The thirteenth and final round of the 2021 Superbike World Championship is underway at the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia, with Team HRC getting its first taste of this brand-new track during the day’s first practice sessions.

In the hot and humid conditions (air 35°C, track 62°) typical of south-east Asian racetracks, factory riders Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista eventually got going during the first of the day’s timed practices after a short delay, a knock-on effect of a delayed start to the earlier IATC practice. While the riders started to get to grips with this new layout, the technicians began to adapt the set-up of the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADES to the Indonesian track. Bautista made a good start, setting a 1’37.084 to place sixth at the end of this first session. Haslam finished a little further back, a fastest time of 1’37.423 placing him twelfth. Having recently undergone surgery on his bicep, the British rider has been deemed fit to compete here in Indonesia but is still working to rebuild his strength.

Although black clouds threatened rain prior to the second session, conditions remained dry for the duration, with lap times tumbling right across the board and the frontrunners from session one improving on their references by more than a second. Team HRC continued its work to equip both bike and rider with the necessary tools to perform at this new circuit, and significant progress was made on both sides of the garage, particularly in the final stages. Both riders took a big step forward in the final minutes, each improving on their FP1 times by more than 2.5 seconds and projecting themselves into a very promising fourth and sixth place, Bautista with a 1’34.460, just ahead of Haslam, who set a 1’34.601.

Alvaro Bautista 19

P4

"Riding at Mandalika is a lot of fun, the track offering a bit of everything, with strong braking and fast corners. There are still a couple of places where I don't have a clear idea of the best reference points, but generally it’s a fun track. This morning we lacked a little grip, especially through turn one and another couple of corners, but the conditions gradually improved and we were able to set some good times in the afternoon. We worked on the gearbox and the feeling was positive, and we have two rear tyres for the race but choosing is difficult right now because the track will definitely change again tomorrow. It's just a shame I didn't digest my food well between sessions, as this left me with stomachache both during FP2 and afterwards when I got off the bike. Stomachache and a headache that I hope will disappear quickly after some rest so that I can be one hundred percent tomorrow and ready to take full advantage of this enjoyable track with our bike".

Leon Haslam 91

P6

“The situation with my shoulder is frustrating because it looks like the circuit suits the Honda and I’m really enjoying the track, but I need to be able to make 21 laps and not just one. Unfortunately I’m in some pain after surgery, so we need to make a plan with the Clinica to see how we can manage the situation this weekend. That said, today’s lap times aren’t bad, and we’re just a few tenths from the front, time that I think we’re losing through the last two corners. So I feel competitive over most of the lap and now we’ll see what we can do tomorrow. The layout and flow of the circuit is great, and the Honda likes this kind of track as I’ve said, so it can be an exciting and enjoyable one for us, shoulder depending”.

WorldSBK 2021
Free Practice Round 13   Indonesia

Free Practices Combined Results after FP2

Sunny
Humidity
64%
Track Temp
52°C
Air Temp
32°C
Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Razgatlioglu Toprak 54 TUR PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha 1'34.230
2 Rea Jonathan 1 GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 1'34.404 0.174
3 Gerloff Garrett 31 USA GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Yamaha 1'34.455 0.225
4 Bautista Alvaro 19 SPA Team HRC Honda 1'34.460 0.230
5 Redding Scott 45 GBR ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati 1'34.579 0.349
6 Haslam Leon 91 GBR Team HRC Honda 1'34.601 0.371
7 Lowes Alex 22 GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 1'34.758 0.528
8 Locatelli Andrea 55 ITA PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha 1'34.877 0.647
9 van der Mark Michael 60 NDL BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 1'34.938 0.708
10 Bassani Alex 47 ITA Motocorsa Racing Ducati 1'34.954 0.724
11 Rinaldi Michael Ruben 21 ITA ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati 1'34.957 0.727
12 Vinales Isaac 32 SPA ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA Kawasaki 1'34.972 0.742
13 Sykes Tom 66 GBR BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 1'35.411 1.181
14 Nozane Kohta 3 JPN GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Yamaha 1'35.416 1.186
15 Davies Chaz 7 GBR Team GOELEVEN Ducati 1'35.436 1.206
16 Mercado Leandro 36 ARG MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 1'35.591 1.361
17 Ponsson Christophe 23 FRA Alstare Yamaha Yamaha 1'35.637 1.407
18 Rabat Tito 53 SPA Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki 1'35.850 1.620
19 Cavalieri Samuele 76 ITA TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki 1'35.936 1.706
20 Konig Oliver 15 CZE OUTDO Kawasaki TPR Kawasaki 1'38.922 4.692
Location Information

Mandalika International Street Circuit (MISC) Kuta, Pujut, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara 83573 Lombok Tengah, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia E-mail: admin@themandalikagp.com Website: www.themandalikagp.com (source and image credits: Dorna)

Pole Position Left
Length 4.310 Km
Corners 17
Right 11
Left 6

Kuta, Kec. Pujut, Kabupaten Lombok Tengah, Nusa Tenggara Bar. 83573 - View in Google Maps

Records

Pole Record 1'31.371 (169,459 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1, 2022)
Race Record 1'32.163 (167,963 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu - SPR (Yamaha YZF R1, 2022)
All Times Record 1'31.371 (169,459 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1, 2022)
Race1 Winner 2023 A. Bautista (Ducati V4R)
Superpole Winner 2022 T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1)
Race2 Winner 2023 A. Bautista (Ducati V4R)