Race 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was fireworks on Saturday, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) extending his Championship lead to 33 points after setting an unbelievable pace to charge to victory at the Prosecco DOC UK Round by 11.384 seconds.

UNSTOPPABLE: Razgatlioglu secures his 46^th win

After an impressive Friday and Superpole, Razgatlioglu proved he was able to replicate his incredible pace in Race 1, dominating proceedings and storming to BMW’s 20^th victory ahead of home hero, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who took an impressive second – claiming a 39^th career podium. Reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed third as the chequered flag flew to secure his 99^th career podium in the closing stages after superb race pace.

LIGHTS OUT: Toprak claims the holeshot

Once the lights went out it was Razgatlioglu who converted his pole position into a race lead on the run down to Redgate. The #54 put together a fantastic opening lap, leading ahead of Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW), who leapt to second on Lap 1. Meanwhile, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dropped to P4 at the start, losing out to Redding and the impressive Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha). Bautista would soon show a strong pace early on and began to carve through the field after starting P11 on the grid.

As the race progressed, Razgatlioglu continued to extend a comfortable advantage to over four seconds, constantly running inside the 1’26 bracket. The #54 led from Bulega and Redding, with the latter being chased by compatriot Alex Lowes for the final spot on the podium. The #22 was carving through the field, entering P3 at the final corner before catching and passing Bulega for second position two laps later. Meanwhile, Redding would have let drama on the exit of Turn 11, retiring from Race 1 with an issue.

ACTION PACKED: Rea holds off Locatelli for P5

Bulega consolidated a fourth place finish, crossing the line 1.746s behind his teammate after the Italian lost third place with four laps to go. Meanwhile, Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) would have a confidence-boosting Race 1, battling to fifth at the line – finishing as the top Yamaha. The #65 was ahead of teammate Locatelli, who took sixth ahead of compatriot Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who will have to wait another day to fight for a dream podium.

The final spots inside the top 10 went the way of GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Dominique Aegerter, who took P8 at the line and was chased to the line by Michael van der Mark, who capped off a successful day for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) would take 10^th place, ending a strong day for the Aussie who also started P10 on the grid.

FURTHER DRAMA: Disappointment for Mackenzie

Meanwhile, not every rider would complete the opening lap including Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda), who would crash out of his home round. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) soon became the next rider to go down with 21 laps to go at Turn 12. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) would drop down to 19^th at the line after the #14 had a trip through the gravel after some close racing with Gardner with 17 laps to go.

The top six from Race 1 at Donington Park, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +11.384s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +13.167s

4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +14.913s

5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +16.349s

6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +16.611s

Fastest Lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW)– 1’25.786s (new race lap record)

Next up from Donington Park is the Superpole Race on Sunday at 11:00 Local Time (UTC+1), so make sure you keep up to date with the action using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship was back in action for Race 1 at the Prosecco DOC UK Round and it was yet another thrilling finale, with Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) storming to take a phenomenal victory at Donington Park.

WorldWCR treated the British crowd to a sensational race with a five-bike group battling for victory, with the win being decided on the final lap. Carrasco did storm to victory, closing the Championship gap to just two points. Taking second place after an impressive result was Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who also set the fastest lap of Race 1. The final spot on the podium went the way of Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) after a fantastic final lap.

BATTLE BEGINS: The lead changed hands on Lap 1

Once the lights went out it was Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team), who led the field after a phenomenal launch off the line. The #6 did not hold on to the lead for long, with Carrasco launching her attack on Lap 1 before Herrera battled back – beginning an intense duel. Early on the front four began to break away with Herrera leading from Carrasco, Sanchez and Neila.

Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) soon caught the front group, setting the fastest lap as Herrera and Carrasco continued to battle. Neila soon entered the podium places, dropping Sanchez to P4 before attacking Herrera for second as all attention soon turned to the final lap.

LAST LAP: Sanchez attacks late

Heading into an unpredictable last lap it was Carrasco who led from the Neila, who had just set the fastest lap of the race – aiming to take her first victory. Sanchez pulled off an unbelievable double overtake to enter P2, dropping Herrera to fourth. Exiting the final corner, it was the #22 who stormed to victory from Neila with Sanchez crossing the line in third.

