The final round of 2021 is the most tense and dramatic yet, but Sunday’s new schedule promises to bring anything but straightforward predictability

The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s final round of the season is underway at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok Island, Indonesia. The Pirelli Indonesian Round returns for the first time since 1997 at the new facility giving plenty of cause for excitement. Despite Race 1 being postponed to Sunday and a new schedule for the #WorldSBKFinale being formed, there’s plenty of statistical headlines for a packed Sunday agenda. From a potential crowning moment to big milestones, what can we expect for Sunday?

Toprak Razgatlioglu took a fourth career pole, his third of 2021. This is also Yamaha’s third pole of the year, meaning they’ve had more pole positions this year than they have in the last ten seasons combined. First or second in Race 1 will be good enough to give him the WorldSBK crown: the first ever for Turkey and Yamaha’s first since 2009 with Ben Spies.

A fourth career pole for Toprak, the same number as Fred Merkel, James Toseland, Sylvain Guintoli, Marco Melandri, Alvaro Bautista and Eugene Laverty.

It was also Razgatlioglu’s 13th career front row, meaning he equals the same tally that was set by the last Yamaha WorldSBK Champion, Ben Spies.

Second on the grid for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), his 12th front row of 2021 after Tissot Superpole. He is now on 96, three behind the record holder Troy Corser.

Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) starts from third, his 12th career front row, the same as Davide Tardozzi.

A British rider on the podium will give the 815th podium place to Great Britain. In Indonesia, a British rider has been on the podium in all but one race: 1995’s Race 2, with Aaron Slight, Troy Corser and Pierfrancesco Chili on the podium.

Aiming for a first podium since Donington Park and looking to end 2021 well, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) starts fourth, his joint-best Superpole result of the year with Estoril. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) is fifth, making it three Yamahas inside the top five. This is the first time there’s been three Yamahas inside the top five since Losail 2019, when Alex Lowes was second, Sandro Cortese was third and Loris Baz was fifth.

Other notable takings on the grid include Alvaro Bautista’s (Team HRC) joint-best Superpole result of 2021 in eighth, Leandro Mercado’s (MIE Racing Honda Team) tenth place being his first top ten on the grid after Superpole since Magny-Cours 2017 when he was second and Christophe Ponsson’s (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha) career-best Superpole result of 12th.

In WorldSSP, Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), in his 89th race, took a first win in the class, holding off 2021 World Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). De Rosa becomes the fourth oldest maiden winner in WorldSSP, following: Roberto Rolfo at 36 years 11 months 3 days at Phillip Island in 2017, Kevin Curtain 34 years, 11 months at Phillip Island in 2001 and Paolo Casoli at 34 years, 9 months and 3 days at Monza 2000.

Federico Caricasulo (VFT Racing) was third for Yamaha, meaning the Japanese manufacturer take their 50th podium place of the season, the first to do this in WorldSSP.