Toprak Razgatlioglu won a shortened Race 2. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider was pushed all the way by Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) during an 11 lap race.
The original race was shortened due to a crash on Lap 9.
Bulega led five laps and put Razgatlioglu under pressure with the pair bar to bar in the closing stages. The Italian claimed his 30th career rostrum finish
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from the outside of the front row and finished third. The Spaniard finished ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) as the trio spent the full race distance circulating in that order.
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) returned to action this weekend. The Spaniard missed the opening round of the year through injury and ended the Portuguese weekend with a strong sixth place finish.
Championship Highlights
Bulega continues to lead the championship. But Razgatlioglu’s hat-trick of wins reduced the gap to 29 points.
Danilo Petrucci moved up to third in the standings courtesy of three top six finishes in Portugal.
Ducati continues to lead the Manufacturers Standings. The Italian brand are 27 points ahead of BMW with Yamaha third courtesy of Locatelli’s performances this weekend.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“I want to thank my team because everyone is working really hard to improve the bike. We made progress in every session this weekend. Also, congratulations to Nicolo because he did a great job this weekend. He’s really strong, and his pace was very fast. I’m happy that we could have such a good fight, and I think everyone enjoyed watching the race. My biggest target for this weekend was to win. We’re back, and we’re here to show everyone that we are ready to fight.”
P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I couldn’t do more than what I did today. I’m happy because this is one of Toprak’s best tracks. He’s always very, very strong here in Portimao. To battle with him here is a good sign. It means we’re making progress. This is important for the rest of the championship. Two weeks ago, during testing, I didn’t have a great feeling here, but we made big improvements to the bike for the race weekend. Ducati and my team have worked so hard and I’m happy with our progress. See you soon in Assen!”
P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“Today was a very positive day. We were able to recover a lot of positions in the Superpole Race. Having missed race time yesterday I struggled a bit during the first few laps because I needed to get used to the pace. After that, I found my rhythm and built my confidence. I was happy to finish on the podium and secure a good position for Race 2. I had a good start in Race 2 and stayed with Nico and Toprak but after a few laps I started to drop back a little. They were a bit faster than yesterday. Overall, we have to be happy because we found some positives with the new tyre. We also discovered some negatives. Now, we need to analyse the data and keep improving for the future. We’re working on small details that could give me more confidence and help me push to stay with them.”
Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.614
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.195s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.512s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +6.617s
5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +7.478s
6. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +10.155s
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
Razgatlioglu claimed his 22nd Tissot Superpole Race victory. His winning margin was less than a tenth of a second from Bulega. The duo battled throughout the ten lap duration with Bulega leading the opening four tours before Razgatlioglu hit the front on Lap 5. From that point onwards there was little to separate them before a last lap dice was settled in the Turkish rider’s favour.
Starting from the third row of the grid meant Bautista had plenty of work to do during the Superpole Race. He finished the opening lap in sixth position before passing Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) on Lap 2. He made his way through on Andrea Locatelli at half distance before passing Petrucci with two laps remaining.
Iker Lecuona claimed the final point scoring position in ninth position. The Spaniard finished less than a second behind his Team HRC teammate Xavi Vierge.
Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.055s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.407s
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