MISSING OUT: Herrera finishes fourth

Herrera finished in fourth, missing out on victory by less than a second and setting sights on returning to the podium on Sunday. Ponziani rounded out the top five after showing a strong pace throughout, finishing ahead of Ran Yochay (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team), who claimed P6. The #10 was less than half a second ahead of Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team), who claimed seventh, while PS Racing Team 46+1’s Pakita Ruiz rounded out the top eight.

The final spots inside the top 10 went the way of Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) and Chun Mei Liu (WT Racing Team Taiwan). Meanwhile, it was a tough Race 1 for Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team), who lost the front at the final corner with eight laps remaining. Alyssia Whitmore (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) crashed with six laps to go, ending hopes of a good result at home. Things would soon go from bad to worse for the Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team on the final lap, with Mallory Dobbs crashing at Goddards after contact with the #16. Lucy Michel (TSL-Racing) would receive a three-second penalty for the incident – dropping to P15 in the results.

The top six from WorldWRC Race 1, full results here:

1. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team)

2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.511s

3. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +0.726s

4. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) +0.890s

5. Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) +3.476s

6. Ran Yochay (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +23.621s

Fastest Lap: Beatriz Neila, 1’39.593s

Make sure you don’t miss WorldWCR Race 2 on Sunday from Donington Park at 12:20 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldWCR YouTube and WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) smashed the existing lap record on his way to pole position at Donington Park for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he lapped in the 1’24s bracket. His rivals were unable to get within half-a-second of ‘El Turco’ as the Race 1 grid for the Prosecco DOC UK Round, with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) the closest rider to the #54 but 0.573s back.

THE FIRST RUNS: Razgatlioglu puts himself out of touch…

There was a rush to get on track as the pit lane opened for the 15-minute session as dark clouds loomed over Donington Park, eager to get a dry lap in just in case rain fell. Razgatlioglu immediately obliterated the lap record as he set a barely believable 1’24.892s – 1.2 seconds quicker than the previous pole lap record from 2023, and a full second faster than Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) went in FP3 when he broke the all-time lap record. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) slotted into second with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) third and Gardner fourth.

BULEGA IN A BMW SANDWICH: P2 for the Italian, Razgatlioglu on pole

Any potential rain held off for the second run and Razgatlioglu went even quicker, setting a 1’24.629s to break the lap record again with no one able to get within half-a-second of the #54 as he claimed his 15^th WorldSBK pole and third of the season, while his Misano-Donington poles mean it’s back-to-back poles for BMW for the first time. His closest rival was Bulega with the #11 0.573s back but well under the previous lap record, while Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) continued his strong showing with third; his first top-three Superpole result since Magny-Cours 2022.

SAM LOWES FOURTH DESPITE CRASH: good result for the #14, three BMWs in the top six

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) will lead away the second row despite a crash at Turn 8 with just a few minutes remaining, with the #14 coming off his Panigale V4 R at Coppice. He had initially been demoted to fifth by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), but the #9 will start from 13^th after losing his lap time due to yellow flags. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed fifth in Superpole with Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) making it three BMW riders in the top six.

CAN YAMAHA RIDERS MAKE GAINS? Locatelli P7, Rea P8, Gardner P10

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) claimed seventh, 1.001s off Razgatlioglu’s pace, with teammate Jonathan Rea 0.008s back from ‘Loka’ in eighth. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had set a time good enough for the top three but lost it due to yellow flags when he set his best time, so the #22 will be ninth with Gardner classified in tenth.

WORK TO DO FOR BAUTISTA: outside the top 10, 13 riders under previous record

Reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) missed out on a top ten spot, with the #1 only able to manage 11^th at the circuit he won twice at last year. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed 12^th with Petrucci 13^th after losing his lap time. ‘Petrux’ was the final rider who went under the previous pole record – a 1’26.041s – to show how rapid the times were in the Superpole session.

