Sharpshooter Toprak makes it 13
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
- Toprak Razgatlioglu made history by securing his 12th consecutive WorldSBK victory. Despite being one of the few front-runners to opt for the harder rear tire in the 10-lap sprint, he took the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 2 and remained unchallenged. Razgatlioglu maintained a comfortable three-second lead by the finish, celebrating his milestone win with style.
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) earned his first Superpole Race podium, continuing his strong performance during the Portuguese Round.
- Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) started well from the middle of the front row, holding second place for the first half of the race. However, Petrucci and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) eventually passed him. On the final lap, Lowes reclaimed his position by surprising van der Mark at Turn 8, narrowly beating his former teammate to the line by just 0.021 seconds.
Race 2 Highlights
- Toprak Razgatlioglu faced a tougher challenge in Race 2, securing another win despite losing the right wing of his BMW after a clash with Alex Lowes on Lap 6. The altered bike balance made longer corners difficult, leaving Razgatlioglu vulnerable to attacks from Alvaro Bautista and Nicolo Bulega.
- Alvaro Bautista was Razgatlioglu’s closest competitor, setting the fastest lap of the race. He challenged Razgatlioglu for the lead at Turn 4 before a crash at Turn 5 on Lap 15 dashed his hopes. Despite rejoining the race, Bautista finished outside the points.
- The race saw eight lead changes over 20 laps. Michael van der Mark led a race for the first time since 2021, eventually finishing seventh after battling with Petrucci and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha).
- Nicolo Bulega continued his streak of podium finishes, starting from fifth but dropping to sixth before recovering to secure a spot on the podium. Following Bautista’s crash, Bulega took the lead but missed out on victory by just 0.035 seconds.
- Alex Lowes led three laps and was running comfortably in fourth when Bautista crashed. He secured the final podium spot, finishing 2.5 seconds ahead of Andrea Iannone and now trails Bautista by just ten points for third in the standings.
- Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) had a strong day, finishing as the top Independent Rider in fourth after a combative race.
- In the championship standings, Razgatlioglu leads by 92 points over Bulega, with Bautista a further ten points behind. BMW leads the manufacturers’ standings by 20 points over Ducati.
Key Points:
- Race 2 Winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Fastest Lap: Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 1’40.753
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“This race was very difficult. It wasn’t easy to ride with the strong wind, but I kept fighting. In the last sector, I struggled, especially in the last corner. I gave it everything, and we won again. This is my 13th win in a row and my 54th in total. I’m very happy after today. It’s been an incredible weekend for me and the team. Everyone is working very hard, and we want to continue like this for the next race in Magny-Cours!”
P2 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“This was one of the most difficult weekends I’ve had this season. I felt sick all weekend, but I never gave up. I tried to improve every time I was out on the bike. My team did a great job too. Unfortunately, I lost the battle with Toprak. There was almost nothing between us at the end, but this was my first race weekend here in WorldSBK. I’m happy. It’s always nice to be on the podium.”
P3 | Alex Lowes | Kawasaki Racing Team
“This is a track that I enjoy. The bike works really well here, but honestly, it was a hard race for us. The wind changed, and it was so physical. The bike was moving a lot, but I think I had some strong areas on the track all weekend. That was great because I was able to make some overtaking moves. Against the two Ducatis and Toprak, I just didn’t have the speed. I made a couple of mistakes too because the bike was moving so much. The braking was a bit inconsistent for me, but I’m not going to complain too much! To have two podiums today is fantastic for the team.”
DNF | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“The feeling with the bike is coming back. Yesterday, we had a very bad start but finished second. I was the second fastest on track in the Superpole Race. In Race 2, I lost a lot of ground at the start, but the feeling was similar to yesterday. The conditions were tricky because the wind was strong. I understood how the wind was affecting the track, but the feeling with the bike was good. Today was the first time this season that I really felt strong. At that moment, I thought I could relax for a few laps and then attack, but it’s been a long time since I’ve fought for victory, so I wanted to put on a bit of a show and have some fun. Unfortunately, in Turn 5, I lost the front. It’s a pity because the performance was really good. Now, we need to reset and start fresh with this feeling on the bike.”
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +2.980s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.251s
WorldSBK Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.035
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +6.299
4. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +9.715
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +11.318
6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +11.428
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 365 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 273 points
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 223 points
WSSP Montella ends Huertas winning streak
Key Points:
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) secured his fourth win of the season, capping off a near-perfect weekend. Starting from pole, thanks to his fastest lap in Race 1, Montella led the early laps before Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), the championship leader, took the lead.
- A crash at Turn 5 on Lap 9 caused Huertas to drop out of the points, but he managed to recover and finish 12th, minimizing the impact on his championship lead. However, his advantage shrunk from 41 points to 20 points with five rounds remaining.
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) took advantage of Huertas’ misfortune to claim second place. It was a fierce Yamaha battle for the runner-up spot, with Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) looking much stronger in Race 2, ultimately securing his third podium finish of the season.
- Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) led a five-rider battle after a race-long fight with Glenn van Straalen and Can Oncu. Marcel Schroetter and John McPhee joined the fray in the closing laps. A clash between Schroetter and McPhee resulted in a one-place penalty for Schroetter, dropping him to eighth, despite being fifth in the championship standings.
Race 2 Highlights:
- Race 2 Winner: Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
- Fastest Lap: Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) – 1’43.578s
P1 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team
“This is amazing! It’s incredible. I’m sorry about Adrian’s crash, but the problem was that the track was completely different compared to yesterday because of the wind. The pace was fast, but the wind made the grip less reliable. At the beginning, I tried to push hard like yesterday, but I couldn’t. When Adrian overtook me, I decided it might be better to follow him. Today was incredible, and I want to say thank you to my team!”
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) +5.897s
3. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +9.487s
4. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +12.436s
5. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +19.187s
6. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +19.912s
Championship Standings
1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 260 points
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 240 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) 219 points
WSSP300 Double top for Gennai as Veneman takes the championship lead
Key Points:
- Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) secured a double win after a fierce battle at the front of the pack. A five-rider group broke away early, exchanging the lead six times before Gennai took control. He crossed the line with a winning margin of just two-tenths of a second, which moved him up to fourth in the championship standings.
- It was a 1-2 finish for the MTM Kawasaki team, with Loris Veneman taking the championship lead for the first time. The Dutch rider narrowly edged out Julio Garcia Gonzalez by just 0.002 seconds to secure second place.
- The KOVE Racing Team appeared poised for their first win in WorldSSP300, but ultimately, Garcia Gonzalez and Marc Garcia finished third and fourth, respectively.
- Championship leader Inigo Iglesias had to retire early in the race, leaving Portugal without scoring any points. The Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki rider, who had already won two races this year, now trails Veneman by ten points.
Race 2 Highlights:
- Race 2 Winner: Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki)
- Fastest Lap: Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) – 1’54.988s
P1 | Mirko Gennai | MTM Kawasaki
“Race 2 was fantastic. The entire weekend was fantastic, and sharing the podium with my teammate Loris is amazing. It’s great for me, great for him, and great for the team. I did a perfect job this week—everything was fantastic. The bike and the feeling were great, so I’m very happy. Today’s race was a bit slower and cooler than yesterday, so it became more about strategy. I tried to stay behind to save my tire for the last lap. I’m very happy with the weekend.”
WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results
1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.214s
3. Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.216s
4. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.300s
5. Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) +0.388s
6. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +7.334s
Championship Standings
1. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 139 points
2. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 129 points
3. Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 128 points
WorldSBK will return for the Motul French Round on September 6th – 8th at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
Official WorldSBK Press Release
