A sun-drenched Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli welcomed over 76,000 passionate fans this weekend, and they were treated to a dramatic and emotionally charged Sunday of WorldSBK action, with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu stealing the spotlight and Nicolo Bulega salvaging valuable championship points in adversity.
Race 2: Razgatlıoğlu Flawless, Bulega Recovers, Bautista Returns to Podium
Starting from pole in Sunday’s main race, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) wasted no time asserting control. From the drop of the flag, he carved out a relentless pace and was untouchable over the 21-lap contest. Clocking the fastest lap early on, the Turkish star stretched out a commanding lead—crossing the line nearly ten seconds clear of the chasing pack. His effort secured him the Pirelli Best Lap Award for the seventh time this season, underlining both his pace and consistency.
Meanwhile, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had it all to do. Following a crash in the morning’s Superpole Race, he was relegated to the fourth row. But the Italian mounted a spectacular charge through the field, moving into second by Lap 5 after dispatching Alvaro Bautista, Alex Lowes, Danilo Petrucci, and Andrea Locatelli with clinical precision.
Bautista, too, had something to prove. While his opening laps were spent battling Locatelli, he eventually found rhythm and pace. After making a move stick on Lap 12, he managed to carve out a small cushion to finish third—his first podium in six races. It was a much-needed result for the defending World Champion after a tough run.
Locatelli rounded off his weekend with another strong showing, securing his third consecutive top-five finish. The Pata Maxus Yamaha rider kept things clean and consistent, staying comfortably ahead of Petrucci in sixth. The Italian spent much of the race in fifth but was never far from pressure, particularly in the closing laps when Honda’s Iker Lecuona closed in. Lecuona made a bold pass on Sam Lowes on the penultimate lap to challenge, but ultimately fell short by just a tenth of a second.
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) finished eighth after a spirited late-race battle involving multiple riders. Crashes for Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding in the final laps shook up the order, with Xavi Vierge and Michael van der Mark completing the top ten.
Championship Picture: Razgatlıoğlu Closes the Gap
With his third win of the weekend, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu has slashed Bulega’s championship lead to just nine points—the tightest margin between the two title contenders all season. It sets the stage for an electrifying second half of the year.
Danilo Petrucci retains third place in the overall standings and remains the highest-ranked Independent Rider.
In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Ducati’s advantage over BMW shrinks slightly but remains substantial at 42 points. Yamaha continues to sit third.
Rider Reactions: Triumph, Strategy, and Recovery
🏆 P1 – Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team):
“My team really outdid themselves this weekend—every session the bike got better. Turn 4 gave me trouble, but we managed it well during the race. I knew with Bulega starting further back I had to go hard from the beginning. I’m thrilled with this triple win—it means a lot for the team and the championship.”
🥈 P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati):
“This weekend didn’t go to plan, but I’m pleased to come away with second in Race 2. I had to fight hard to get into that position, and once I was there, Toprak already had too much of a gap. I decided it was smarter to secure the 20 points than to risk everything trying to catch him. He was really strong today—hats off to him and BMW.”
🥉 P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati):
“It’s been one of the toughest weekends in a long time. The hotter the track got, the harder it became to control the bike under braking and grip. I had good pace in cooler sessions, but it all changed in the heat. Still, we pushed through and managed a podium. I’m hoping to build on this momentum moving forward.”
Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’33.471
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +9.685s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +14.438s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +16.752s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +19.273s
6. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +19.402s
Tissot Superpole Race: Drama at the Front, Redemption for Razgatlıoğlu
The sprint race earlier in the day was over for pole-sitter Nicolo Bulega before it began. As the lights went out, Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) launched aggressively down the inside from the front row. But his attempt ended in disaster—losing control into Turn 1 and taking Bulega out in the process. The incident left Bulega visibly frustrated, while Bassani’s day ended in the gravel.
With the path now clear, Razgatlıoğlu, running the harder SCX compound, capitalized. He immediately broke away, leaving the rest of the field trailing, and built a four-second advantage by the end of the 10-lap dash.
Alex Lowes gave chase early on and was rewarded with a historic result. The Brit claimed bimota’s first WorldSBK podium since the manufacturer’s return to the grid—and their first since Phillip Island in 2000. It was a landmark moment at their home round in Italy.
Andrea Locatelli kept things steady and slotted into third, marking his first podium finish since taking victory at the Dutch Round in April. It was a much-needed return to form for the Yamaha rider.
Further down, Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) recorded his best finish of the season with seventh place—signs of progress in what has been a challenging year so far.
