While the battle for the Riders’ Championship in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship rages on, the Manufacturers’ Championship was wrapped up at MotorLand Aragon. Kawasaki have now won the last two titles with their Ninja 400 machine and six in total, with riders on the machine fighting for this year’s Riders’ Championship crown, while a Kawasaki-powered team lead the Teams’ Championship.

Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) still have a chance of this year’s Riders’ Championship heading into the season finale at Jerez, and the pair have made significant contributions to the manufacturer’s success this season. The duo have five wins between them out of a possible 14 so far, although they’re not the only riders to win on the Ninja 400.

Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) has three wins – two at Portimao, one at Aragon – although is out of title contention. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) also has two wins, adding to a successful season for Kawasaki, while Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki duo Petr Svoboda, and his replacement rider following the Czech rider’s injury, Carter Thompson, have all added valuable points to Kawasaki’s tally, as did Italian rider Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PL Performances).

In total, Kawasaki have 10 wins and 22 podiums in seven races this season and, with a round to spare, have an unassailable lead over Yamaha. Kawasaki have amassed 302 points in 14 races this season, with Yamaha railing them by 72 points with 50 available across the Spanish Round that concludes the 2024 campaign.

Steve Guttridge, Race Planning Manager at Kawasaki Motor Europe, said: “Kawasaki is understandably proud to have added to our existing Championship success in WorldSSP300 by achieving the manufacturer title honour once more in 2024. This is now our sixth success as a brand from eight attempts, but the real credit has to go to our teams and their riders for delivering such consistently strong results on the Ninja 400. With no less than four riders sharing the top step of the podium so far in 2024, this Championship provides real excitement and – being part of the WorldSBK paddock – creates a great ladder of opportunity for aspiring riders. For now, we will celebrate… and tomorrow we make plans for further manufacturers’ titles!”

With the Spanish Round at Jerez to go, Kawasaki have two competitors fighting for the Riders’ Championship crown, although neither lead the way heading to Jerez. Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) is P1 in the standings and the Indonesian rider holds a 16-point lead over Veneman, while Iglesias sits 32 back from the Yamaha rider. Although it’s an advantage for Mahendra at Jerez, it’s possible Kawasaki walk away with the Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Championship, while MTM Kawasaki also lead the Teams’ Championship with a round to go.

Watch all the action from the WorldSSP300 season finale at Jerez using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) will remain on the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid in 2025. The British rider made his debut this year and has shown good pace although it’s been mixed in with disappointing results at times as he adapted to the Ducati Panigale V4 R, some new circuits and Pirelli tyres. The #14 has secured his future in WorldSBK for next year, extending his stay with a team he’s enjoyed so much success at in Moto2™.

SEASON SUMMED UP: a rollercoaster campaign

Lowes’ best result in 2024 so far was a P6 in Race 2 at Assen, although he took a front-row grid slot and led in Barcelona. He’s taken five top-eight finishes in his rookie season, but he’s found results harder to come by in recent rounds. Crashes and an ultra-competitive field mean he’s struggled to break into the top ten, with his last top-ten finish coming in the Tissot Superpole Race at Donington Park.

BEFORE WORLD SUPERBIKE: success in Moto2™, WorldSSP and in British Supersport

Prior to his team in WorldSBK, Lowes competed in 155 Moto2™ races, including four seasons with the Marc VDS squad from 2020. He finished third in the standings in his first season with the team, before backing that up with fourth the season after. Two trickier seasons followed but the team remained committed to Lowes for 2024, making the switch to WorldSBK with the Ducati Panigale V4 R. He also had a season in MotoGP™, taking part in 18 races and scoring five points.

The 34-year-old is already a World Champion after he claimed the 2013 WorldSSP title before he made his switch to the MotoGP™ paddock. He won six races that season with a total of 11 podiums in his first season with Yamaha in the Championship. He’d previously spent two full-time seasons on Honda machinery, the same brand he claimed the 2010 British Supersport title on with five wins and 10 podiums.

AIMING TO CONTINUE SUCCESS: a big 2025 to come?

For 2025, with a year of learning under his and the team’s belts, and not having to learn the bike or tyres, Lowes will hope he can become a regular top-ten finisher or fight for podiums in his second season as he looks for success with the Independent Ducati team. It would continue their success as a partnership, having taken multiple wins in Moto2™ and fought for the title.

LOWES HOPING TO END 2024 ON A HIGH: “I’m looking forward to getting some strong results in the final part of the season”

On renewing his partnership with the team, Lowes said: “I’m very happy and proud to be continuing for one more year in WorldSBK with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. The goal for me and the team was always a minimum two-year plan due to the massive difference between Moto2™ and WorldSBK. The last races have been complicated after my shoulder injury, but the first rounds were really enjoyable as we made good progress, so I am looking forward to getting some strong results in the final part of the season.

“We will focus a lot over the next races to make some steps forward, so we can start the 2025 season at a much higher level. I am enjoying the challenge of racing in WorldSBK. I am enjoying the bike, and the technical differences compared to Moto2™, so let’s first enjoy the end of the 2024 season before focusing on future challenges. I have to say a big thanks once again to Marc van der Straten and everybody connected to the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team for their trust and support.”

