WorldSBK: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) split the honours today at the Estoril Round of WorldSBK.
WorldSBK travels to Jerez for the final round of the season next weekend with the Riders’ Championship still to be decided. Razgatlioglu holding an advantage of 39 points.
Race 2 Highlights
Bulega led from the start of Race 2. The Ducati rider made a good start from second on the grid to lead into Turn 1. From that point onwards he never looked back as he opened a commanding lead over the field that would eventually stretch to five seconds at the chequered flag.
A slow start for Razgatlioglu saw him drop to fifth position on Lap 1. He jumped past Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) but didn’t have the pace to challenge Bulega.
The battle for third was settled in Bautista’s favour. On Lap four he came past Locatelli and maintained his track position throughout. He was under pressure from Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) for much of the race. From one quarter distance onwards Lowes was hot on the heels of Bautista but never close enough to attempt an overtaking move.
A jump start penalty saw Iannone drop down the order and he would eventually finish in 12th position having looked strong in the early stages.
Championship Highlights
- Race 2 was Razgatlioglu’s first opportunity to seal his third WorldSBK title. His 39 point lead means that he will have a second chance in Race 1 at Jerez.
- Bautista has moved back into third position in the standings. With Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) ruled out of action this weekend due to injury he drops to fifth in the championship. Bautista is eight points clear of Locatelli in the bronze medal fight.
- Ducati has retaken the lead in the Manufacturers Standings by three points. BMW had moved ahead following Razgatlioglu’s Superpole Race victory.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was a very good race. We improved a lot on the bike from the Superpole Race this morning. I’m happy because this win is important. I know the championship is very difficult, but we won’t give up. Toprak has been very strong all season but I think we’ve also had a great year. I’ll keep pushing 200% and try to put pressure on Toprak because that’s all I can do now.”
P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“I did my best in Race 2. At the start everyone was riding like crazy and after that I pushed hard to catch Bulega. He had a very strong pace and I gave 100% every lap but by the end my tyre was destroyed. It was impossible for me to fight for the win today and second place is better than nothing. We were able to take good points for the championship. Now I’m looking forward to Jerez.”
P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“This weekend has been all about threes for me. I’ve had three podiums and I’m now third in the World Championship. This was the maximum we could achieve because Toprak and Nicolo were much faster than the rest. I had a group behind me in all three races so it was hard to stay focused and not to make mistakes. I’m quite happy because we got the most out of it, and it’s been a good Sunday with two podiums.”
Race 2 Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.868s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +15.331s
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +17.333s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +20.567s
6. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +22.205s
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 580 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 541 points
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 292 points
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
Starting from the middle of the front row Bulega claimed the lead into Turn 1. He would head the field at the end of the opening tour before Razgatlioglu attacked into the opening corner on Lap 2. With the BMW rider at the front they were rarely separated by more than a few tenths of a second but Razgatlioglu went on to claim his eighth Superpole Race win of the season.
The battle for third was a seven rider scrap. Bautista spent all but one lap in third position but he was under pressure throughout. The Pata Maxus Yamaha duo of Jonathan Rea and Andrea Loocatelli pressured him throughout the ten lap duration but a crash for Rea on Lap 7 removed one of the contenders.
Locatelli would finish fourth having been attacked at Turn 1 on the final lap by Alex Lowes. The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team rider crashed while trying to wrestle his way ahead of Locatelli with Andrea Iannone benefitting for a top five finish.
The crashes promoted Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) into the points and onto the third row of the grid for Race 2.
Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.545s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.942s
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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