Toprak Razgatlioglu secures his debut win for BMW
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati celebrates double podium with Alvaro Bautista’s impressive recovery from fifth-row start
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) relinquishes Championship lead after finishing sixth
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dominated much of the race, amassing a four-second lead at one stage. However, tire management became pivotal on the Catalunya track, allowing Razgatlioglu, equipped with a harder front tire, to gradually close the gap. The Turkish rider made his move on the 20th and final lap to claim victory.
Despite starting from a penalized fifth-row grid position, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), known for his previous six consecutive wins at the circuit, stormed back to seize third place, propelling himself to fourth in the Championship standings. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) impressed with a fourth-place finish. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who began as the Championship leader, settled for sixth, slipping one point behind Bulega in the standings, with Razgatlioglu now in third.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who set a new lap record in Superpole, had initially aimed for a podium finish in Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, the Turkish sensation surpassed expectations by rallying from behind to claim the race victory, marking BMW’s first triumph since 2021 and justifying Razgatlioglu’s decision to switch manufacturers for the current season. Meanwhile, his teammate Michael van der Mark displayed competitiveness throughout the race but ultimately finished in ninth place.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“I’m really happy. Every day the team has done an unbelievable job and they have worked really hard. It’s important for me to win at this circuit because I’ve never won here. It’s been a dream of mine to win in Catalunya and this is unbelievable. It was a very hard race. My plan was to ride a little bit slower than the others and at the start I was waiting for Bulega because the other riders were pushing very hard. After Bulega had come past I thought I’d follow him. After two laps later I felt that I was pushing too hard. I slowed down to save the rear tyre. I thought a podium would be enough for me. In the last five laps here, the rear tyre has a big drop. I saw Iannone started to drop and then Bulega also dropped in the last five laps. I was pushing hard, especially on the brakes. On the last lap, I passed him. Maybe it was a good strategy for me.”
P2 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“This was my first long race because we had pit stops in Australia. At the end of the race unfortunately I had no grip from the rear tyre. It was difficult for me to manage this and Toprak was very fast at the end. His lap times were better than mine. Maybe, I push a little too hard at the beginning of the race to overtake riders. Today, I learned something and I will be better prepared next time.”
P3 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“It’s never easy because this track is so complicated. You have to manage the tyres. I was in the situation that I wanted to push more in the first laps to gain some positions but I also had to save my tyres. I tried to keep calm and to manage the tyre as well as possible. I had some problems in the big group because the front overheated. I had to save some slides with my elbow. When you are behind the other riders, the front tyre doesn’t work as expected and I struggled to brake hard or enter fast into corners. I think our best was to get a podium, but this was a surprise for me.”
WorldSBK Race 1 Results
1.Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.868s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.338s
4. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +8.543s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +9.818s
6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +11.190s
Fastest Lap: Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 1’41.440s
Championship Standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 61 points
2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 60 points
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 43 points
WSSP Huertas clinches maiden victory in spectacular fashion
Adrian Huertas secures debut victory from pole position in the Supersport class. The Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider maintained composure amidst intense pressure from Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), clinching victory by a narrow margin of just over one second. Huertas’ triumph solidifies his title aspirations, and with a front-row start for Race 2, he sets his sights on a double victory this weekend.
Manzi’s strategic choice of a harder rear tire paid off, earning him his second podium finish of the season. Meanwhile, Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) maintains his consistent form, becoming the sole rider to secure a podium finish in every race this season. Engaged in a tight battle throughout the race, Schroetter and championship leader Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who finished fourth, maintain an intense rivalry, with Montella holding an 11-point lead in the championship standings.
Despite a late setback causing Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) to slip to seventh place, the Spaniard’s pole position for tomorrow’s race provides an opportunity for redemption.
P1 | Adrian Huertas | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team
“I’m really happy about this victory because it was quite difficult after Australia. Today, we showed that we are one of the strongest, and that we can fight for the Championship. I think we managed the race very well and it paid off. I proved that I can lead a race and that’s really useful for me because I had never led a WorldSSP race. Now I know what that feels like and this is really important.”
WorldSSP Race 1 Results
1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +1.277s
3. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +5.840s
4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.653s
5. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +9.798s
6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +10.855s
Championship Standings
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 63 points
2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 52 points
3. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 41 points
Buis immediately proves his worth to KTM
After making the switch to KTM for the 2024 season, Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) wasted no time in showcasing why he’s a two-time WorldSSP300 champion. The Dutch rider exhibited his prowess by maintaining composure and charging through the grid from the fourth row to clinch his 12th career victory.
Buis’s triumph was affirmed by the FIM Race Stewards following a post-race penalty imposed on Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) for causing an incident on the final lap, relegating the Spaniard to 13th place in the standings.
In a remarkable performance, rookie Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) secured second place, while Samuel di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team), starting from the back of the field, battled his way to third position.
As the grid for Race 2 is determined by the fastest laps in Race 1, Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) will enjoy pole position, having posted the quickest lap time.
P1 | Jeffrey Buis | Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing
“That was incredible! This isn’t the way you want to win a race by being promoted but it’s good for the points. I’m very happy to be at the front with the KTM because it’s a new bike for me. The start of the race was good but then I started to fall back back because the tyre dropped and it’s new a feeling with that bike. I need to adjust my riding style to adapt to this. At the end I started to have more confidence and I could fight back to the front.”
WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results
1. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Raging)
2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.040s
3. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) +0.227s
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday with Warm Up from 10:30 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 13:00 and Race 2 at 16:00, while WorldSSP action continues on Sunday with Warm Up from 10:50, and Race 2 at 14:30.
Pictures Official WorldSBK Press Release