VAN DER STRATEN SAYS: “I am convinced that next year his name and Elf Marc VDS Racing will shine at the top of the Championship”

Team Owner Marc van der Straten added: “Sam’s dedication and determination to improve day by day and earn himself a place among the fastest in WorldSBK has been admirable. New beginnings are always complicated, as it’s not easy to adapt and move forward every day. That’s why I’m proud to continue with Sam for the 2025 season. I am convinced that next year his name and Elf Marc VDS Racing will shine at the top of the Championship standings.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

Just a couple of days after the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visited MotorLand Aragon, Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was on track again. He and the team ventured across Spain to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for two days of testing, with Bassani the sole KRT rider on track. Alex Lowes did not test as he continues to recover following his Tissot Superpole Race crash at Aragon.

Conditions were very hot in Andalusia, with air temperatures around 35 degrees Celsius and track temperatures peaking around 15 degrees higher. With the incredibly hot conditions, the #47 was limited to 120 laps by his team but he was still able to work on both race pace and one-lap pace. KRT reported that Bassani was ‘even faster’ than when he tested with the team at Jerez in January.

It was good preparation for the season finale which takes place at the same circuit in a few weeks, although conditions may differ between the test and the round. It will be Bassani’s first race weekend on the ZX-10RR machine at Jerez but with tests at the start of the year and now a test not long before the round, he’ll feel confident heading into the round.

Reflecting on the test, the Italian rider said “We have now finished two days of hard testing, which we started very soon after the previous round in MotorLand Aragon. Physically, it has not been so easy because we had a race weekend so recently. But they worked a lot and worked well to try to improve the bike in these hot conditions. We improved in some areas, and I am happy with what we did together in the team. I have to thank all the guys for the big effort they put in over these two days. I think we went in a good direction and now we can relax a bit before we head to the next round in Estoril.”

His Crew Chief, Marcel Duinker, added: “It was an interesting test because, especially today, it was hot. Really hot. That made it very suitable to help us work towards race weekend, but at the same time, it helped us understand the other areas we needed to improve in. That’s what we did, and it was also interesting because Axel was faster in the 50°C track temperatures than he had been in winter testing at Jerez. Axel was riding with a lot of confidence on both race and Q tyres, and he was really on top of his job. We did what we needed to do, so we will be ready not just for the Jerez race weekend, but also the next round at Estoril.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The title fight in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship will go down to Jerez after a dramatic Tissot Aragon Round full of twists and turns. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) claimed victory in Race 1 as he slashed the deficit in the standings at MotorLand Aragon, and he was joined on the podium by Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), while Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) was second in Race 2 while his title rivals faltered.

Starting with Championship leader Mahendra, the Indonesian claimed fifth in Race 1 while his rivals were ahead of him. However, in Race 2, the tables turned. Mahendra battled his way from 11^th on the grid to the podium spots to finish in second, although he narrowly missed out on victory. He was just 0.006s away from claiming the win, which was taken by Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) on the run to the line.

Looking back on his podium, and previewing the title decider at Jerez, Mahendra said: “This race was incredible for me. I started from 11^th and tried to push but, at the beginning of the race, we had a red flag. I started again from 11^th and I tried to push because I knew it was only seven laps. I tried to push and I got the second place, and so close to the win. For Jerez, I will take care and try to have a good race. I’ll try to get a podium for the Championship.”

Iglesias was the only one of the title contenders to take victory at Aragon with the Kawasaki rider winning Race 1. He was just 0.010s clear of Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) in second, with Veneman third and half-a-tenth away from victory. Race 2 was a disaster for Iglesias though, with the #58 given a double Long Lap Penalty in the closing stages of the race for irresponsible riding, dropping him from the lead group into 18^th place and allowing Mahendra a 20-point gain in the title fight.

Discussing his win, Iglesias said: “I wanted to come back to the podium after a few rounds with a little bit of bad luck. I’m back here. The race was crazy, like all the races in WorldSSP300. I tried to always be in the top positions, and I felt my teammate, Carter, helping me. He was with me fighting with the other guys. I needed to win here at my home round. I tried to push like hell on the last lap to try and get the victory.”

When asked about the title fight on Saturday in Spain, he said: “My first goal was to keep the Championship alive. I went for everything. I told my team before that we had to do everything to get that Championship. I think I deserve it. I’ll fight for the top positions on Sunday and then we’ll see at Jerez, a track that I like a lot.

Veneman showed his consistency at Aragon with third in Race 1, missing out on the win by 0.041s, and fifth in Race 2 despite some fierce fights. The Dutchman has scored points in all but one race this season as he looks to take the crown from fellow Dutchman Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing), although the #7 will need results to go his way at Jerez.

