The first Aruba.it Racing – Ducati one-two of the season unfolded as Alvaro Bautista seized victory in Race 2, with Nicolo Bulega following closely behind.
Bulega’s third podium finish of the season extends his Championship lead by 12 points.
Toprak Razgatlioglu continued his impressive form for ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team by clinching back-to-back race victories. Razgatlioglu dominated the Tissot Superpole Race before securing third place in Race 2.
In a thrilling finale at the Pirelli Catalunya Round, Razgatlioglu stunned Alvaro Bautista with a daring last-corner move to claim victory in the Tissot Superpole Race. His consecutive wins mark a significant achievement for BMW, with Razgatlioglu becoming the first BMW rider since Chaz Davies in 2013 to achieve back-to-back WorldSBK victories. Despite settling for a podium in Race 2, Razgatlioglu’s performance over the weekend solidified his position in fourth place in the Championship standings.
The highly anticipated battle between Alvaro Bautista and Nicolo Bulega unfolded in Race 2, with Bautista showcasing his experience to secure victory. Despite Bulega’s pole position finish in the Superpole Race and a subsequent second-place finish in Race 2, Bautista emerged triumphant with a margin of just over two seconds. Bautista’s weekend was characterized by consistent podium finishes, despite briefly dropping to third place at the final corner of the Superpole Race.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) secured his first points of the season with an eighth-place finish in the final race of the day.
With four different winners from the opening six races, the 2024 WorldSBK season has commenced in spectacular fashion, promising excitement and unpredictability ahead.
P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“I feel really happy! It’s been a tough weekend for us. In Superpole we lost a lot of position on the grid and then we had the penalty too. Today we had to come back in both races. It was a great battle in the Superpole Race and then the afternoon was a different type of race. It was more about managing the tyre consumption. I made a good start but I didn’t want to push at the beginning. Nicolo overtook me because my pace was really slow. I thought that I could push a little bit more so I took the lead again and then I tried to focus on getting the maximum I could while not overusing the tyre. It’s been a long time since my last win so we’re going to celebrate!”
P2 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“I tried to do something different today compared to yesterday. Yesterday I was very fast in the beginning but I destroyed the tyre. I decided to follow Alvaro and copy him. At the end of this race my tyre life was better compared to yesterday but Alvaro was very fast today. Congratulations to him. Thanks to my team because our bike was good!”
P3 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“I am happy but the last race was very difficult. Ducati was very strong, especially in the last sector. At the start of the race I stayed with them but then the rear tyre started to spin a lot and I started to save my tyre. To take three podium places this weekend is incredible. My team worked very hard this weekend. We’re still not 100% but to win two races in Catalunya and another podium is really good. I’m looking forward to Assen, and I hope we’ll be fighting for the win there as well!”
WorldSBK Race 2 Results
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.041s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +7.005s
4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +12.452s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +15.076s
6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +15.285s
Championship Standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 87 points
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 75 points
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 75 points
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
1.Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.075s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.260s
Manzi wins shortened WSSP race
In a race truncated to just six laps due to a red flag caused by Piotr Biesiekirski’s crash, Race 2 of the WorldSSP series witnessed a dramatic showdown. Adrian Huertas, starting from pole position, seemed poised for victory, but a late-race crash dashed his hopes while battling for the lead.
Stefano Manzi of Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing emerged triumphant, clinching his sixth career victory and his first of the season. Manzi narrowly edged out Marcel Schroetter of MV Agusta Reparto Corse, maintaining Schroetter’s flawless podium record for the season, although he’s still chasing his maiden win.
Returning to the podium for the first time since Estoril 2020, Lucas Mahias of GMT94 Yamaha secured third place, marking a satisfying outcome for the rider. Despite finishing fourth, Yari Montella of Barni Spark Racing Team maintains his lead in the Championship standings, now with an 11-point advantage.
P1 | Stefano Manzi | Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing
“When you have a weekend like this with a win and a podium it feels amazing! During the first part of the race I was managing the tyre because yesterday we saw a big drop during the race. After the Red Flag I thought that maybe we’ll have a very short race but my team had a good strategy for it. I had a new tyre for the restart and we were able to win the race.”
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1.Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.086s
3. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.201s
4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.681s
5. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.714s
6. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.279s
Championship Standings
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 76 points
2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 72 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 65 points
WSSP300 Iglesias secures maiden victory, KOVE celebrates debut podium
Inigo Iglesias Bravo of Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki clinched his maiden victory in the WorldSSP300 class after a penalty relegated him to 13th position yesterday. The Spaniard, competing in his 44th start, led the pack across the line for the final three laps and crucially held off the competition to secure the race victory.
In a last-corner shuffle, Julio Garcia Gonzalez of KOVE Racing Team surged through to claim second position, marking the first-ever World Championship podium for the Chinese manufacturer. Bruno Ieraci of Team ProDina Kawasaki finished in third place.
P1 | Inigo Iglesias Bravo | Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki
“Yesterday was a shame but I knew that I had the pace today. My bike was really good. I can ride this bike the way I want to. The last lap is always incredible but throughout the race I saved my tyre. I was thinking about the last lap. Then I pushed and was able to take the win. Today’s win is really important for me because last year, I took a step back in IDM. I was sad not to compete in WorldSSP300 but I’ve come back stronger.”
WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results
1. Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki)
2. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) +0.064s
3. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) +0.116s
4. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +0.143s
5. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.264s
6. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.514s
Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) 1’54.997
Championship Standings
1. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 29 points
2. Iñngo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 28 points
3. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) 25 points
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship presses on with the highly anticipated Pirelli Dutch Round at TT Circuit Assen, set to unfold from April 19th to 21st.
Official WorldSBK Press Release