The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’24.629s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.573s

3. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.777s

4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.863s

5. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.899s

6. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.992s

Watch WorldSBK Race 1 from 14:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) put in a stunning late lap in Free Practice 3 to take first place ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at Donington Park as Saturday’s MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action got underway. The Australian star, fresh from a MotoGP™ return last week, broke the existing lap record on his way to top spot in a thrilling FP3 for the Prosecco DOC UK Round.

Gardner has been Yamaha’s form rider heading into the UK Round and that continued in FP3 as he topped the 30-minute session. His final lap was a 1’25.823s to secure P1 ahead of Razgatlioglu, while he also broke the existing lap record by around six hundredths of a second. There was just 0.082s separating Gardner and Razgatlioglu, with the 2021 Champion in second, and Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) claiming an impressive third as he looks for a rostrum return at his home round. Redding was 0.365s away from Gardner’s best time. Razgatlioglu’s focus was on a long run while Gardner’s best time came at the end of a two-lap stint.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) claimed fourth despite a small issue in the early stages of the session, slowing on his R1 before being able to get it going again. He was just over half-a-second away from the #45 ahead, while he was only 0.025s ahead of teammate Jonathan Rea in fifth as the six-time Champion looks to return to the top. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) made it four Yamahas in the top six – a contrast from Friday where there was one R1 in the top ten – as he finished in P6, 0.626s down on his teammate.

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) put his M 1000 RR seventh as BMW had a strong morning, with the #31 finishing ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team). ‘Petrux’ was the first of two Ducatis inside the top ten on Saturday morning as he set a 1’26.577s, finishing around a tenth ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in ninth. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) completed the top ten with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati duo Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista 12^th and 14^th respectively.

The top six from WorldSBK FP3, full results here:

1. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’25.823s

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.082s

3. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.365s

4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.510s

5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.535s

6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.626s

Watch WorldSBK Tissot Superpole session from 11:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

It was a thrilling end to Friday’s action for the FIM Supersport World Championship, with Superpole getting underway with spots of rain in the air and Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) storming to pole position at the Prosecco DOC UK Round. The top spot changed hands multiple times throughout the 40-minute session, with the Spaniard setting a blisteringly quick 1’28.322 – breaking the previous lap record.

THE POLE BATTLE: Front row decided in the final five minutes

After a dramatic Superpole, it was the #99 who came out on top to steal pole position in the final five minutes of the session from Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who missed out by a mere 0.063s. Montella was unable to respond to Huertas’ time after a red flag was brought out with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) rounded off an impressive front row for Race 1 on Saturday, starting as the top Yamaha in P3.

SECOND ROW: Debise heads Mahias

Fourth place on the grid goes the way of Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), who set 17 laps across the session and will start ahead of compatriot Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha). Mahias rounds out the top five on the grid with Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) leaping to sixth on the grid on his Ducati to round out the second row of the grid ahead of Saturday.

HOME HERO: Booth-Amos inside top 10

Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) continued to show impressive pace at his home round, earning himself a spot on the third row of the grid – starting in P7. The #69 secured his best Superpole result of the season and will start ahead of Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team), who had an eventful session in eighth ahead of Bahattin Sofuoglu, who was the top MV Agusta Reparto Corse rider in ninth after suffering from an early issue. Meanwhile, the final spot inside the top 10 went the way of Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – completing a solid day for Ten Kate.

However, it was not smooth sailing for everyone with PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda’s Kaito Toba suffering a crash at Turn 9 after contact with Tuuli late in the session. Moments later, PTR Triumph’s Ondrej Vostatek had a crash of his own at Craner Curves before Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) had a fall at Turn 12 – bringing out the red flag.

The top six from WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’28.322s

2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.063s

3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.573s

4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.819s

5. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.906s

6. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +1.062s

Next up for WorldSSP is Race 1 on Saturday at 15:15 Local Time (UTC+1), so make sure you tune in using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Japan’s Shoma Yamane took his second consecutive pole position of the season at Round 4 of the FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup in Donington Park, setting a new lap record of 1’44.682.

The morning’s Free Practice was held in difficult conditions for the riders with chilly temperatures and overnight rain necessitating the use of wet tyres throughout the session. Spain’s Marc Vich was quickest in the morning, more than eight tenths of a second ahead of Eduardo Burr and Dawid Nowak.

