Alvaro Bautista becomes 2022 WorldSBK Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu takes Mandalika hat-trick

Alvaro Bautista became the first Ducati rider since Carlos Checa in 2011 to take the WorldSBK title at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit.

The Spanish rider took the title after finishing in second place in Race 2 during the Pirelli Indonesian Round. Even though Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed a hat-trick in Indonesia with victory in Race 2, Bautista’s second-place finish was enough for him to secure the win with a round to spare.

Bautista came into Race 2 knowing a podium finish or losing less than nine points to Razgatlioglu would secure his first title in WorldSBK. The victory means he becomes the third different rider from a third different manufacturer in three seasons to claim the title, after Razgatlioglu and Yamaha in 2021 and Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki in 2020.

Razgatlioglu moved into the lead of the race on Lap 6 as he passed Rea at Turn 10 after Rea led in the opening stages of the race. With Bautista in third at this point, behind Rea, he instantly latched onto the back of the six-time Champion and went through on Rea at Turn 10 on Lap 7 as he took advantage of Rea running onto the kerbs through Turns 8 and 9.

The duo then went head-to-head in the final third of the race to claim victory, allowing Rea to close back in on Bautista and Razgatlioglu. Bautista closed the gap before the battle ignited on Lap 14. Bautista made a move at Turn 1 to move into the lead as he looked to win the Championship with a victory before Razgatlioglu responded into Turn 10. Through Turns 14 and 15, Bautista made a move for the lead, and he remained there for a short while, but Razgatlioglu responded at Turn 10 on Lap 16 to re-take the lead before extending his lead to over one second for victory with Bautista in second.

Razgatlioglu’s victory gave him his 32nd WorldSBK win and his 14th of the year, putting him level on wins for a season for Yamaha with 2009 Champion Ben Spies, while Bautista’s Championship-winning second place was his 56th podium in WorldSBK including the 29th of his 2022 campaign. Bautista winning the title also meant it became the first time in history that Ducati claimed both the WorldSBK and MotoGP Riders’ Championships in the same season.

Rea found himself in fourth place, behind Axel Bassani but then made a move on Lap 11 at Turn 12 to move back into the podium places before pulling out a gap over Bassani, coming home to take third place for his 200th podium with Kawasaki, while it was also Kawasaki’s 400th race on the podium. Bassani dropped behind Rea and ended up in a battle with Andrea Locatelli for fourth place. It would be Locatelli who claimed fourth place after a strong weekend for the Italian, finishing just six-tenths ahead of Bassani in fifth place.