Superpole Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +4.281s
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +6.122s
Oncu Seizes Victory in Red-Flagged Supersport Thriller at Misano
Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) emerged victorious in a dramatic and incident-filled FIM Supersport World Championship race at Misano, which was cut short on Lap 13 following a crash involving Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team). With the red flag bringing proceedings to a premature end, Oncu was declared the winner, capping off a hard-fought race at the front.
Race Recap: Oncu Rises Amid Chaos
The early stages of the race saw Oncu locked in a fierce duel with title leader Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), who led the charge in the opening laps. However, Manzi’s hopes of victory were dashed on Lap 9 when he crashed out at Turn 16 while leading, dramatically altering the complexion of the race.
With Manzi out, the battle for the win intensified among a tightly packed lead group. Oncu, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura), and Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) exchanged positions in a gripping contest until the red flag was waved due to Toba’s heavy crash. As per the rules, the results were taken from the end of the last completed lap, and Oncu was ahead by just 0.291 seconds, securing his first win of the season.
Masia, making his mark in Supersport, took a well-earned second, while Frenchman Debise rounded out the podium with third—another strong result in his quietly consistent campaign.
Strong Performances and Rising Stars
Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) equaled his best finish of the season by crossing the line in fifth. The Spaniard was involved in a tense, race-long battle with Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha), eventually emerging on top in their private scrap.
One of the standout performances came from 19-year-old Garcia himself. Despite it being his debut weekend in the class, the young Spaniard showed poise and maturity, holding his own in the front group and bringing home a respectable sixth-place finish that hints at strong potential for the future.
Championship Picture: Oncu Closes the Gap
Stefano Manzi’s crash and subsequent DNF saw his points advantage shrink to 47, with Oncu making the most of the opportunity. The Turkish rider’s victory launched him from fourth to second in the championship standings, setting up a more tightly contested second half of the season.
Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) could only manage eighth place and dropped to third in the standings as a result. Meanwhile, Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) failed to score points, slipping to fifth in the championship at the halfway stage.
In the Manufacturers’ standings, Yamaha continues to dominate. Their advantage over Ducati now stands at a commanding 96 points, thanks to consistent podium finishes across the board.
Rider Reaction:
🏆 P1 – Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team):
“I’m really happy with this win, especially after how tough yesterday was. I made a small mistake in Race 1 and was really disappointed, but today the team delivered an incredible bike—just like they promised. The result speaks for itself. Huge thanks to my team and to Yamaha for giving me the tools to do the job. We focused on riding clean and staying consistent. I’m not getting caught up thinking about the championship right now. For me, the goal is to be on the podium and to enjoy every moment. After everything I’ve gone through, I truly feel like I’ve earned days like this.”
Race 2 Results
1. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team)
2. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.291s
3. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.424s
4. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.846s
5. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +4.924s
6. Roberto Garcia (GMT94-YAMAHA) +6.290s
Fastest lap: Tom Booth-Amos (Triumph) – 1’37.741s
Fernandez takes the win and the championship lead
| A start line incident between Emanuele Cazzaniga (Racestar Trasimeno) and Felix Mulya (ProGP NitiRacing) saw the initial staging of the 12 lap WorldSSP300 race red flagged. As a result the race was reduced to 8 laps when proceedings got back underway. When racing restarted Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) took the holeshot from Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing)On an action packed final lap the lead changed multiple times in the leading group. Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport) led out of the final corner but on the drag to the line he was slipstreamed by Benat Fernandez. The Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove rider’s second victory of the season came after leading just one lap in the final metresJust 0.035s covered the podium with David Salvador in third position. The Team ProDina XCI rider had a Long Lap Penalty in the early laps but kept a cool head to get back into victory contention for the final laps. He held off his teammate Antonio Torres and Carter Thompson to take the final step on the podiumComing into this round Buis was the championship leader but after contact at Turn 11 on the opening lap he settled into the group and finished in tenth position. The Dutchman was less than one second behind the race winner in the closely fight of the lead groupChampionship HighlightsBenat Fernandez leads the World Championship by just a single point from Julio GarciaKawasaki leads the Manufacturers’ Standings by 25 points |
| P1 – Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) “This weekend was very important for us. We’ve now finished the first half of the season and we can fight for the championship. I feel good and we are calm because we are all really close in the standings. I’m happy because I won this race. It was our target for this weekend even if it wasn’t fully expected. We need to keep working and performing well every weekend. It’s definitely better for us to be at the front but in every race it is crazy. You are always in a group and you need to be ready for anything. We just need to keep working hard.” |
Race 2 Results
1. Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove)
2. Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) +0.009s
3. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) +0.026s
4. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) +0.099s
5. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) +0.049s
6.Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) +0.203s
Fastest lap: Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) 1’49.106s
