WorldSBK

【2021 End Of Season Review】Honda continues to aim for victory, Bautista 10th, Haslam 13th

The FIM Superbike World Championship (SBK) is the premier category for production bikes. 2021 was Honda’s second season since its return to the series as a factory team, Team HRC.

【2021 End Of Season Review】Honda continues to aim for victory, Bautista 10th, Haslam 13th

The team’s CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP riders from 2020, Álvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam, continued to represent the team. Leon Camier, SBK rider until 2020, took over as team manager.

In 2020, Bautista finished third in Round 4 Race 2, giving Honda its first podium since its return to SBK. In the closing stages, both team riders consistently finished in the top five. Team HRC’s performance in 2021 was starting to look good.

Good results in early rounds despite tight schedule

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 SBK season started three months later than usual, in Motorland Aragon on May 12 - 23. Round 2 in Estoril, Portugal, was only a week later.

In Round 2 Race 1, Team HRC’s Bautista finished eighth from an 18th grid start, and at one point during the race was seventh.

In Round 3, Emilia Romagna, Bautista was sixth in Race 1, while Haslam was sixth in Round 4, Donington Park Race 1, followed by fourth place in the superpole, his best season finish. Both Honda riders were gaining momentum, closing in on podium finishes.


Leon Haslam scores season best fourth place in Round 4 superpole
Leon Haslam scores season best fourth place in Round 4 superpole

Bautista regular podium contender in second half of the season

As the season passed the halfway mark, both riders were frustrated despite consistently gaining championship points.

For the first time, Navarra in Spain was added to the SBK calendar as Round 7. Bautista crashed in Race 1, followed by Haslam in Race 2. “It’s been a tough weekend, for both me and Alvaro really,” commented Haslam post-race, his frustration obvious.

Team HRC nonetheless persevered, improving their performance. In Round 9, Catalunya, Bautista finished third in the superpole, his season’s best result. He was also fourth in Race 2, saying the results were “a well-deserved reward for the non-stop work the team and engineers are doing.”

One week later in Jeres, Bautista started Race 1 from ninth place to finish fifth. In Race 2, he consistently overtook other riders from his 8th grid spot, earning himself a podium by finishing third.


Alvaro Bautista on the podium
Alvaro Bautista on the podium

In Round 11 at the Algarve International Circuit, Haslam fininshed the superpole third, placing him on the front row for the first time this season. He finished the hilly race with many blindspots in fifth place. Bautista had qualified sixth, and although he was in contention for a third place finish, he crashed and retired on the final lap.


Haslam secured front row start in Round 11
Haslam secured front row start in Round 11

Factory team finished second season without a win

In Round 12, both riders overcame problems to score championship points. For Haslam, who would miss the final round due to recovery from an operation on his right shoulder, Round 12 would be his last race for Team HRC. He finished the 2021 season in 13th place.

Bautista race in the final round in Indonesia. In difficult conditions after heavy rain, Bautista accumulated points in both races 1 and 2, ending his final season with Team HRC in 10th place overall.

In 2022, Team HRC will have new riders, and will continue on its path to victory that Bautista and Haslam have helped to create.


Bautista in his last race with the team
Bautista in his last race with the team


  • Standings
Pos. Rider Num. チーム Constr. Pts
1 Toprak RAZGATLIOĞLU 54 PATA Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha 564
2 Jonathan REA 1 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 551
3 Scott REDDING 45 ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati Ducati 501
4 Andrea LOCATELLI 55 PATA Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha 291
5 Michael RUBEN RINALDI 21 ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati Ducati 282
6 Michael VAN DER MARK 60 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 262
7 Garrett GERLOFF 31 GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha 228
8 Alex LOWES 22 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 213
9 Axel BASSANI 47 Motocorsa Racing Ducati 210
10 Álvaro BAUTISTA 19 Team HRC Honda 195
11 Tom SYKES 66 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 184
12 Chaz DAVIES 7 Team GoEleven Ducati 143
13 Leon HASLAM 91 Team HRC Honda 134
14 Kohta NOZANE 3 GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha 64
15 Loris BAZ 11 Team GoEleven Ducati 53
16 Tito RABAT 53 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki 53
17 Isaac VIÑALES 32 Orelac Racing VerdNatura Kawasaki 45
18 Lucas MAHIAS 44 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki 44
19 Eugene LAVERTY 50 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 40
20 Christophe PONSSON 23 Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha Yamaha 36
21 Leandro MERCADO 36 MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 33
22 Jonas FOLGER 94 Bonovo MGM Racing BMW 21
23 Samuele CAVALIERI 76 Barni Racing Team Ducati 16
24 Marvin FRITZ 17 IXS-YART Yamaha Yamaha 6
25 Loris CRESSON 84 OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki 3
26 Andrea MANTOVANI 9 Vince64 Kawasaki 2
27 Luke MOSSEY 12 OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki 2

Published on