Defending Champion Alvaro Bautista won World Superbike Race Two Sunday afternoon at Donington Park, in England. Bautista rode his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R to a 2.650-second margin of victory in the 22-lap race. It was the Spaniard’s 12th full-length race victory of the season.
Pata Yamaha Prometeon’s Toprak Razgatlioglu was the runner-up, and Danilo Petrucci got his career-best finish, third, on his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati.
American Garrett Gerloff got ninth on his Bonovo Action BMW M 1000 RR.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bautista holds off Razgatlioglu for victory, Petrucci celebrates maiden podium in Race 2
An action-packed event, WorldSBK Race 2 at Donington Park started with a red flag due to a crash involving Tom Sykes, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, and Loris Baz*.
After the restart, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team) battled fiercely with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) for the lead. Bautista eventually emerged victorious, securing a second feature race win at Donington Park. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed his maiden WorldSBK podium with a strong third-place finish. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) achieved his best result of the season, finishing in fourth place after a late fight with Rea and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
*Sykes was diagnosed with a thoracic injury, rib fractures on his right-hand side and a left ankle injury; he was transported to Queen’s Medical Centre for further assessment. Rinaldi was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a right ankle injury.
Bautista’s dominant performance secured him victory in WorldSBK Race 2, extending his championship lead with 357 points and a comfortable advantage in the standings.
P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“If you had told me before coming here that we were going to finish first – second – first, I wouldn’t have believed it because we usually struggle at this track. Fortunately, my feeling with the bike was amazing, it was just like at the other tracks. In Race 2, the pace was amazing, really fast. Toprak was very strong. I thought that I could be a couple of tenths faster than him and I tried to escape in front, but he knew it, and he tried to not let me leave. But in the end, I was able to get some more tenths and get some advantage. I’m really happy with the feeling with the bike, with the weekend – let’s try to keep this feeling.”
After battling with Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu secured second place in Race 2, bringing his total points in the Championship standings to 264.
Danilo Petrucci shined with a strong weekend performance, claiming his maiden WorldSBK podium at Donington Park after an impressive ride.
P3 | Danilo Petrucci | Barni Spark Racing Team
“I’m so happy especially for my team and for myself. Just two rounds ago, in Barcelona, I said ‘this is tougher than I thought’. We did a good job. After the Superpole Race, I wasn’t feeling so good. I was quite far away in the middle part of Race 2 but then I found a really good rhythm. I was really fast in the flowing part but then, in the chicane and hairpin, I was not really good, and this is where you can pass other riders. It was difficult for me. I did not expect to reach my first podium today.”
Scott Redding showcased his determination by overtaking both Kawasaki riders on his way to securing a fourth-place finish in Race 2, marking his best result of the season so far.