In the afternoon’s Superpole Yamane showed his pace from the very beginning, setting lap after lap at the top of the timesheets. The 18-year-old scored two top ten finishes last year at the British track and this season he is feeling ever more comfortable with his R3. Last time out in Misano he took his debut pole, and in Donington he followed this up with another fastest lap and a second consecutive pole.

At his favourite circuit, title-contender Vich was able to jump to second on the grid, and Poland’s Nowak completed the front row.

Championship leader Gonzalo Sanchez will start his debut Donington race from seventh on the grid.  

Shoma Yamane said: “In this morning’s practice I didn’t have a good feeling and it was difficult to set a good time, I was only eighth. I worked together with the Yamaha mechanics and we changed some things such as the suspension settings. In the afternoon my feeling was much better, I attacked and focused on doing many good laps, this ended in a new lap record and pole position so I feel very happy and I want to thank everyone at Yamaha for their support.”

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU – FREE PRACTICE
FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU – SUPERPOLE

Race 1 will be held at 16:15 local time, 16:15 CET, on Saturday July 13^th. Tune in LIVE via the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel.

Source: WorldSBK.com

The first day of track action for Round 5 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has concluded, with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) having a remarkable Friday – finishing in second position in FP1 and FP2. The Italian star was 0.222s adrift from Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who was at the top of the timesheets with all attention now turning to Saturday.

The #9 discussed what he loves so much about Donington Park and what he still needs to improve on for the remainder of the weekend: “It was good as it is always fun to ride at this track, it is one of my favourites, especially in the first sector because it is so flowing and fast and it is a really nice track and exciting.

“There are some areas where I can improve and my biggest problem at the moment is to be fast in the first lap of the race. I need to have a good qualifying tomorrow and the first lap of the race will be key as I am good at managing the tyre I just need a good position tomorrow.”

It was a strong day for Petrucci, who looks competitive but is still recovering after a motocross crash while training in April: “After Misano, I spent two weeks not using my right arm and my right shoulder because the inflammation after the race was huge. The situation is a little bit better than Misano but I am still missing a lot of power which is the thing that scares me the most except for Toprak. It is good to be here and almost on top.”

Returning at Misano, Petrucci took a best finish of sixth in Race 2, finishing ahead of Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) after a heroic ride.

However, the Italian has claimed some strong results previously at Donington Park and is now beginning to dream about fighting for the fairytale podium this weekend: “It is a dream but I really want to step on the podium again, but anyway being inside the top 5 would be good and to be the best independent so I can score some good points again. On the inside, I want to be on the podium but I am not sure how I will last during the race.

“It would be a dream to step on the podium, three months after the accident that I had.”

Make sure you follow along with all of the action from Donington Park with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Friday’s action for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has concluded with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) becoming the rider to beat on Friday, after setting a sensational pace throughout the day to end Friday 0.222s clear of the field. However, the #54’s day was not without drama, pulling off an unbelievable save at Turn 12 during Free Practice 2.

Razgatlioglu was instantly fast on Friday morning, ending FP1 at the top of the timesheets, and was instantly into the low 1:26 bracket. The #54’s times consistently dropped, entering FP2 with added confidence. The early stages of FP2 were briefly led by teammate Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) before Razgatlioglu went fastest two minutes later – later setting a 1’26.013.

Razgatlioglu used all of his body to save a front-end crash at Goddards after riding on the limit. The #54 discussed the moment: “The final corner, I’m very happy because it’s a nice video for my career! Nice memories and also, every lap, I’m waiting there for this problem. The last corner is very famous at Donington. Every lap, when I enter, I’m always riding on the limit there but this time I lost the front and almost crashed. I picked up the bike, this is good, it is Marquez-style. In general, it was a very good day for me. I know every lap, at the last corner, is very difficult. It’s a bit bumpy and easy to lose the front tyre.”

Throughout the day Razgatlioglu completed 34 laps in total and was the fastest rider in sectors 2,3 and 4. This allowed him to produce a consistent 1:26 pace during his final run on Friday and is already beginning to look like a key contender during the races this weekend.

