Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) won Race 1 in Magny-Cours with a remarkable performance characterized by his fierce duel with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who secured second place. Razgatlioglu, who notched his 38th career win in WorldSBK, secured a crucial victory that trimmed the Championship gap between him and Bautista to 55 points. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed third place on the podium.
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) ultimately finished fourth in the race after starting from pole position, and the American rider achieved his best result since joining BMW. Danilo Petrucci ( Barni Spark Racing Team) took fifth place in a late-race battle with his compatriot, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), who came in sixth. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) suffered technical problems in the early stages of the race before fighting back to the top ten.
Toprak Razgatlioglu secured victory in Race 1 at Magny-Cours, reducing the Championship gap to Alvaro Bautista to 55 points.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
“Reflecting on his win and the title fight, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m happy to win again at Magny-Cours as it is one of my favourite tracks! We won like last year and, in the same way by fighting with Michael! Anyway, a big thanks to the team as they were working really well this weekend and we made a step. It’s not enough to just be good when braking, we need more power on the exit of the corner, especially from the slow ones. Everyone knows the Ducati is so good on the straights, but we’ll keep fighting! I saw Alvaro had some technical problems; I’m not thinking about the Championship, I’m focused race by race as I need to win. I forget about the Championship. We have two more races on Sunday. I’m more relaxed than Alvaro because I’m not thinking in the Championship. If we win every race, we’re World Champions. In 2021, that was how I thought and it’s how I still think. We’ll just try to enjoy every race.”
Alvaro Bautista made a strong comeback to finish in tenth position after grappling with technical issues.
P10 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“It’s been a strange afternoon. In the morning, I had a good feeling, and we made a really good lap time in Superpole, and the bike was fantastic. In the end, we chose the softer compound on the rear at the minute because, in the morning, I felt good, so I thought it was a good choice for the race. I had a good start, but I suddenly felt the engine had some problems because I felt like the power was too low. In the first two laps, the engine wasn’t pushing like normal. When I got to Turn 5 on Lap 3, I re-opened the gas and the engine stopped. I thought maybe the power was not good in the first two laps because there was a problem. When I stopped the bike, I read a message on the display that it was on, only the engine stopped. I read a message that said I could start. It was the message that mechanics see when they switch on the bike. I tried to restart the bike and go, the engine started again, and I thought I’d go to the box with the bike. But the bike started to work like normal. The power was normal. I just did the race and I’m happy with the performance and because I had a lot of fun catching the riders and passing all of them! Without that problem, maybe we could fight for the win.”
Michael Ruben Rinaldi finished a competitive second in Race 1, just 2.656 seconds behind Razgatlioglu.
Jonathan Rea claimed the third podium spot, trailing the race leader Razgatlioglu by 4.773 seconds in Race 1.
Garrett Gerloff, who started from pole position, secured an impressive fourth place finish, marking his best result in a BMW bike so far.
Race 1 Result
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)
2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.656s
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.773s
4. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +6.266s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.987s
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +9.740s
Bulega dominates in Magny-Cours, further extending Championship lead
In a commanding performance at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Nicolo Bulega of Aruba.it Racing – Ducati secured a convincing win, further solidifying his position as the championship leader. Despite challenges, Stefano Manzi held on to secure second place, albeit facing an increasing gap to the leader. Valentin Debise, racing in front of his home crowd, celebrated his first-ever WorldSSP podium finish.
This race showcased a diverse top five, with four different motorcycle manufacturers represented. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) claimed fourth place, three seconds behind the podium, followed closely by Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) in fifth. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top six.
Nicolo Bulega’s tenth win of the season further extended his Championship lead, giving him a 51-point advantage over Stefano Manzi in the title race.
P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team
“It was a very good race. It was very hot, and Stefano was pushing very hard, so I really had to push from the first to the last corner. It was a difficult race, but I enjoyed it. I’m happy because we’re the only Ducati on the podium, so that means that we are doing a really good job with my team, and this is really important for me. I hope to continue this way.”
WorldSSP Race 1 Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.587s
3. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) +4.898s
4. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +7.701s
5. Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) +9.969s
6. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +12.013s
Buis triumphs in intense WorldSSP300 Race 1 at Magny-Cours
In an intense battle at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) emerged victorious in WorldSSP300 Race 1. The 2020 Champion secured his second win of the season by nearly two seconds, reducing his gap to the Championship leader to five points. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) captured second place, marking his return to the podium after two years.
Meanwhile, Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), Buis’s teammate, impressed by clinching his maiden World Championship podium, finishing just 0.278 seconds behind Sabatucci. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing), who had been in contention for the lead throughout the race, secured fourth place, less than a tenth of a second behind Sabatucci. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) fought hard to maintain his consistent form and claimed fifth place. Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) rounded out the top six in a race filled with dramatic battles.
Jeffrey Buis dominated with a two-second lead to secure his second win of the season and narrow the championship gap to five points.
P1 | Jeffrey Buis | MTM Kawasaki
“It’s incredible. Today, my race was superb. From the beginning, I had the pace to stay with the front guys, and this was my plan. You need to always be in front, thinking about the Championship. I made a good start and stayed at the front. Then, in the last three laps, I was able to create a gap and take the win. I’m really happy with this victory. It’s incredible because we reduced the gap to the Championship leader, and this was the goal today. Tomorrow, I will give everything again to try to finish in a top position and score good points for the Championship.”
Kevin Sabatucci returned to the podium after two years, claiming a hard-fought second place in the thrilling WorldSSP300 race.
Loris Veneman impressed with a maiden podium, finishing just milliseconds behind Sabatucci in a nail-biting race at Magny-Cours.
WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results
1. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PI Performances) +1.890s
3. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +2.168s
4. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +2.238s
5. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +2.589s
6. Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) +2.654s
