WSBK: Tito Rabat To Replace Injured Lucas Mahias At Portimao

The Spanish rider makes a surprise return to the WSBK.

By: Enrico Punsalang

Sep 29, 2021 at 7:00pm ET

Comment

In a surprising turn of events, former Barni Racing Team rider Tito Rabat will once again be racing in the WSBK this season, however, this time, it isn't aboard a Ducati machine. Puccetti Kawasaki has commissioned the Spaniard to ride as substitute for Lucas Mahias, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury. This comes very soon after Rabat's separation from Barni Racing, which was announced on September 9, 2021.

For the last two races held in Barcelona and Jerez, Tito Rabat has been absent, following the immediate effectivity of the termination of his partnership with Barni Racing following the WSBK French round at Magny Cours. It seems, however, that out of a stroke of luck, the Spaniard will be completing his 2021 WSBK season, albeit aboard different machinery. The racer he will be replacing this coming race weekend at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, is French rider Lucas Mahias, who suffered a serious wrist injury during a crash at the Assen round last July.

What do you think?

View

Comments

Although able to briefly return to the circuit, it would appear that Mahias has decided to take the rest of the season off, to allow his broken left scaphoid to heal completely so as to avoid any further complications moving forward. This gives Rabat an unexpected return to the premiere class, which certainly comes a lot sooner than expected. In a report by Motorsport.com, Rabat expressed his excitement towards the opportunity stating, "I hope to have a good weekend, score good results and demonstrate my potential. I want to thank Manuel Puccetti and the whole team for offering me this chance, which I hope to fully exploit.”

It seems that Tito Rabat has managed to capture the good graces of the Puccetti Kawasaki Racing Team. Hopefully, should his performance this coming race weekend be noteworthy, he can finish the 2021 season aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10RR race bike. Meanwhile, over at the Barni Racing side of things, the spot left vacant by Rabat's departure has now been filled by Italian racer Samuel Cavalieri.