Discussing his feeling heading into this weekend and what is allowing him to set blisteringly quick times, Razgatlioglu said: “Before coming here, I was feeling very positive. I remember last year I lost some corners and sectors due to the bike setup. I love the engine brake, but the BMW’s engine brake is crazy! I love it. I understand again that I’m riding and enjoying it a lot. The engine brake’s working, the bike is easy to stop and turn and in the last sector, we’re very strong.”

However, the #54 still believes there is work to do before he is fully comfortable around the technical Donington Park circuit: “I’m not feeling 100% at the final two corners, but we’ll try to improve there. In the last part, I need a little bit of lock. It looks like I am losing a bit in some areas, but this is the feeling. We’re strong in all sectors but the feeling is that I am still losing in some areas.”

Make sure you follow all of the action from Donington Park this weekend with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was the rider to beat in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he closed in on the existing lap record at Donington Park. Just missing out on the 1’25s bracket, the #54 claimed P1 for the Prosecco DOC UK Round as he laid down a gauntlet for his rivals, although they did close in towards the end of Free Practice 2, with the gap at around two tenths following the two practice sessions.

RAZGATLIOGLU ON FORM: top spot for Toprak, BMW strong

Razgatlioglu remained unbeaten on Friday at Donington as he went straight into the low 1’26s, around three tenths clear of his rivals on a day where he stayed P1 for the majority of it. It was a strong day for BMW with Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) in fifth place, lapping 0.421s down on his stablemate, while Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was inside the top ten in FP1 and 13^th overall. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed 15^th after a strong FP1 where he set a 1’27.052s, and he was the only rider not to improve their lap time in FP2, which meant the American was 15^th.

CLOSE BEHIND: Petrucci second, dramatic day for Iannone

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) led Ducati’s charge as he claimed second overall, despite not running in the first stages of the 45-minute session. His 1’26.235s was enough to overhaul Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with the #11 claiming third despite several trips through the gravel on Friday. Teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was sixth, 0.567s down in Razgatlioglu, after he crashed at Turn 1 in FP2 but he was able to-rejoin the session. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) had one of his best Fridays of the season, taking eighth spot and only 0.683s down on the pace, finishing directly ahead of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in ninth. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was the final Ducati rider and it was eventful for ‘The Maniac’. Three trips through the gravel in FP1, plus a crash at Turn 11 in FP2, left him languishing out of the top 15.

FOURTH BUT A CRASH: Alex Lowes in P4, Bassani finds gains between sessions

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed second place despite an FP2 crash at Turn 12, with the #22 losing the front of his ZX-10RR under braking for the left-hand hairpin. He was able to take his bike back to the pits. In the classification, his 1’26.296s was enough to claim second place while Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) improved massively in Free Practice 2 to finish tenth overall. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 18^th overall on Friday at Donington.

ONLY ONE YAMAHA IN THE TOP TEN: Locatelli P7, Rea P12 after FP1 issues

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was the lead Yamaha rider on Friday as he claimed seventh place with a 1’26.688s, while teammate Jonathan Rea was seventh and just a couple of tenths back. The #65 missed a lot of running in FP1 due to electronic problems but was on track for the second half of that session. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed 11^th as he narrowly missed out on a top ten, with Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) just behind by around 0.040s, despite the #65’s electronic issues in FP1 limiting his running. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) claimed 17^th with Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) the final Yamaha rider in 20^th. Yamaha have a new preload adjuster for this weekend, allowing riders to adjust preload as the fuel load decreases.

A STRUGGLE FOR HONDA: bringing up the field

Donington proved to be difficult for Honda on Friday. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was the top rider after setting a 1’27.353s, but that time was only good enough for 19^th place. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was 21^st, directly ahead of teammate iker Lecuona, while Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was 23^rd and last.

The top six from WorldSBK on Friday, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’26.013s

2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.222s

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.225s

4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.283s

5. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.421s

6. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.567s

Don’t miss any action from Saturday starting with FP3 at 09:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com