Toprak Razgatlioglu won FIM Superbike World Championship Race Two Sunday evening at Algarve International Circuit, in Portimao, Portugal. Riding his ROKiT BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR on spec Pirelli tires, Razgatlioglu won the 20-lap race by a scant 0.035 second. It was the Turkish star’s 13th consecutive race victory, extending his lead in the World Championship standings.
Rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega was the runner-up, finishing right behind Razgatlioglu on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Alex Lowes placed third on his factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR.
American Gerloff Garrett, riding his Bonovo Action BMW, won a battle for eighth place with Team HRC’s Xavi Vierge (ninth) and GYTR GRT Yamaha’s Dominic Aegerter (10th).
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Sharpshooter Toprak makes it 13
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
Toprak Razgatlioglu made WorldSBK history by winning his 12th consecutive race. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider was one of the few front runners to use the harder rear tyre during the shorter 10 lap race but took the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 2 and was never challenged there after. Razgatlioglu held a comfortable three second lead by the time he took the flag and celebrated his milestone victory
A first career Superpole Race podium for Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) continued his strong Portuguese Round.
From the middle of the front row Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) once again made a good start. He held onto second position for the first half of the race before Petrucci and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) came past him. On the final lap Lowes was able to surprise van der Mark at Turn 8 and held off his former teammate to the line by just 0.021s
Race 2 Highlights
While it was another hat-trick for Razgatlioglu this was a challenging race. A clash with Alex Lowes on Lap 6 saw the right wing ripped off the BMW. With the balance of his bike changed Razgatlioglu struggled in the longer corners and was under attack from Bautista and Bulega
Bautista was the closest challenger but the Spaniard crashed at Turn 5 on Lap 15. Having been able to set the fastest lap of the race the Ducati rider was charging and chasing down Razgatlioglu’s lead. Having taken the lead Razgatlioglu shot back at Turn 4 before Bautista’s mistake. The double World Champion was chasing his first win since the Superpole Race at Assen. The Ducati star remounted but finished outside the points
There were eight changes of the lead over the course of the 20 lap race. For the first time since 2021 Michael van der Mark led a race with the BMW rider eventually finishing in seventh position after a race long battle with Petrucci and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha)
Bulega continued his run of finishing on the podium at every round this season. The reigning WorldSSP champion started from fifth position on the grid but dropped to sixth position at one third distance before recovering through the leading group to get into the podium positions at half distance. After Bautista’s crash it was Bulega’s turn to carry the baton for Ducati and while he led the race he wasn’t able to claim the win. Just 0.035s separated Bulega from a second win of the season
Alex Lowes led three laps and was running comfortably in fourth position when Bautista crashed. Elevated to the podium he opened a gap of 2.5s to Iannone at the flag. The Englishman now trails Bautista by just ten points for third in the standings
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) enjoyed a strong day. Having finished ninth in the Superpole Race the rookie was able to have a combative race in the evening to finish as the leading Independent Rider in fourth position
In the championship Razgatlioglu holds a 92 point lead from Bulega with Bautista a further ten points adrift. BMW leads the manufacturers standings by 20 points from Ducati
Key Points:
Race 2 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Race fastest lap: Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 1’40.753
More on worldsbk.com
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“This race was very difficult. It wasn’t easy to ride with the strong wind but I kept fighting. In the last sector I was struggling and I was always slower in the last corner. I gave it everything, and we won again. This is my 13th win in a row and my 54th in total. I’m very happy after today. It’s been an incredible weekend for me and the team. Everybody is working very hard and we want to continue like this for the next race in Magny-Cours!”
P2 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“This was one of the most difficult weekends I’ve had this season. I felt sick all weekend but I never gave up. I tried to improve every time I was out on the bike. My team did a great job too. Unfortunately, I lost the battle with Toprak. There was almost nothing between us at the end but this was my first race weekend here in WorldSBK. I’m happy. It’s always nice to be on the podium.”
P3 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki Racing Team
“This is a track that I enjoy. The bike works really well here but, honestly, it was a hard race for us. The wind changed and it was so physical. The bike was moving a lot but I think I had some strong areas of the track all weekend. That was great because I was able to make some overtaking moves. Against the two Ducatis and Toprak I just didn’t have the speed. I made a couple of mistakes too because the bike was moving so much. The braking was a bit inconsistent for me but I’m not going to complain too much! To have two podiums today is fantastic for the team.”
DNF | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“The feeling with the bike is coming back. Yesterday, we had a very bad start but finished second. I was the second fastest on track in the Superpole Race. In Race 2 I lost a lot of ground at the start but the feeling was similar to yesterday. The conditions were a bit tricky today because the wind was too strong. I understood more or less how the wind was affecting the track but the feeling with the bike was good. Today was the first time this season that I really felt strong. At that moment, I thought maybe I could relax for a few laps and then attack but it’s been a long time since I’ve fought for victory, so I wanted to put on a bit of a show. I wanted to have some fun, and play a little with Toprak. Unfortunately, in Turn 5, he passed me and went a bit wide. I tried to get back to the line but I lost the front. It’s a bit of a pity because the performance was really good. Now, we need to reset and start fresh with this feeling on the bike.”
