Bautista wins the final WorlsSBK race of the season at Jerez after Razgatlioglu’s penalty

Alvaro Bautista triumphed in a thrilling Race Two at Jerez after Toprak Razgatlioglu received a penalty, marking the last WorldSBK race of the season.

The controversial 28th and final victory of the 2023 WorldSBK season went to Alvaro Bautista after Toprak Razgatlioglu was relegated for violating track limits by the officials during the race.

A harsh conclusion to a thrilling head-to-head that may have even topped the historic, much-discussed Race 2 in Portimao earlier in the month, Bautista and Razgatlioglu fought it out for the final time in 2023, exchanging the lead for virtually the entire race.

Track limits helped Bautista advance to the race victory, after Razgatlioglu’s post-race penalty. Ducati also raced in their unique yellow livery, which was last seen at the round in Misano.

Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlioglu rode the race of his life to contend for the win. In the race’s last corner, Razgatlioglu’s rear tyre skidded off the track and landed on the green. And despite winning the race on the road, the penalty dropped Toprak to second place.

The ruling also had wider ramifications. Aruba.it Racing and Pata Yamaha would have finished even on points in the teams’ standings, with the former receiving the advantage on the countback of winning more races.

In fact, with Razgatlioglu secure in his runners-up position and Bautista securing his riders’ title on Saturday, the focus shifted to securing victory for their respective teams in the year-ending race, with Pata Yamaha leading Aruba going into the event by nine points.

After securing his maiden podium in the Superpole Race, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished third. The Swiss rider achieved an impressive result, trailing the leaders by just 0.3 of a second.

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) concluded his final WorldSBK season with a fourth-place result. Gardner managed to move up to ninth in the standings with this fourth-place result.

Rounding out the top five was Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who was just over three seconds from victory. Petrucci entered the WorldSBK this year after competing in the MotoAmerica championship.

In his final race as a factory Ducati rider, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) finished in sixth place. The Italian lost rear grip in the later stages of the race, and Rinaldi’s race waseventually doomed. There are still rumors that he may join Motocorsa Racing, as his future is still uncertain.

After a strong race, Team GoEleven’s Philipp Oettl finished in seventh place after having previously qualified in the same position. Big names like Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) got dispatched by Oettl.

Redding finished eighth in his last race before joining the Bonovo Action BMW squad. With Loris Baz’s departure, Redding’s teammate for the upcoming season will be Garrett Gerloff (A Bonovo Action BMW). Gerloff finished ninth in the season’s last race, capping his debut with the German marque.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), who will stay with Yamaha for the upcoming season, rounded out the top 10. Locatelli battled with Gerloff throughout the race, coming up just 10 seconds short of the victory.

Kawasaki and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) parted ways after nine years of partnership. Rea was leading when the race intially started, but he would lose the lead at the challenging second turn.

Meanwhile, a crash in the Superpole Race prevented Rea’s teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) from starting the race.

Following DNFs in the first two races of the weekend, Axel Bassani finished 11th, giving Rinaldi the upper hand in the overall standings.

Meanwhile, Michael van der Mark, Xavi Vierge, Tito Rabat, and Lorenzo Baldassarri finished their seasons with the last few points.

2023 Spain WorldSBK Jerez Race 2 Results