Over 76,000 fans came out in force at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli this weekend for WorldSBK , as the home crowd was treated to an action-packed Sunday.
Race 2 Highlights
Starting from pole position Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) led from the start and dominated the 21 lap race. His speed and consistency was incredible as he opened a lead of almost 10 seconds at the end of the race. The Turkish rider set the fastest lap of the race in the early stages of the race. It marked the seventh occasion this season where he has taken the Pirelli Best Lap Award.
Following a Superpole Race crash Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from the fourth row of the grid. It took five laps to get into second position with moves being made on Alvaro Bautista, Alex Lowes, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Locatelli on consecutive laps.
There was little to choose between Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and his rivals in the early stages but once he overtook Locatelli on Lap 12 he opened a gap of two seconds in the closing stages. The double WorldSBK champion was combative with his teammate in the early laps and he came away with his first podium in six races.
Locatelli’s weekend ended with three top five finishes as he had a faultless day at Misano to finish comfortably ahead of Petrucci. The Barni Spark Racing Team rider spent two third of the race in fifth position but spent the entire race under pressure. At the chequered flag Iker Lecuona was just one tenth of a second behind. The Honda HRC rider overtook Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) on the penultimate lap.
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) finished eighth. The American was involved in a five rider scrap in the closing stages but crashes for Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding saw Xavi Vierge and Michael van der Mark round out the top ten.
Championship Highlights
Razgatlioglu now trails Bulega by just nine points. This is the closest margin between the duo at the end of any round this season.
Petrucci continues to hold third position in the standings as the leading Independent Rider.
Ducati lead BMW by 42 points in the Manufacturers’ Standings with Yamaha third.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlıoglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“I want to thank my team because they have done an incredible job this weekend. We have improved the bike with every session. I had a big problem at Turn 4 this weekend but I managed it during the race. I pushed really hard because I knew that I had to keep a strong pace with Nicolo starting from tenth. I’m very happy to have three wins.”
P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It wasn’t a perfect weekend. I had some bad luck and I’m happy with my second place in Race 2. When I passed the riders in front and moved into second position Toprak already had a big gap. I decided that finishing second was the smart result because catching him would have required taking too many risks. He was very strong, so congratulations to him and BMW.”
P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It’s been a very difficult weekend. The temperature didn’t help and the mornings were better because I could go fast and be consistent. As the track got hotter it became more difficult. In the hot conditions the bike is harder to stop in the low grip and I was pushed wide several times. Yesterday we had the pace for a podium but starting from the back makes it tough here. The field is very close here so it was important I gained positions in the Superpole Race and started better in Race 2. I fought for the podium and I’m happy to finish third. I’m looking forward to improving my feeling and being more competitive.”
Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’33.471
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +9.685s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +14.438s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +16.752s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +19.273s
6. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +19.402s
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
Pole sitter Bulega’s race ended at Turn 1 after a crash with Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). Bassani made a fast start from the outside of the front row but on the inside line he crashed and Bulega was a hapless victim.
With Bulega out of the race Razgatlioglu, using the harder SCX compound tyre, was mistake free from the start. On the opening tour Alex Lowes gave chase but ultimately Razgatlioglu opened a four second lead at the end of the 10 lap race.
Lowes claimed bimota’s first podium since returning to WorldSBK this season. At their home round the Italian manufacturer claimed their first podium since Phillip Island in 2000.
Andrea Locatelli spent the race in third position. The Pata Maxus Yamaha’s performance was his first podium since his Dutch Round victory in April.
By finishing seventh Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) had his best performance of the season.
Superpole Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +4.281s
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +6.122s
For more info checkout our dedicated WorldSBK (World Superbike) News page superbike-news.co.uk/category/world-superbikes/
Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com
©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of WorldSBK.com
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