WorldSBK celebrated its 1000 race in style with an entertaining Superpole Race in changeable conditions at the Hungarian Round.
Overnight rain made for a tricky tyre choice at the Balaton Park Circuit but reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) delivered the milestone victory for his 71st career victory.
Race 2 Highlights
Despite starting from pole position Razgatlioglu lost the lead on the run to the opening corner. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took the holeshot. The Spaniard, who would later crash out of podium contention, led until Turn 5 when Razgatlioglu came past under heavy braking. Within two laps he had opened a margin of one second. A series of fast laps, including a new lap record, saw the Turkish rider lead by over ten seconds when the chequered flag was flown. It was Razgatlioglu’s third consecutive hat-trick of wins.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from the fourth row of the grid and made swift progress on the riders in front of him. The Italian, second in the World Championship, was seventh at the end of the opening lap. He was in the podium positions by Lap 5 but within a lap was into second position.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was the leading Independent Rider to take the fourth podium of his WorldSBK career. Starting from the front row of the grid he lost positions to Bautista and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) on the opening lap. On the third lap Lowes came through on both but at quarter distance Bulega made his move. From that point onwards Lowes battled with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) before enjoying a comfortable margin in the closing stages. Locatelli finished inside the top five for the ninth consecutive race to finish.
A race long scrap saw Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finish sixth ahead of Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC). Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) had been in the thick of the battle but a Long Lap Penalty dropped him down the order before a crash on the penultimate lap.
Championship Highlights
- A perfect weekend for Razgatlioglu has seen him open a 26 point advantage over Bulega
- Bautista’s mistake has seen him drop to fifth in the championship standings with just 16 points separating him from Petrucci and Locatelli
- A ninth consecutive race victory for Razgatlioglu has helped BMW close the gap to Ducati in the Manufacturer Standings to 16 points
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“I’m really happy because in Race 2 I tried a different tyre and it felt much better. I had more consistency with this tyre so I could just focus on my race pace. I want to say a huge thanks to my team because they did an incredible job. This was real teamwork, and we kept improving session by session. I’m really pleased that before the long summer break we managed another hat-trick. It’s great motivation for everyone. Now I’m really looking forward to Magny-Cours, especially since I didn’t race there last year. We’ll see what happens this season.”
P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I recovered some positions today starting from tenth position. Unfortunately, this morning’s conditions didn’t suit me and that’s something I need to work on. In Race 2 I was very focused on making a comeback. Congratulations to Toprak and BMW because they were strong all weekend. It wasn’t a perfect weekend for us, but a second place means good points. Hopefully, we can improve over the summer break.”
P3 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team)
“After yesterday’s disappointment, it was great to have a solid ride this morning in the tricky conditions. Race 2 was pretty dry and I really enjoyed it. It’s been a fantastic weekend and it was fun to race in Hungary for the first time. There’s been a great atmosphere and great fans. Bulega and Toprak had a bit more pace than me but I’m happy with my performance. In the middle of the race I dug in and improved. Maybe if I’d finished the race yesterday, I could have taken another step forward today but that’s racing. I’ve been fast all weekend and I’m really pleased to come away with two podiums.”
Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +10.317s
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +13.154s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +18.297s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 18.752s
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 20.052s
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 407 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 386
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 233
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
A wet morning warm-up session gave riders the chance to get up to speed in the wet this morning. By the time the 10 Lap Superpole Race started the track had started to dry and tyre choice became critical for your chance of success
The podium finishers, and all but one point scorer, opted for slick tyres while Bulega and Petrucci chose intermediate tyres. It was clear very quickly that Bulega, second in the standings, had made the wrong decision as he fell backwards. He was outside the points at the end of the first lap and finished the race 13th
Razgatlioglu started from pole position and converted it into an early lead but on lap 3 Sam Lowes and Petrucci attacked and came past. Lowes led four laps but had to cede the lead to Razgatlioglu at Turn 1 on Lap 7. From that point onwards they opened a gap to Bautista who rounded out the podium finishers
Locatelli and Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) spent the race inside the top five. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) made an inspired decision to use an intermediate front tyre and a slick rear tyre and came through the field to finish sixth
Vickers and Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Racing) claimed career best finishes in seventh and eighth ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha)
Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’40.649s
2. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +2.810s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +7.251s
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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