SBK, battle of the manufacturers: the Kawasaki-Yamaha arm wrestle

The cover image shows Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea coming into pit lane together, aboard their respective Yamaha and Kawasaki. The Turk is perhaps ten or fifteen centimetres ahead of the Northern Irishman.

And The image is in fact representative of the current 2021 SBK standings, as number 54 leads the way with 183 points, the world champion chasing with 181. Just two points separate them, for an inertia that is currently with the Pata with Brixx rider, boosted after having beaten his Provec KRT rival on home turf at Donington.

On the contrary, it is Kawasaki that leads the way in the manufacturers’ standings. Akashi holds 191 points, Iwata 187. A close battle. Ducati is less productive than it has been in the past, third with 174 points. After the UK round, BMW has gained ground, while Honda is still further back. But how have these five manufacturers achieved their respective results?

The solidity of Akashi

The Kawasaki work method is tried and tested, with maximum focus on the factory team, one eye on the independent teams, and similar but not identical material for (almost) all the ZX-10RR bikes present on the grid.

The Ninjas of Rea, who crashed at Donington, and team-mate Alex Lowes are ultra-factory, we know this. We also know how many engineers the manufacturer has working on development. A significant number. Puccetti, Orelac and Pedercini work just fine, but they all have limited budgets.

Despite this, the teams headed up by Manuel, Calero and Lucio defend themselves well in the races. If you think they should be able to do more, it’s true, but only in a different situation or condition. Or rather, if they were able to carry out more testing, consult the data collected by the factory teams, and/or spend more money. Impossible if not complicated.

The blue Yamaha wave

The strategy of the European Yamaha branch dictates that every R1 entered should benefit from dedicated Iwata treatment and specifications. But also in this case, the official bikes are… official, in the sense that they boast the latest evolutions approved by the test riders.

Pata with Brixx, GRT, Alstare. The riders are: Toprak Razgatlioglu, Andrea Locatelli, Garrett Gerloff, Kohta Nozane and Christophe Ponsson. A great line-up, complete and varied. On paper, perhaps better than that of rival Kawasaki. On paper.

While the "weak" link for the green manufacturer is Pedercini, for Yamaha it is Alstare that struggles to shine. The team has scored few points, for one reason or another. Despite this, improvements may come. At Donington we saw two Iwata men in the Alstare garage, which proves that the manufacturer also cares about its independent riders.

Ducati in difficulty (with respect to its usual standards)

And yet, its potential could be, or rather, is huge. Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi race for the Aruba factory team, a squad on which every SBK rider would like a seat. A regular race winner in the past, Chaz Davies is with Go Eleven, holder of the independent title.

The young (at least in SBK terms) Motocorsa team fields an equally young Axel Bassani, who is often battling with and beating the factory guys. Excellent. While former Moto2 title winner Tito Rabat is with team Barni. Not great, if we consider the results.

Viewed as a whole and considering the previous achievements of teams and riders, the Ducati line-up should be leading the way, at least in terms of the constructor and team classifications. And yet that’s not the case, Aruba third behind KRT and Pata, just as the reds lie third in the constructors’ standings.

BMW bounces back. In part

SMR Racing did very well at Donington and the critics said: "About time!" In effect, we do appear to be seeing a reawakening, but will it be definitive? Will the factory team continue to fight for the podium with Tom Sykes and Michael Van Der Mark?

Or will they find themselves sleep walking again? The Brit and the Dutchman lie seventh and eighth in the standings, while BMW is fourth. The common goal is to bounce back and perhaps get ahead of Ducati. But to do so, it needs the help of the other M1000 RR bikes.

Number 50 rider Eugene Laverty has done well so far with RC Corse. With limited testing and resources, the results are already coming, while we can’t say the same of Bonovo Action, where Jonas Folger is struggling.

Honda, limited in numbers

The CBR RR-R Fireblade, or rather, the only bike that is still to score a podium in 2021. And it only achieved one such result in 2020, a sole third place finish with Alvaro Bautista at Aragón. Very little, considering the weight of the HRC brand.

It's safe to say that the red, white and blue team is in the weeds. Leon Haslam’s results at home track Donington are not enough. He needs to do more if he wants to continue racing. And there’s another factor that has a negative bearing on the Japanese manufacturer’s current position in the standings (Honda is in last place)...

MIE Moriwaki has competed in just one round so far. Tati Mercado will be back at Assen, OK, but it would be difficult if not impossible to do more. There are just two, or sometimes three, Tokyo four-cylinders on the grid. How can they compete against six Kawasakis, five Ducatis, five Yamahas and four BMWs?

Translated by Heather Watson

Razgatlioglu throws down the gauntlet at Donington, is he the anti-Rea?