Toprak Razgatlioglu had a perfect weekend at Autodrom Most, extending his championship lead to 64 points with his tenth consecutive victory.
Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): Led the opening three laps before being overtaken by Razgatlioglu. After a final lap incident with his teammate Alvaro Bautista, Bulega rode through the gravel trap and returned to the track in second position, which he maintained to the finish.
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): Crashed while attempting an overtake on the final lap, resulting in his first retirement of the season. Bautista is now 104 points behind Razgatlioglu in the championship standings.
- Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): Secured his seventh podium of the season, bouncing back from a Race 1 crash to earn a front-row start for Race 2.
- Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): Received a last-lap penalty, dropping him to ninth position, the final points-paying position.
Race 2 Highlights
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): Claimed his tenth consecutive victory, leading from lap 4 and finishing three seconds ahead of the field.
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): Secured his tenth runner-up finish of the season, finishing over three seconds behind Razgatlioglu and cementing his second position in the championship.
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): Achieved his first podium since the opening round in Australia, after a race-long battle with Michael van der Mark and Remy Gardner.
- Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team): Finished fifth, marking his best round since Assen with three top-five finishes.
- Alvaro Bautista and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): Both crashed at the first corner. Petrucci is now four points behind Andrea Iannone in the battle for Independent honours, while Bautista recovered to finish ninth after being forced wide by the crash.
Key Points:
- Pole position: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Race 1 winner: Toprak Razgatlioglu
- Race fastest lap: Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’32.100s
Post-Race Interviews:
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team:
“I’m really happy. I want to thank my team, we did an incredible job this weekend. In every session, we improved and finally, we were really strong. In Race 2, I was not pushing hard because I needed to save the rear tyre. Finally, we won again. It’s another three wins this weekend and ten wins in total for us now! I am looking at the record for consecutive wins and I still need two more for this. Thanks to all fans and see you next year.”
P2 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati:
“I did the maximum again today. I didn’t make any mistakes, but it was difficult today; Toprak was again very fast. I started well and tried to follow him and to open a gap to the riders behind. It’s another P2 and I’m happy.”
P3 | Andrea Locatelli | Pata Prometeon Yamaha:
“We’re back on the podium. We’ve been working really hard. During this weekend, honestly, the confidence with the bike was not really quite high. It was difficult, but the guys worked really hard yesterday and this morning, and they gave me an incredible bike.”
DNF | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati:
“In Race 2, I had a really good start. I was like a rocket because I arrived at the first corner in third or fourth place. I saw Toprak and Nicolo in front of me, and then when I went into the corner, I saw Gardner on the inside. I had just to keep the line to not touch him, but at that moment someone hit me, and I crashed. I reviewed the image on the TV. It’s clear that there is not too much space for Petrucci, but he was behind, so he has to take care about others in front of him, no? This kind of corner is very tricky because we arrive very fast from the start and then we brake too hard. I was a bit unlucky, but fortunately physically I’m okay. We are not performing like last year. This weekend something changed, and we improved the feeling a lot for the next races. We now at least have a base for starting the next races.”
WorldSBK Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.239
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +5.462s
4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +6.569s
5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +8.529s
6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +12.577s
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.812s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 4.251s
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 303 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 239 points
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 199 points
WSSP Huertas dominates the Czech weekend
Starting from third on the grid, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) dominated the race at Autodrom Most. The Spaniard took the lead on lap five and capitalized on a three-rider battle behind him to build a commanding lead. He now holds a 46-point lead over Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
Race Highlights:
- Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team): Huertas led from lap five and maintained a steady pace to secure the victory. He managed his tyres well despite the high temperatures and stayed focused throughout the race.
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team): Finished on the podium after Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) received a one-place penalty for cutting a corner on the final lap.
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing): Achieved his second podium of the weekend, improving from third in Race 1 to second in Race 2. This marks his 30th career podium.
Key Points:
- Pole position: Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
- Race 2 winner: Adrian Huertas
- Race fastest lap: Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 1’35.083s
Post-Race Interview:
P1 | Adrian Huertas | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team:
“The race was incredible. We had amazing pace today. The temperatures were really high, and even with this, we managed to be there fighting at the front. We managed the tyre really well, and I was able to push until the end. I had a constant pace until the end, and I could keep pushing. It helps to keep the concentration by pushing hard. I’m really happy about how we are growing and how the team has worked this weekend. I want to continue like this.”
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +2.821s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +7.721s
4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +8.000s
5. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +13.766s
6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +16.924s
Championship Standings
1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 236 points
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 190 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 183 points
WSSP300 Double victory for Veneman after last lap penalty for Iglesias
WorldSSP300 Race Highlights at Autodrom Most
Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) secured a double victory at Autodrom Most after an action-packed WorldSSP300 race. The 12-lap event was filled with drama, including crashes within the lead group and a pivotal last-lap penalty for Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki).
Race Summary:
- Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki): Veneman chased down Iglesias on the final lap, culminating in a slipstream battle. Iglesias was penalized for irresponsible riding, pushing Veneman towards the pit wall, which led to contact between the riders. The FIM Stewards deemed Iglesias’ move dangerous, securing Veneman’s victory.
- Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki): Despite leading the race, Iglesias received a penalty on the final lap for a dangerous maneuver on the main straight, impacting the race outcome.
- Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse): Starting from the back of the grid due to a tyre pressure infringement, Mahendra made an impressive comeback. He moved into the points early, progressed into the top ten, and ultimately led a ten-rider group across the line to finish on the podium.
Championship Standings:
- Iglesias maintains his lead in the championship.
- Mahendra is 19 points behind, with Veneman trailing by an additional four points.
Key Points:
- Pole position: Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki)
- Race 2 winner: Loris Veneman
- Race fastest lap: David Salvador (MS Racing) – 1’45.922s
Post-Race Interview:
P1 | Loris Veneman | MTM Kawasaki:
“I couldn’t have imagined a better weekend. It was a hard battle because with four laps to go, there was a big crash in front of me. I had to slow down and avoid it and I lost 1.5 or 2 seconds to Inigo. With 2 laps to go I had caught up and in the end, I took the win. I’m really happy! Of course, the Championship is always the goal. And now I’m even closer in the standings than I was yesterday! I’ll try my best to do well in Portimao.”
WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results
1. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.009s
3. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +2.479s
4. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) +2.517s
5. David Salvador (MS Racing) +2.533s
6. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) +2.555s
Championship Standings
1. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 129 points
2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 110 points
3. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 106 points
WorldSBK returns for the Pirelli Portuguese Round from the 9th to the 11th August at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
