WorldSBK Most: Race preview

After a stunning Donington Park, the WorldSBK entourage returns to the charming Autodrom Most, which made an emphatic entrance onto the calendar in 2021.

From the title twist of Donington Park, the battles of Estoril and the clash of Assen, the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike Word Championship has seen it all so far in the first half of the season. Last corner battles and gracious victories, surprises in the order to a battling titanic trio, but is there one more surprise and plot twist in store? The Autodrom Most is next and it came onto the calendar with a bang in 2021 with instantly one of the best last laps in WorldSBK history. However, with a three-horse race for supremacy this year, plus riders knocking on the door to join them, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen in the Czech Republic this time around at the Prosecco DOC Czech Round.

Despite still leading the championship, Aruba.it Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista saw his points lead slashed in the UK after his first crash of the season in race one. Having stretched it to 36 after round four, it now sits at just 17, more than halved in one weekend. It’ll be Bautista’s first time with the Ducati at the Czech track, which is similar to Donington Park with a fast and flowing nature. Ducati initially struggled last time out but found form later in the weekend, whilst they were winners at Most in 2021. Could Bautista re-assert himself this time around? Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi found another step at Donington Park and is now five points behind fourth overall; at Most in 2021, he achieved a double top five in the full races.

Whilst he may not have won at Misano or his home races at Donington, KRT’s Jonathan Rea has made gains and is now right back in close contention for a