In front of a weekend attendance of over 55,000 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) put on a show for the Czech fans at the Autodrom Most.
The title contenders were separated by just 0.027s in Race 2 after a stunning 22 laps of Superbike action.
Race 2 Highlights
Starting from pole position Razgatlioglu ceded the lead to Bulega who led for the first 11 laps. When the BMW took the lead at Turn 17 he was immediately attacked by Bulega into Turn 1 who proved his mettle and led for another lap before Razgatlioglu tried an unorthodox move at Turn 2
During the final laps of the race Razgatlioglu was under intense pressure from Bulega. The Italian rider was unable to attack until the very last moment. On Lap 22 he accelerated out of Turn 21 better than his rival and won the drag race to the line. It was Bulega’s eighth win of the season
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) spent the first two third of the race behind Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and then held his rival at bay for the second time today as they finished in third and fourth positions
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) rounded out the top six after a race long battle that was settled in the Australian’s favour
Having started from fifth on the grid Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was caught out by an incident with Jonathan Rea. The Yamaha rider was given a double long lap penalty for causing the crash that also saw Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) removed from contention. Rea would go on to finish 13th
Championship Highlights
Bulega leads the championship by 31 points having conceded just three points to Razgatlioglu over the course of the round
A hat-trick of podiums vaulted Petrucci to third in the standings. The Italian is five points ahead of Bautista
Ducati lead the standings by 58 points from BMW
COMING NEXT: MISANO!
The Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round will take place from 13th to 15th June at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It’s been a really up-and-down weekend. On Friday, I had a huge crash, and now we’ve finished with a victory in Race 2. It’s been an incredible weekend. We never gave up and the team improved the bike a lot throughout the weekend. The bike felt much better today and I was able to ride how I like to. I’m really happy, especially because this circuit isn’t one that suits my riding style. To get the win here after such a tough start means a lot. Now I hope to repeat this performance at Misano.”
P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“At the beginning of the race, I was just following Nicolo. When I felt ready, I passed him and tried to do my rhythm. In the final laps, I had too much spin. It was bad on the exit of the last corner. I was losing a lot on the straight, especially compared to the Ducati. I gave more than 100% in all the races this weekend. I’m a bit angry because the bike started to cut power and I lost the win at the last corner. Still, we did a good job, so thanks to my team and all the fans.”
P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team)
“I really wanted to be on the podium again but it was tough because Sam was really fast. We had the same pace, but I told myself, ‘I want that podium.’ He made one small mistake and I was there to take advantage. Congratulations to him, and also to Nicolò and Toprak, because they’re doing an incredible job. I’m really happy with the work my crew is doing. It’s been a weekend of third place finishes for me but we’re in the fight, and I’m very happy.”
Race 2 Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.027s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +16.276s
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 16.452s
5. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +20.703s
6. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +21.774s
Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) – 1’30.379s
Championship standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 252 points
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 221
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 146
4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 141
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 127
6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 102
Tissot Superpole Highlights
In the ten lap Superpole Race Bulega led the opening tour before Razgatlioglu came past on Lap 3. Within two laps the margin had opened to over a second due to Bulega running off track at Turn 1. From that point onwards Razgatioglu controlled the race and claimed the 12 points on offer.
Petrucci scrapped with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) for the first half of the race before Sam Lowes came past his brother and gave chase for the rest of the race to Petrucci.
From the fourth row of the grid Bautista was into the top six on the opening lap and finished in fifth position after coming past Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) at Turn 20 on the final lap.
Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.917s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +5.943s
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©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of WorldSBK.com
