jonathan Rea lined up on pole position for the 38th time in his WorldSBK career - all but four on Kawasaki machinery - with Razgatlioglu and Ducati’s Michael Rinaldi alongside while teammate Bautista sat narrowly behind in fourth.

22 laps fired up as Razgatlioglu took the holeshot, Bautista through on his teammate as Rinaldi dropped to seventh with Alex Lowes also unlucky at the start and circulating in ninth as the opening lap played out.

An ambitious Redding pushed the BMW to fourth ahead of a trio of Italians with Axel Bassani forcing his Motocorsa Ducati through on the Brit as the lap concluded. Rea looked to challenge the R1 down the start/finish straight before the reigning champion pulled a gap as the next lap unfolded with Bautista over a half a second adrift of the battling pair.

Redding hit back at Bassani on lap three at the head of the second group, the 23-year-old holding the fastest lap of the race so far before returning the move next time around. Razgatlioglu relieving him of the fastest lap honour with a 1’31.936 as he looked to gap Rea out front.

Three battles developed at the head of the field as first, fourth and seventh were all hotly contested. Rea