The final day of the WorldSBK season saw the World Championship decided in Toprak Razgatlioglu’s favour.
The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team made it back to back titles but after a dramatic crash during the Superpole Race the Turkish superstar had to wait until Race 2 for confirmation of his title.
Race 2 Highlights
Starting from tenth on the grid, courtesy of his non-score in the Superpole Race, Razgatlioglu immediately moved into eighth position on the opening lap, into the top six on the next tour but from that point onwards he had a patient race. First Alex Lowes then Xavi Vierge and finally Andrea Locatelli were overtaken before he settled for a podium finish and the World Championship.
In his final start for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad Alvaro Bautista wasted no time in making an impact on the race. The double champion led on the opening lap by attacking his teammate from the start. Bautista led one lap before Nicola Bulega came through and opened an eventual lead of 1.7s at the end of the race.
The battle for fourth was settled on the final lap with Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) claiming the position from Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) and holding him off by less than a tenth of a second on the final lap. Vierge capped off his Honda tenure with three top five finishes.
On the penultimate lap Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was under intense pressure from Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven). The Italian rider though made a mistake into Turn 1 and the battle was settled.
An eighth place finish marked the end of the best weekend for Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Racing) in WorldSBK. The British rider came away with three top ten finishes.
Championship Highlights
- Razgatlioglu claimed the title by 13 points from Bulega.
- Eighth podiums in a row ensured that Bautista ended the season third in the standings ahead of Locatelli.
- A hat-trick of wins for Bulega delivered Ducati the Manufacturers’ Standings.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I feel good about this weekend but I’m disappointed with the season. Toprak and BMW did a better job and they deserve this title. Congratulations to them. I’m sorry for the incident this morning because I just tried to overtake and to ride my pace. We’ve always raced hard and on the limit. It’s been an incredible season with podiums every weekend but we were unlucky. Racing is racing and we’ll come back stronger next year.”
P2 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I finished all three races on the podium and had two second places today. I’m a bit frustrated because I felt I could fight for more but given the conditions this was the maximum. I’m happy because I gave my best and really enjoyed the weekend. The races, the fans and having my family and friends here made this special. Thanks to everyone for their support.”
P3 and WorldSBK Champion – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“We crashed at Turn 5 in the Superpole Race but I stayed calm and focused on Race 2. We did a good job and took the title. The start of the season was tough but race by race we kept improving. I’m really happy to win this title in my last year with BMW. It’s a nice gift before moving to MotoGP. In Race 2 I rode calmly from tenth on the grid. I knew that I didn’t need to take risks and I just had to finish. It’s been a fantastic season.
I’m really happy because we achieved our target of winning the World Championship with BMW. This season wasn’t easy because at the beginning we weren’t very strong. Race by race we improved together. The team worked so hard and they were always trying to give me a better bike.”
Race 2 Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.793s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +6.339s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +8.833s
5. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +8.931s
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +9.326s
Fastest Lap: Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’38.693s
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 616 points
2.Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 603
3.Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 337
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
The opening lap of the race saw the biggest flashpoint of the campaign. Having taken the holeshot, Razgatlioglu led into Turn 1 but at Turn 5 there was contact between the title rivals. With Bulega holding the inside line he made contact with Razgatlioglu and the Turkish rider’s race ended in the gravel trap.
Having been handed a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding Bulega immediately took his penalty but his pace was such that he never lost the lead and led every lap to go on and claim his 13th victory of the season.
Using the softer SCQ tyre Bautista came through from the third row of the grid to finish on the podium in an Aruba.it Racing – Ducati one-two. Andrea Iannone’s rostrum finish was the first top three finish for the Team Pata Go Eleven since the opening round of the campaign at Phillip Island.
An opening lap crash saw the race ended for the Yamaha duo of Remy Gardner and Jonathan Rea at Turn 3.
Superpole Race Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.055s
3. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) +5.236s
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