History beckons for Toprak after his 11th consecutive win
Tissot Superpole Highlights
- Toprak Razgatlioglu secured his fourth consecutive Superpole victory, edging out the competition by just over a tenth of a second.
- Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was his closest rival, earning his second straight front-row start.
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) ensured three different manufacturers on the front row, narrowly beating Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the final moments of the 15-minute session.
Race 1 Highlights
- Toprak Razgatlioglu made history as the third rider in WorldSBK to win 11 consecutive races, a streak that began at the Dutch Round in Assen. With his latest victory, he leads the championship by 80 points over Bulega. Razgatlioglu will aim to set a new record in tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole Race.
- The 20-lap race featured intense battles at the front. Alex Lowes led initially after taking the holeshot, but Danilo Petrucci took over until the final third of the race. Razgatlioglu eventually took the lead, holding on to win by just eight-tenths of a second.
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had a tough start from the second row, dropping to 13th in the opening laps. However, the Spaniard fought back to finish second, marking his best result since Round 3 at Assen. He now trails his teammate Bulega by 29 points in the standings.
- Danilo Petrucci led a WorldSBK race for the first time, converting his front-row start into his third podium of the season.
- Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) achieved his best result of the season, finishing fourth after winning a four-rider battle with Lowes, Michael van der Mark, and Bulega.
Key Points:
- Pole position: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Race 1 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu
- Race fastest lap: Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.612
Post-Race Quotes:
- P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team:
“I’m really happy about this race. At the start, we were fighting with Petrucci, but in the last ten laps, I pushed as hard as I could for a good lap time. We won again today, and I’m really happy. It hasn’t been an easy weekend because everyone was pushing harder, and the hot conditions made it tough. We did a very good job. I need one more win to set a new consecutive wins record, and we’ll see tomorrow if I can do it!” - P2 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati:
“We’ve struggled a lot this year in the Superpole, but today wasn’t bad. I had my worst start of the season and lost many positions on lap one, so I had to push throughout the race. I couldn’t relax at any point, but I’m happy because I managed to keep a good pace and catch up with the leading riders. This is my 100th podium, and I’m really happy about that. It’s always nice to celebrate milestones with a win, but this year has been tough. The good thing is that we’re making progress, and I’m starting to feel much better on the bike. Hopefully, tomorrow I can fight for the podium again and maybe even for the victory!” - P3 | Danilo Petrucci | Barni Spark Racing Team:
“This was a really nice race! Leading a WorldSBK race for the first time is something I’ve been trying to do for a while. During the race, I was pushing at 90% because I knew it would be impossible to follow Toprak. I had a bit left at the end, but Alvaro was faster in the corners. It’s a podium, though, and that’s always nice. I want to thank my crew because I really had a good bike today.”
WorldSBK Race 1 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.780s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +1.450s
4. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +4.313s
5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.690s
6. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.963s
WSSP Saturday
Montella Ends Huertas’ Winning Streak
- Yari Montella claimed his first victory since the season opener, narrowing the championship gap by five points to Adrian Huertas. The Italian rider dominated the race, leading every lap, setting a new lap record, and securing a flawless win for the Barni Spark Racing Team.
- Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) started from pole position but slipped down the order in the early laps. He made a daring move on Stefano Manzi at Turn 9 to reclaim second place. However, with a three-second gap to Montella, he couldn’t close the distance before the end of the 17-lap race.
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) won a last-lap battle with Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura), though Navarro found some consolation with a front-row start for Race 2, thanks to his fast lap during the race.
- Montella, Huertas, and Navarro will line up on the front row for Race 2 tomorrow.
Key Points:
- Pole position: Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’43.352
- Race 1 winner: Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
- Race fastest lap: Yari Montella 1’43.246
Post-Race Quote:
- P1 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team:
“Finally, it’s a win! Today was incredible because I felt stronger than ever. I enjoyed the entire race. My strategy was to push from the start since we’ve seen that Huertas usually does that. This time, I tried the same approach. I understand he didn’t have the best start, so I might have been a bit lucky. In the end, I believe we were the strongest today. Now, we need to focus on analyzing this race to improve for tomorrow.”
WorldSSP Race 1 Results
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +3.241s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +10.598s
4. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +12.169s
5. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +14.868s
6. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +15.811s
WSSP300 Satruday
First win of the season for Gennai
Mirko Gennai Claims First Victory on Kawasaki at Algarve
- Mirko Gennai secured his first win on Kawasaki machinery after a thrilling race at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
- Championship leader Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) made a critical mistake on the final lap while battling his title rival, Loris Veneman. The Spaniard crashed at Turn 8 after colliding with Veneman’s rear wheel, but he will still start tomorrow’s race from the second row.
- Pole sitter Loris Veneman led the early laps but was eventually caught by the pack, finishing in fourth position. The MTM Kawasaki rider has now closed the championship gap to Iglesias to just ten points.
- Carter Thompson, a replacement rider for Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki, claimed his second WorldSSP300 podium in two rounds, finishing just two thousandths of a second ahead of Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) at the line.
- Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse), who started from the seventh row due to a grid penalty, managed to recover and finish sixth. He is now nine points behind the championship leader.
Key Points:
- Pole position: Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 1’55.399
- Race 1 winner: Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki)
- Race fastest lap: Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) – 1’54.862
Post-Race Quote:
- P1 | Mirko Gennai | MTM Kawasaki:
“Today was fantastic. Winning again here in Portimao is special! I have a perfect feeling at this circuit; I love it. This win is for Victor Steeman, who left us two years ago—I miss you, Victor. As for the race, I’m very happy because it was hot and fast. I’m also thrilled for the team. Tomorrow, I’ll try to break away at the front with my teammate, and we’ll aim for a fifth win!”
WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results
1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.893
3. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.895
4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.971
5. Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) +0.976
6. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +1.102
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday with Warm Up from 12:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 14:45 and Race 2 at 18:00, while WorldSSP action continues on Sunday with Warm Up from 11:40, and Race 2 at 16:30. WorldSSP300‘s Warm Up will be at 11:20 followed by Race 2 at 15:30.
