Alvaro Bautista made amends for his first DNF of the season with a superlative comeback win in Race 2 in WSBK Indonesia on Sunday.
Starting in tenth position after his DNF in the Superpole race, Bautista scythed his way through the field in a dramatic race.
The battle for the early lead featured Toprak Razgatlioglu, Axel Bassani and Jonathan Rea until the race came to a stop.
On a chaotic Lap 8, a huge crash involving Philipp Oetti and Michael van der Mark - and then Alex Lowes losing control mid-corner in another part of the track - saw the weekend's third red flag stop the race.
It's ANOTHER @19Bautista MASTERCLASS AS HE WINS RACE 2! ??????????#IDNWorldSBK ???? pic.twitter.com/GaKl2PLco8
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) March 5, 2023
On the restart, Rinaldi managed to hold on to the lead ahead of Razgatlioglu, but the action was way behind him as Bautista continued his charge through the field. After sweeping past Xavi Vierge, the Ducati rider was all over the back of Razgatlioglu, while Rinadli began to pull away from the field.
Finally, with 11 laps to go, Bautista was released and set about chasing down his Aruba.It Racing teammate.
Further down the field, Rea continued his race-long squabble with Bassani in a tense battle for fifth. However, with five laps to go, a small mistake would see him slide off the track and end up unable to recover. The Northern Irishman was taken to the Medical Centre for a check-up.
Back at the head of the race, Bautista had tucked himself nicely behind Rinaldi for a couple of laps before making his clean move on the penultimate lap.
But the was late drama, as Rinaldi ran wide on the final lap, letting Razgatlioglu and Vierge through, with the latter earning his first-ever podium finish.
TOP 3?? from Race 2?? ??? What a podium, what a RACE ??
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) March 5, 2023
What was your favourite moment of it? ??#IDNWorldSBK???? pic.twitter.com/EbLHsc50Mf
Round 2: ? Leading the standings is the Reigning Champion @19Bautista followed by @toprak_tr54 and Andrea Locatelli ??
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) March 5, 2023
An incredible weekend comes to an end ?? Terima kasih Mandalika ???? ?? #IDNWorldSBK???? pic.twitter.com/qyq4tcRtBA
RACE 2 RESULTS
1 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aruba.It Racing Ducati 14 Laps
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK +1.218s
3 Xavi Vierge SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +3.050s
4 Michael Ruben Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Racing Ducati +4.068s
5 Andrea Locatelli ITA Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK +4.848s
6 Danilo Petrucci ITA Barni Spark Racing Team +5.838s
7 Remy Gardner AUS GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +6.339s
8 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +6.796s
9 Iker Lecuona SPA Team HRC WorldSBK +9.095s
10 Scott Redding GBR ROKIT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team +9.659s
11 Garrett Gerloff USA Bonovo Action BMW +9.832s
12 Dominique Aegerter SWI GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team +11.264s
13 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK +15.167s
14 Lorenzo Baldassarri ITA GMT94 Yamaha +15.663s
15 Hafizh Syahrin MAL PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Racing +37.461s
16 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK DNF
17 Michael Van Der Mark NED ROKIT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team DNF
18 Philipp Oettl GER GoEleven Ducati DNF
19 Oliver Konig CZE Orelac Racing Kawasaki DNS