A bad start from pole position dropped Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to fifth at the end of the opening lap.
The Turkish rider gave chase to Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the early laps before taking the lead for the first time at one third distance.
Razgatlioglu would hold on to the lead for seven laps before Bulega attacked back. The Ducati rider led a total of nine laps. Razgatlioglu moved himself back to the front with four laps to go and eventually claimed his first victory of the season by just 0.067s.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) spent the full 20 lap race in the podium positions and was rewarded with 16 points for third position. He held off Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) with the Italian duo split by less than a second for most of the race.
Having started from the sixth row of the grid Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) claimed his first top five finish since the French Round last year. He ended the race five seconds behind Petrucci but two seconds clear of Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
An action packed opening lap claimed two Ducati’s at Turn 4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) came together and their races were over.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“I didn’t have a good start and I made some mistakes. I’m satisfied with myself though in the end. I needed to fight back and I did that. Nicolo is a really good rider and he was pushing hard. He was strong in the high-speed sections. He was riding very well and I learned some things from him. I’ll be busy tonight working with the team because we need to improve the bike. In some corners the acceleration is good but I need more grip. I’m happy because we’re back to winning races. We have two more tomorrow and we’ll see who comes out on top.”
P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“During the test I wasn’t so strong but we’ve worked hard before this round. I want to thank my team because they really helped to improve my feeling with the bike. We worked very hard to be prepared for the race. It was a great battle with Toprak. He is always very strong and I was missing something in some areas. However, considering where we started I am happy. This is one of Toprak’s best tracks, it’s like me in Australia, so beating Toprak here is very difficult. We tried until the last lap and if we can make some adjustments, especially in a few key corners, I think we can take another step forward and fight even more with him.”
P3 – Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha)
“I have to be happy because we’ve been working this weekend. The base setup of the bike is good. I’m struggling a bit with the front, so we need to keep working to improve and try to close the gap a little more. I need to be proud of myself because I never lost focus during this race. I was always ready in every condition and in every situation during this race. To finish on the podium confirms that we are competitive. I think we have a real chance to be back on the podium again and maybe we can even fight for our first victory. I won’t stop believing in that and I’ll keep working for it. We have two more chances tomorrow, so let’s go for it again.”
Race 1 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’40.351
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.067s
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +7.855s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.991s
5. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +15.475s
6. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +17.830s
Tissot Superpole Highlights
Razgatlioglu smashed the lap record to take his 19th career Superpole
Bulega and Petrucci made progress on their final laps of the session to qualify on the front row of the grid. Bautista was unable to do that and set the ninth fastest time of the session.
The second row of the grid saw impressive performances from Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge to qualify fourth and sixth. The result matched Vierge’s career best Superpole performance.
A crash for Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) brought out the yellow flags and cost some riders their fastest lap. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was one with the Englishman relegated from the second row of the grid to the back of the field.
Superpole Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.081s
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.245s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.402s
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