Razgatlioglu Triumphs at Donington, Sets Record
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship kicked off the Prosecco DOC UK Round with a bang as Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured a victory following an early crash from Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who was leading. On the first lap, a collision involving Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) sent them tumbling into the gravel. Nicolo Bulega and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) took the remaining podium spots, riding mostly uncontested while riders behind them fiercely battled for points.
Razgatlioglu Gaining Momentum
After Alex Lowes crashed at turn three, Razgatlioglu quickly capitalized on the situation, building a commanding lead of over five seconds by the race’s midpoint. This victory marks his fourth consecutive win and tenth podium finish, positioning him as the second-ever rider to achieve 10 wins at two different tracks in WorldSBK history. Nicolo Bulega, despite not having the best start, managed to navigate away from the crash and finished second, although his lead in the Riders’ Championship dwindled to just four points.
Rivalries Continue: Redding vs. Yamaha
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) emerged victorious from a packed battle for P4 that included teammate Jonathan Rea, Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing), and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Rea displayed his strongest performance of the season, moving up to P2 at the race start but ultimately finishing fifth. Redding fought back from P17 and briefly defended against the Yamahas before Rea passed him, dropping him to P6. Aegerter remained close enough to apply pressure on Rea without causing any major disturbance.
Gerloff Matches Season Best
Garett Gerloff (Kawasaki Racing Team) finished in eighth place, tying his best result of the season. He closed the gap to the leading pack by less than 0.116 seconds by the end of the race. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took ninth place, just two seconds behind Gerloff, while Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) rounded out the top ten, two seconds after Gardner.
Vickers Nears Top Ten
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) finished eleventh, half a second back from Iannone. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing), competing in his home round, placed twelfth, edging closer to a top-10 finish. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) led the remainder of the pack in thirteenth, followed by Michael Rinaldi (GMT94-YAMAHA) in fourteenth, Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in fifteenth, and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finishing sixteenth after recovering from a prior crash.
Race 1 Incidents: Multiple DNFs
Race 1 saw eight riders fail to finish, including Alvaro Bautista, Sam Lowes, and Yari Montella, who all collided in Turn 1. Although Alex Lowes initially led the race, a high-speed crash at ‘Craner Corner’ ended his hopes of a win. Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) also crashed in T9 during his debut with the Honda independent team, while Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) fell in Turn 1. Technical issues sidelined Lecuona and Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team), leaving them scoreless.
The top six in WorldSBK Race 1 were:
- 1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- 2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +6.535
- 3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +11.775s
- 4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +14.446s
- 5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +16.160s
- 6. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +16.733s
Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu Lap 6- 1’26.441s
Don’t miss the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday at 11:00 local time (UTC +1). Watch live or on demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass, now at 50% off!
