Alvaro Bautista doubles up in Argentina to set up World Superbike match point as Jonathan Rea left frustrated again

Kyle White
By Kyle White

Sports journalist

Published 23rd Oct 2022, 20:56 BST
Updated 23rd Oct 2022, 20:56 BST
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Alvaro Bautista moved to within touching distance of the World Superbike title in Argentina on a frustrating weekend for Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea.

Aruba.it Ducati rider Bautista finished second in the Superpole sprint race behind Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu on Sunday and went on to win race two, completing a double at the San Juan circuit in South America following his win in Saturday’s opening race from Rea.

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The 37-year-old, who has now won 14 times this season, is 82 points ahead of reigning champion Razgatlioglu with only two rounds and six races to go.

Rea is a further 16 points back in third after the Ulster rider finished third in both races yesterday.

Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea remains third in the World Superbike Championship with two rounds remaining.Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea remains third in the World Superbike Championship with two rounds remaining.
Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea remains third in the World Superbike Championship with two rounds remaining.

He has won a staggering 117 World Superbike races throughout his career but Rea’s last win – his fifth of the season – was achieved at Estoril in Portugal back in May.

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With his hopes of a seventh world crown effectively over, Rea will now be determined to return to the top step of the rostrum again before the championship finale at Phillip Island in Australia (November 18-20).

A mistake in race two yesterday dropped Rea to sixth but he fought back to overhaul his Kawasaki team-mate Alex Lowes for third.

Bautista’s winning margin was 3.3s over Razgatlioglu after 21 laps, with Rea 6.3s further behind.

Spain's Alvaro Bautista won twice at San Juan in Argentina to move closer to a maiden World Superbike title.Spain's Alvaro Bautista won twice at San Juan in Argentina to move closer to a maiden World Superbike title.
Spain's Alvaro Bautista won twice at San Juan in Argentina to move closer to a maiden World Superbike title.

“It was a really hard weekend,” said Rea.

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“I expected better seeing as I was strong in the Superpole race. I had zero grip on right side of the tyre from the get-go and I’ve not had such bad grip all weekend.

“I just couldn’t stop the bike and it was a case of survival mode.

“I didn’t have enough today for Alvaro and Toprak and it’s frustrating not to win again.”

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Eugene Laverty was the leading independent rider in 11th on the Bonovo Action BMW.

Razgatlioglu won a thrilling Superpole race by 0.6s from Bautista after a final lap battle, with Rea right on their heels in third.

It was a deserved win for the Turkish rider, who crashed out of Saturday’s race on lap one before re-joining the race and finishing 15th.

Bautista can now win the title at the penultimate round at Mandalika in Indonesia (November 11-13) if he outscores Razgatlioglu by 18 points.

Related topics:Jonathan ReaNorthern IrelandAlex LowesEugene Laverty