Title battles will go down to the wire in Jerez

Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) out dragged Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) on the run to the finish line in the Tissot Superpole Race. After ten laps of frantic action Bulega claimed the victory by just 0.003s in the closest finish in WorldSBK history.

Razgatlioglu, starting from pole position, opted for the harder SCX tyre for the Superpole Race. The Turkish star dropped to fourth on lap one after Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea bundled past him at Turn 9. Within a lap Razgatlioglu was back in front. He would hold that lead until the final metres when Bulega came past.

Bulega timed his move to perfection. Taking advantage of his softer SCQ rear tyre he rode a perfect race to claim the fourth victory of his rookie season. Bulega, spent the majority of the race on Toprak’s rear wheel and from Lap 3 he pursued his rival with the gap never more than half a second.

Race 2 Highlights
Having opted for a harder rear tyre in Race 1 yesterday the focus of attention on the grid was whether Razgatlioglu would make a similar choice for Race 2. Higher track temperatures and more rubber on the asphalt meant that the World Championship leader opted to start the race on the same tyre choice as his rivals. Race 2 was the first time this season that Razgatlioglu could claim the championship if results went his way.

Razgatlioglu held up his side of the bargain by claiming the 56th win of his WorldSBK career but it wasn’t straight forward. In the early stages he dropped from second on the grid to fifth position. Having dispatched of Rea, Locatelli and Bulega on consecutive laps Razgatlioglu gave chase to the fast starting Bautista.

From the outside of the front row of the grid Bautista led the opening six laps before a mistake at Turn 6 opened a door for Razgatlioglu. Having ran wide Bautista was relegated to second position and within a couple of laps Bulega also cleared his teammate. The Italian though was presurised throughout the 21 lap race by his teammate. Bautista settled into a rhythm behind his teammate and the gap was constantly around the half second margin. Bautista, now out of title contention, played the rear gunner to his teammate but was ready to pounce in case of a mistake. Bulega would hold second position to the finish.

Rea finished off the podium in fourth position to claim his best result since the UK Round at Donington when he finished third. It was a lonely race for the six times World Champion as he finished over eight seconds behind the podium and three seconds clear of four rider battle for fifth.

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) ended the race in fifth but the rewards went to the Barni Spark Racing Team rider Danilo Petrucci. The Italian’s seventh place finish, behind Team HRC rider Xavi Vierge, ensured that Petrucci clinched the Independent Riders Award for the season.

Championship Highlights

• Razgatlioglu now holds a 46 point advantage over Bulega. With 62 points available next weekend at Jerez the Turkish star will have another opportunity to clinch the title in Race 1.
• Petrucci’s successes added the Independent Riders Award to Barni’s Independent Teams Award.
• Ducati holds a 35 point lead in the Manufacturers Standings.

P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“I’m very happy because I had a bit of bad luck in the Tissot Superpole Race this morning. I lost that race at the finish line but we worked very well this weekend and we won Race 2. I needed this for the championship. Now we’ll see how things go in Jerez! I know Ducati is very strong there but I’ll just try my best. Overall, I’m very happy with this weekend.”

P2 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“I enjoyed the Superpole Race a lot. It was a very good race, and I overtook Toprak at the last corner. In Race 2 I had fun with some overtakes. During the race Toprak was very fast and it was difficult to beat him. I’m happy with today because the championship fight will go to the final race. We’re still in the title fight but realistically it’s difficult to win. Toprak has had an amazing season and, for me, it’s already been a dream to be fighting for the championship in my first season. I’m really happy and we’ve gained a lot of experience for next season.”

P3 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“I had a good start in Race 2 but Toprak’s pace was very fast. I couldn’t follow him. I had a moment at the exit of Turn 6, and Nicolo passed me. I thought maybe he had more pace than me but he had the same issues I had. We couldn’t close the gap to Toprak and we spent the whole race together. I followed him and, honestly, in normal conditions I would have tried to overtake him but I think the best thing for the team was to help Nicolo since he still has a chance to fight for the title. We are a team in both good and bad times, and now everyone has to push for this title.”

WorldSBK Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.866s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.998s
4. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +12.005s
5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +15.209s
6. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +15.792s
Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW – 1’36.802s

Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 473 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 427 points
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 356 points

WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.003s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.253s

Bulega claims victory in closest ever WorldSBK finish
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