Toprak Sets the Pace After Eventful Opening Day at Most

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Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) topped the timesheets on a dramatic first day of the Motul Czech Round at Autodrom Most. The Turkish rider logged 42 laps around the 4.212km circuit, navigating variable weather and multiple red flag stoppages.

During Free Practice 2, Razgatlioglu completed a full 21-lap race simulation, showing both impressive speed and consistency. He set six laps faster than any other rider managed all day, underlining his early dominance.

Free Practice 1 was repeatedly disrupted by four red flag incidents, with the most significant involving Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who suffered a highside crash at Turn 6. Despite the heavy fall, Bulega still managed 24 laps and ended the day fourth overall on the combined timesheets.

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) carried his strong recent form into Friday, finishing second fastest. He was followed closely by his twin brother, Alex Lowes, who just re-signed with the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team through 2026.

Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) was ruled out for the rest of the weekend due to a crash in FP1. Other riders who went down included Remy Gardner, Jonathan Rea, and Andrea Locatelli.

P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

“This was my best Friday so far this season, so I’m really pleased. The bike is working well, and we’ve dialed in a strong setup for the tricky weather. I did both a time attack and a race simulation, and was consistently lapping in the 1’31s — that’s a strong pace. The race will be different, of course, with tyre management coming into play, but we prepared with that in mind. We’re expecting rain tomorrow, but we’re ready. I want to win — I need to win.”

P2 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team)

“Last year, I really struggled here, so it feels good to come back and be quick again. My pace was solid overall. I had to come into the pits during my long run to tweak something, but I went back out on the same tyres and still put in good laps. I feel like I’m in the fight, though Sector 2 is still an area I need to improve. We were lucky to get more dry laps than expected. It’s been a good first day, and I think we can build on this tomorrow.”

P3 – Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team)

“Our plan got thrown off by all the red flags, but I found a rhythm in the mixed conditions and the bike felt good. In FP2, we worked on improving cornering and kept the same tyres throughout to get a read on our pace. It was a fun day on the bike. We’re strong in Sectors 2 and 3, but I’m losing time in the final sector. I’ll go through the data tonight and see what we can improve — if we fix that, we’re in a great spot for a strong result.”

P4 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“After a crash like the one I had this morning, it was important to get back on the bike and rebuild confidence. It was a big one — I’m sore all over, especially in my foot — but it could’ve been worse. I didn’t push too hard in FP2, but the bike felt okay. This track is demanding with all its direction changes, and riding with pain made it harder, but I gave everything. Hopefully tomorrow I can put the crash behind me and focus on improving.”

Combined Results After FP2

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’31.318
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.224
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.289
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.375
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.403
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.409

Mahias Grabs First Pole Since 2019 in Tricky Conditions

Lucas Mahias secured his first WorldSSP pole since Misano 2019 in a challenging Superpole session that began wet and dried toward the end. The GMT94 Yamaha rider set his fastest time on his 15th of 16 laps.

Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) qualified on the front row for the fourth round in a row, finishing 0.590s behind Mahias. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) joined them on the front row for the first time since 2023.

Championship leader Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) qualified on the second row, 0.840s off the top. His closest title rival, Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), will start way back in 23rd.

P1 – Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha)

“I’m really happy to take pole today. The conditions were tricky like this morning’s session, so I waited until late to switch to slicks. These aren’t my favorite conditions, but I’ve learned how to manage the bike better in them. Early in qualifying, I focused on getting a good feel in the wet, and I’m proud of how far I was able to push. This pole is a small but meaningful reward — it’s been a tough start to the season, and this is a great boost for the team. Now we’ll try to keep the momentum for tomorrow’s race.”

Superpole Results (WorldSSP)

Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) 1’38.143
Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.590
Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.666
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.840
Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.873
Raffaele De Rosa (QJMOTOR Factory Racing) +1.086

Maier on Top in WorldSSP300 After Leading Practice and Superpole

Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) continued his strong form by claiming pole in the WorldSSP300 Superpole session. He edged out Kawasaki riders David Salvador and Julio Garcia by just 0.022s and 0.093s, respectively.

Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) and Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) will start from the second row, just ahead of Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove), who crashed earlier in the session.

Championship leader Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) will line up on the fourth row.

P1 – Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing)

“This is my first pole of the year, so I’m really happy. It’s the ideal way to start the weekend. The goal is the podium tomorrow — it won’t be easy because this class is super competitive, but I feel confident and ready to fight.”

Superpole Results (WorldSSP300)