Toprak Razgatlioglu, 2021 World Superbike Champion, fell at Autodrom Most (Czech Republic) last season. But this year, nothing seems to be able to stop the momentum...
Unsuccessful efforts... so far
If the Turk gave the impression of going it alone in the first race, this was not the case for the rest of the weekend. Only the final positions will be remembered, but Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) tried, briefly holding the lead in Superpole and Race 2.
First, in the Superpole Race, Razgatlıoğlu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was distanced by Bulega and his teammate, Alvaro Bautista. However, it only took him a few laps to regain the lead and, from there, widen the gap on the two Ducati representatives. The scenario was similar in Race 2, where Bulega took the lead from the start and held it until the fifth lap, before Razgatlıoğlu took more than three seconds' lead over his rivals.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was credited with the fastest lap. Proof that the riders must not lose patience or hope. To do so, they need to stop making small mistakes...
Mistakes that come at a high price, too
Italian Nicolo Bulega had an incident with teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) on the final lap of the Superpole Race. Bautista, moreover, is somewhat uncertain about his future, as negotiations for next season have only just begun. This collision did not prevent Bulega, wearing the number 11, from securing a 10ᵉ podium in WorldSBK... then an 11ᵉ at the end of Race 2, ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who himself made his return to the podium after 147 days' absence. The Italian rider expressed in a post-race interview that he had “rediscovered good sensations with his bike”, while never having stopped believing.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) stole the start and had to observe a double Long Lap. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) battled with Jonathan Rea for 7ᵉ place, but received a three-second penalty for taking a shortcut, completing the top 10.
These missteps, in varying degrees of importance, contribute to the enjoyment of the race and also highlight the gap between Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and the rest of the class.
Results Race 1 (Top 5)
Superpole Race results (Top 5)
Race 2 results (Top 5)
WorldSBK : Super Mario... Euh, Toprak !
An unbelievable save #CzechWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/TGUkjLoZaO
Eurosport (@eurosport) July 20, 2024
Despite a slight scare, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, sporting an imposing “Super Mario”-style moustache, continues to impress. He has just notched up his tenth consecutive Championship win, marking the second-longest sequence in the competition's history.
For all that, El Turco remains focused on his racing, refusing to be distracted by the record in sight: “I'm not thinking about that, I'm just focused on taking race after race because I need a lot of wins. I need two more wins for the record. That's my goal.”
WorldSBK standings after six rounds (of 12)
With a lead of 64 points over Bulega, the equivalent of a Round, he now has a gap of over 100 points over fellow Ducati rider Bautista, third in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings. The Turk takes a look at the situation of his rivals: “For Alvaro, I think it wasn't a good weekend, but he'll come back stronger. For Nicolo, it wasn't bad.” Indeed, the latter collected 39 extra points this weekend... while the Turk took 23 more!
WorldSBK 2024 calendar:
Toprak claimed his 130ᵉ WorldSBK podium, matching Troy Corser for second all-time. This performance also benefits BMW, which reached 10 wins in the first race of the weekend, a WorldSBK record for the German manufacturer. Now at 12 victories, Razgatlıoğlu will be doing everything in his power to make it unattainable for a long time to come.
1. Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round - Australia, February 23.
2. Pirelli Catalunya Round - Catalonia, March 22.
3. Pirelli Dutch Round - Netherlands, April 19.
4. Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round - Italy, June 14.
5. Prosecco DOC UK Round - Great Britain, July 12.
6. Czech Round - Czech Republic, July 19.
7. Pirelli Portuguese Round - Portugal, August 9.
8. Motul French Round - France, September 6.
9. Acerbis Italian Round - Italy, September 20.
10. Tissot Aragon Round - Spain, September 27.
11. Estoril Round - Portugal, October 11.
12. Prometeon Spanish - Spain, October 17
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