Razgatlioglu: Maybe Alvaro Bautista has a technical problem, I need to win!

With just four rounds to go including this weekend’s WorldSBK Portimao races, Razgatlioglu needs to close a bigger gap than he faced at any stage vs Jonathan Rea last season.

The biggest margin when Rea was leading the championship was just over 30 points, however, the reigning champion is nearly 60 points behind Bautista in the 2022 WorldSBK standings, with the Spaniard claiming his first hat-trick of the season in Catalunya last time out. 

The good news for Razgatlioglu is that Portimao is one of his strongest circuits, but at the the same time Bautista has taken victories as tracks that were supposed to suit Razgatlioglu and Yamaha more, such as Most and Magny-Cours.

Which is why Razgatlioglu has brought up technical issues, something he suffered with twice last season, as an opportunity to possibly recover points.  

"I’m very happy because we’re at Portimao and I like this circuit, I’m excited," said Razgatlioglu. "I’m always fighting for the win and we hope for the same this weekend. 

"This season is a strange season for me, but the races are the races. Maybe for Alvaro, he has a technical problem or something… I’m not looking at the championship and going race by race. 

"This track only has one long straight and slow corners, so I love it. I need to win! I think we’re strong at this circuit but in Argentina, the Ducati can be strong because of the two long straights."

‘We start from zero’ - Bautista

Despite an utterly dominant performance in Catalunya which saw his championship advantage grow exponentially, Bautista is keeping the same approach that has taken him to 11 victories this season.

Bautista said: "My thinking is that it’s a new race. We start from zero, all the riders, so the classification doesn’t matter. 

"I think, with that margin, I can risk more maybe because I have a margin with the points. For me, it doesn’t change a lot. 

"I think it’s better to be focussed on this weekend, try to do the best, try to not make mistakes. For me, it’s important to enjoy the bike and do the best job that I can do."