Strong emotions in Spain
The round of Jerez de la Frontera will undoubtedly pack intense emotions into a single weekend. It will not only be the final stage of the 2023 world championship, but also the one in which the Drivers’ title will be awarded, with the host Alvaro Bautista in the role of absolute favorite to win his second consecutive seal. Apart from these aspects of great importance, there are others that will touch the hearts of various drivers.
Two eras end
Jerez will in fact represent the last race weekend for certain protagonists of the championship with their respective teams, before heading into the 2024 season with other teams. The most emblematic examples are those of Toprak Razgatlioglu, mathematically fighting for the title and in his last races before bidding farewell to Yamaha, with which he won the 2021 championship. Even more emblematic, however, is the case of Jonathan Rea.
The latest in Kawasaki
The Northern Irishman, who boasts the record for the highest number of world championship victories, successes, podiums, fastest laps and points in Superbike, is in fact on his farewell step with Kawasaki. When the checkered flag drops in Race 2, a piece of history in the category will come to an end, given that Rea achieved all these records, or almost all of them, with the Kawasaki: “It’s a strange feeling go to Jerez knowing that it is my last race with KRT, and I am sure it will be a weekend full of emotions together with the staff – he declared on the eve of the stage in Andalusia – on the track we will try to do the best job possible. It’s a circuit that was perhaps difficult for us, but where we also shared some fantastic moments, winning races. It was also the scene of my first World Championship victory for Kawasaki. We did a lot of laps on this track during winter testing, so we have a good idea of the setup. Of course, the Ninja ZX-10RR has evolved over the year and we have made strides in a positive direction. I really want to end the year on a high note for my team. We are still fighting for third place in the championship. The main objective of the weekend is to have fun on the bike and do the best job possible, but also to secure third place in the World Championship. I want to try to enjoy the weekend with my team. The entire period preceding the weekend, the entire weekend and of course the post-race period, reflecting on the extraordinary collaboration that took place. I’m sure it will be exciting. I hope I can give a good account of myself and make the team proud.”
The future of the team and Rea
Once the Jerez weekend is over, the six-time world champion will remain in Japan, but this time I will take the route to Iwata, where the Yamaha. In fact, he will be the one to take the place of his rival Razgatlioglu, who is in turn ready to move to Germany to start a new adventure with BMW. As for Kawasaki, 2024 will see once again Alex Loweswho will have the Belluno native as his new teammate Axel Bassani.
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