Toprak dominates at Autodrom Most  

Words and images courtesy WorldSBK Press Office

On a windy day at the Autodrom Most Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed his fifth win of the season. The Turkish rider clawed five points back in the title chase against Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

Race 1 Highlights

• Starting from the middle of the front row Bulega claimed the lead on the opening lap. He held Razgatlioglu at bay for the first four laps. The BMW rider attacked into Turn 1 and then led for the remainder of the race
• Razgatlioglu had to wait until half distance, lap 11 of 22, to open a gap of over a second. From that point onwards he controlled the gap to Bulega
• Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) started third and rode a strong, consistent race. He finished in the same position with a comfortable margin in hand to the riders behind

• Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished in fourth position after a race long battle with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). He was beaten to the line by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Bautista made a last lap move into Turn 1 to take fifth position
• Bautista started the race from the fourth row of the grid. He dropped to 16th position at one point following a first lap tangle. It left Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) out of the race. The double World Champion made steady progress throughout to salvage his fifth place finish
• Iker Lecuona continued his strong form of late with a seventh place finish for Honda HRC

P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

“This was a very important victory because we started the weekend really strong. I’ve really missed this feeling. The wind was very strong today so at the beginning of the race I was trying to adapt my riding style but once I found my rhythm I had a fast pace. This win means a lot. We’ve improved the bike a lot but we still need more. We have two more races tomorrow and I hope we can win again.”

P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“I tried to fight at the beginning. But when Toprak overtook me, I could understand after just a few corners that he had something extra today. I’m happy because second place is a very good result, especially after yesterday’s crash. It wasn’t easy to finish the race so I have to be happy and proud of what we achieved, both myself and the team.”

P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team)

“I tried to follow my strategy and hold onto third position because Nicolo and Toprak were a bit faster. They weren’t much faster but I was taking risks to stay with them. When I saw the gap behind me was increasing I decided to manage my pace. It wasn’t easy—this track has so many direction changes, and my back and arms were really suffering. This is a great podium for my team. I’m so happy, we’re working really well together, and this result is well deserved. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Race 1 Results

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +6.015s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +10.230s
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +14.814s
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +15.520s
6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +16.053s
Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) – 1’31.109s – new lap record

Tissot Superpole Highlights

• A late yellow flag saw Toprak Razgatlioglu’s fastest lap deleted but the Turkish rider still claimed a 20th career Superpole
• After a heavy crash in Friday practice Bulega’s strong performance in the Superpole session showed what to expect from him for the rest of the day. His lap time, 1’30.430, was just 0.033s slower than Razgatlioglu
• While the yellow flags left the front row of the grid unchanged, it left Sam Lowes further down the field than expected. Lowes was dropped from fourth on the grid to ninth

Superpole Results

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’30.397s
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.033s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.239s

Career first win for Masia

• From the fifth row of the grid Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) became the fifth different winner in WorldSSP this season. The Spaniard came from behind on the last lap to attack Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) at Turn 20 and claim the victory

• Starting from pole position Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) led four laps but had no answer to the leading duo in the final laps
• Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) led five laps before crashing at one third race distance. It was the first mistake that the Italian has made this season. Despite this, he continues to lead the championship standings by 36 points
• Masia’s fastest lap guarantees him the pole position for Race 2 in front of Oncu and Mahias. Despite his crash Manzi will line-up fourth on the grid ahead of fellow crasher Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse)

P1 – Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura)

“This was a difficult race but we managed it really well. I focused on keeping a strong rhythm and not making mistakes. I wasn’t sure if I could go for the win in the final laps but I trusted myself and the confidence the team has in me. I felt strong on the brakes so I waited until the last moment to make the move. I wanted to make sure there was no chance for a response from Can. That was my tactic and it worked. This victory confirms that we are strong and that I’m fast. It also shows that the team is doing a great job. I’m really happy for myself, my family, everyone around me and for the whole team.”

Race 1 Results

1. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.137s
3. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) +7.997s
4. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) +14.560s
5. Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +14.796s
6. Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) +14.884s
Fastest lap: Jaume Masia (Ducati) – 1’34.403s – new lap record

Victory and championship lead
for Garcia

• Having started the 12 lap race from the middle of the front row, Julio Garcia led four laps. He took the championship lead with his first victory of the season. The Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport rider held off David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) by just 0.012s after a thrilling final lap
• Salvador, who started from the tenth row of the grid after a penalty for slow riding in Superpole, came through the field to lead on Lap 5. The Spaniard eventually was beaten on the drag to the chequered flag. With 0.041s separating the top four finishes, this was a classic Supersport 300 race

• Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) was the final finisher on the podium. The Spanish rookie had a last lap clash with Jeffrey Buis that left the Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing in the gravel and out of the points. As a result, Buis handed the championship lead to Garcia. Garcia now leads Fernandez by ten points

P1 – Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport)

“I feel really good because I won this race. It was really difficult to race in such a big group. On the last lap, I had to push a lot but I managed to win. It’s an important result for the championship fight, but for now, we’re taking it one race at a time. Let’s see what tomorrow will bring!

Race 1 Results

1. Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport)
2. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) +0.012s
3. Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) +0.027s
4. Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) +0.041s
5. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) +0.136s
6. Elia Bartolini (Team BrCorse) +0.301s
Fastest lap: David Salvador (Kawasaki) – 1’46.242s