The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship resumes at Donington Park and there were some key talking points from Thursday’s media interviews. From talk about the future, new parts, riders carrying knocks and more, we’ve gathered all the best quotes from riders ahead of the Prosecco DOC UK Round.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “The biggest thing I want to work on this weekend is my feeling and confidence, try to build that…”
A difficult start to 2024 so far for Rea, and he previewed his home round by saying: “Donington’s a good circuit for me; I grew up here, so every time you come through the gate, you feel like you’ve grown up with the marshals, fans from BSB days, so there’s a certain familiarity. A lot of family and friends make the trip across the Irish Sea. Hopefully the fans come out in force. There’s a lot of strong British riders, so hopefully we can give them something to cheer about on Saturday and Sunday. Misano was a really tough weekend, but through tough moments you learn something and makes you feel stronger. I feel we can start building a good foundation now after all our learnings. We still need to work on my confidence on the R1, to improve the feeling riding on the limit. The trust in the electronics and chassis is really step by step. Assen was a strange weekend weather-wise for everybody. Donington’s a clean slate. It’s a track I’ve had good history at, the Yamaha R1’s been very strong here in the past. I expect it to be a tough weekend, it’s so competitive at the front and we have to walk before we can run. The biggest thing I want to work on this weekend is my feeling and confidence, try to build that, because the last races have been confidence-sapping.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I have one year left on my contract and I’ll stay here for 2025”
The #54 is coming into Donington slightly injured, while he also addressed rumours about his future. Razgatlioglu said: “I’m feeling better, I’m very lucky and happy that nothing’s broken. I feel a bit of pain but when I start to ride the bike, I don’t think I’ll feel it. When it gets warmer, I feel better. My foot is moving and it’s easy to walk. It’s not easy to move in some areas but it’s enough for this weekend. When I crashed, I felt a lot of pain in my foot and immediately I started to get it checked out as I needed to understand if it was broken or not. I’m feeling normal; not 100% but 99%. A hat-trick is my goal. This track is my favourite track but it’s my first time here with BMW. I like this circuit and my bike is getting better every weekend. After Misano, I saw many news stories about MotoGP™. We are talking to some MotoGP™ teams, but people don’t understand that if BMW say, ‘Toprak, for next year, it’s possible you go to MotoGP™’, we say it’s possible. I have one more year left with BMW. If they don’t say this, I’m staying with BMW because I’m very happy. I have one year left on my contract and I’ll stay here for 2025. We’ll see for 2026 because we are still in contact with teams. This year is more important, I’m not focused on MotoGP™ side. I’m very happy with Mickey, he’s a good guy. He’s getting better after the big injuries. He’s pushing hard, especially in testing; thanks for helping because he’s always trying new parts!”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I know they are preparing for all possible scenarios so when I make my decision, they are prepared”
Providing a small update on his future, Bautista said: “In the past this track was a bit tough for Ducati, but in 2022 and 2023 we were competitive. Especially last year, we won two races. But every year is different. This season we are not in our best moment with the bike, we don’t have the same feedback as last year and we are struggling to get that feeling. Last race in Misano, we struggled a lot. This year I don’t expect to dominate like last season. Our target is to get back the good feeling with the bike. If I can enjoy the bike and ride how I want, we can be competitive. The target is not to get back in the fight for the title, it’s to get our feeling back, have fun, and then we’ll see. It’s not an easy track to do it, it’s very tricky, with a lot of uphill and downhill, but we will try and do our best. I don’t have any news from Misano. Right now, I don’t feel I’m enjoying the bike like in the past. I know Ducati is speaking to my manager, but my decision is not clear. At the moment I’m not very happy with the feeling I have on the bike, so let’s see. I know they are preparing for all possible scenarios so when I make my decision, they are prepared. I know they are speaking, just in case I decide, but the priority is to get the feeling with the bike that would allow me to keep racing.”
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “Let’s try to get at least one Lowes, hopefully me, but if me and Sam could be on the podium, it could be a big dream for us”
There could be a double reason to celebrate in the Lowes family this weekend if Alex has his way. He said: “Looking forward to my home round, it’s going to be a nice weekend to have a few more friends and family around. We’re hoping to keep our good run of form going, challenge for the podium and enjoy ourselves. I want to fight for the podium, but the reality is we’ll work hard on Friday, and the reality is it’s so tight in WorldSBK, you can’t take anything for granted. If we can pull of a podium here, it’s more special because a few more of your friends and family. Any podium is special, but let’s try to get at least one Lowes on there, hopefully me, but if me and Sam could be on the podium, it could be a big dream for us.”
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “When everything comes together, we should be fighting for the podium every week”
Fresh off the back of a contract renewal, van der Mark outlined his goals on the M 1000 RR: “Very happy, it’s always nice to have this confirmation early in the season. Luckily BMW came to me quite early. It was quite an easy deal. As we’ve shown, we have a good team now, results are getting better and it’s good to keep the same team. I still have the same goal as every weekend, I want to be on the podium, I want to win races and Toprak has shown the bike is capable of doing it. I think my results have been okay, but when everything comes together, we should be fighting for the podium every week. It’s nice to be here, I haven’t ridden here since a couple of years ago. It’s a track I really enjoy. With the package we have now, we know we can be strong. We need to get everything together; we know we have a good pace, and we should be fighting for the podium.”
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “He’s a great guy… I hope to have Alvaro next year!”
Bulega had a one-day test at Misano between rounds, while he also expressed his desire for Bautista to stay for 2025: “It was a very good test at Misano. We tried something different on the bike. Especially in hot conditions, my feelings improved compared to the race. Donington is a track that I like. Last year in WorldSSP, I won both races and got pole position. This year will be another story. We can bring the positives from the test even if the conditions aren’t the same. I’m in a very good moment with my team and bike. We’re always in the top five. It’s incredible for me because I didn’t expect to arrive at this level this soon. It’s a surprise. I’m really happy with Alvaro. He’s a great guy and we have a good relationship. I hope to have Alvaro next year.”
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “The home support, the home race, knowing the conditions is going to be a good key”
A first home round in WorldSBK for Sam Lowes, who expects to be competitive. He said: “It really is a home race; I live 10 minutes down the road so it’s beautiful to be racing here again. 2013 was my last race here so quite a while ago so it’s going to be a great weekend. I think the first session, it’ll just take a few laps, but it’s a track I grew up riding and know well, so it’s not like I don’t know where to go! This weekend, the home support, the home race, knowing the conditions is going to be a good key. I think the Ducati can work fine everywhere. The points of our bike that are strong are the last sector and the fast, flowing first half you’ll see my style.”
