WorldSBK raced in Hungary for the first time since 1990 and Toprak Razgatlioglu delivered a dominant performance from pole position for his seventh consecutive victory.
Race 1 Highlights
The first WorldSBK race at the Balaton Park Circuit started with a Turn 2 incident with seven riders involved. The race was immediately red flagged and when racing resumed Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) were forced to sit on the sidelines while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) started from the back of the grid. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) was adjudged to have caused the incident and was penalised with a double Long Lap Penalty.
When the race restarted Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) converted his pole position into the Turn 1 lead and was never headed throughout the 20 lap race. He would finish with an advantage of 3.7 seconds and the fastest lap of the race.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dropped to sixth on Lap 1 but made his way past Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) on Lap 2 and Alvaro Bautista on the next tour. By one third distance he was in second position and would have a trouble free remainder of the race.
Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made a good start from the third row of the grid and spent the majority of the race in the podium positions. The double World Champion kept a watching brief on his teammate throughout.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) ran in second position for four laps but spent much of the race in fourth position. It was a combative ride from the Italian and continued his run of seven consecutive races finishing inside the top five.
Having seen his bike repaired, Petrucci was forced to start from the back of the grid. The Italian had a stunning start to the race and on Lap 1 in 12th position. On the next lap he was inside the top ten and finished in fifth position. He had a spirited battle with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) that was only resolved in the Italian’s favour on the last lap.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) moved into second position on Lap 5 but crashed two laps later. It was the second consecutive race the Englishman has crashed from second position.
Championship Highlights
- Razgatlioglu extends his championship lead to nine points from Bulega.
- BMW has now closed the margin to Ducati in the Manufacturers’ Standings to 24 points.
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“The start was quite easy and then I focused on managing the race. I had a big gap by the end and it’s been a good start to the weekend. We still have two more races tomorrow. The conditions were hot today but not too bad. I was able to set many laps in the 1’39s and I managed the rear tyre because after 10 laps I started to feel a big drop in the rear. We’ll probably adjust the engine brake setup for tomorrow. We did a good job, but I think tomorrow will be harder because the weather might change. There might be rain but we’ll see. I really enjoy every corner at this track but especially the chicanes. I’m enjoying riding here and I’m really enjoying this bike.”
P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I lost some time at the beginning of the race and by then Toprak was already gone. I’m quite happy because yesterday we started really badly and I had zero feeling with the bike. We’ve made a big step with the bike from yesterday to today so I’m happy with the improvement. My pace wasn’t bad and I’ll try to make another step forward tomorrow.”
P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I feel good. It’s always special to be on the podium at the first race for a new circuit. I had a good start this time so I was happy about that. During the first 6 or 7 laps I was really struggling and I was pushing as hard as I could but the bike didn’t allow me to do more. Later, with less fuel, I could be more precise and push a bit harder. I tried to stay close to Nicolo and to keep the pressure on him. He was very focused and didn’t make any mistakes so congratulations to him. The weather could be different tomorrow but we’ll try to enjoy it and do our best.”
Race 1 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.738s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +6.002s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +13.993s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +16.174s
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +16.590s
Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) – 1’39.732s.
Tissot Superpole Highlights
A late red flag, caused by a crash for Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team), led to a last lap dash for the pole position. The 15 minute session was reduced to one last gasp lap for most of the field and Razgatlioglu claimed his fourth pole position of the campaign.
Sam Lowes came into the 15 minute Superpole session having set the pace in Free Practice and set the second fastest time. It was the third time he was set a time for the front row of the grid.
Locatelli made it three manufacturers on the front row with the Yamaha rider lining up third on the grid. It was his first front row start since the 2023 Portuguese Round.
Superpole Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’38.357s
2. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.477s
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.486s
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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