Discussing his podium, Veneman said: “It was a pretty good race. My start was perfect so I could go into the first corner in first place. I could keep it like that almost for the whole first lap. In the end, I had a few problems with running wide or aggressive overtakes so sometimes I feel back and had to catch the group again. In the end, I still finished P3 and overtook Aldi around the outside of the last corner, so I was happy with that. I’m really happy with how the title fight is going. Unfortunately, Inigo won. I hoped he didn’t, and Julio won! These things happen.”

In a weird quirk, the top three are in reverse order in terms of wins in 2024. Mahendra is P1 in the standings with one win, Veneman is second with two and Iglesias third with three. Mahendra holds a 16-point lead over Veneman and 32 points over Iglesias, meaning he can win the title in Race 1 if he’s 25 or 26 points clear, depending on the number of wins in the event of a tiebreak.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has been epic from the start and it’s building for one magical finish with just two rounds remaining. The tenth round of the year came from Alcaniz and MotorLand Aragon, where records were smashed, history repeated itself and big numbers achieved. All the stats you need to catch up on are below!

161 – His longest wait between wins for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Ducati colours, Sunday marked the end of a 161-day drought since Assen in April.

100 – Bautista’s Race 2 win at Aragon was Spain’s 100^th in WorldSBK.

75 – Garrett Gerloff’s (Bonovo Action BMW) rostrum in Race 1 was the 75th podium place for BMW; they finished the weekend on 77, courtesy of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

26 – Bautista and Razgatlioglu finished 1-2 for the 26^th time; the reverse order has happened 14 times.

20 – 20 Ducati wins at Aragon, they’ve won at least 20 at: Misano, Phillip Island, Assen and Magny-Cours.

19 – Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) became the 19th rider to win in both WorldSBK and MotoGP™.

11/12 – It’s the first time in 11 years that a Kawasaki has failed to achieve a top six finish across a race weekend. The last time was in Russia, 2013 when Loris Baz was the best one in P8 in Race 1. However, Race 2 was cancelled, so the last time that they missed a top six in a full weekend was coincidentally Aragon in 2012, when Tom Sykes had a DNF and a P8, whilst Baz had a DNF and a P20.

10 – Ten podiums without a victory at Aragon for Razgatlioglu, a record for any rider on any track.

9 – Nine wins for Bautista at Aragon, the first track where he reaches this tally.

8 – For the first time in 2024, Ducati won eight races straight; they did it twice last year.

8 – Eight winners in a WorldSBK season, the first time since 2012 with nine: Tom Sykes, Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa, Marco Melandri, Jonathan Rea, Chaz Davies, Loris Baz, Sylvain Guintoli and Eugene Laverty.

5 – For the first time since 2004, there’s been five different winners for a single manufacturer – Ducati. This year, Bautista, teammate Nicolo Bulega, Iannone, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and his Assen substitute Nicholas Spinelli have all won, across three different teams.

4 – Four Ducatis in the top four in Superpole for the first time since 2004 at Brands Hatch – Steve Martin ahead of Frankie Chili, Regis Laconi and Noriyuki Haga. Championship leader that day, James Toseland, was off the front row in P12, whilst 2024’s leader Razgatlioglu was the first non-Ducati in P5 on row two.

4 – There have been four new Italian winners in 2024: Bulega, Spinelli, Petrucci and Iannone. In terms of four new winners in the Championship overall in one season, it’s the first time this has happened since 2008: Fonsi Nieto, Max Neukirchner, Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Continuing on from Part 1, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continues the countdown to find the greatest WorldSBK and MotoGP™ race winner of all-time. Modern favourites to retro flashbacks, Part 2 answers all your questions whilst also posing new ones. Find out who completes the list below!

5.) The Kentucky Kid shines at Sepang – 3 MotoGP™ wins, 1 WorldSBK win

When Nicky Hayden came to WorldSBK in 2016, he was a contender at the front of the field. After a first podium at Assen, Hayden utilised his circuit knowledge of Sepang and his experience of wet weather racing to take victory – a first World Championship win since Laguna Seca in MotoGP™, back in 2006. The 2006 MotoGP™ World Champion made memories in both Championships that will be everlasting, signing his name in numerous record books. A true talent taken far, far too soon.

4.) Marco Melandri’s majestic memories – 22 WorldSBK wins, 5 MotoGP™ wins

2002 250cc World Champion and a MotoGP™ and WorldSBK runner-up; Marco Melandri’s career is illustrious to say the least. His first win in MotoGP™ came at Istanbul Park in 2005, before he achieved a first WorldSBK victory at Donington Park in 2011. His last win was a memorable one, toppling Jonathan Rea in Race 2 at Phillip Island, 2018. Flying the Italian flag and becoming a huge personality throughout, Melandri’s versatility and hard racing were some of his iconic features.

3.) Mick Doohan’s career started sooner than you may think – 3 WorldSBK wins, 54 500cc wins

Say ‘Mick Doohan’ and you think of his five 500cc World Championships, quite rightly. However, before his dominance, he achieved Australia’s first WorldSBK win, back at Sugo in Race 2, 1988. Just one race after Gary Goodfellow gave Canada a first win, Doohan won by almost seven seconds, easing to victory. A double home win at Oran Park later in the year was the last time we saw him and soon, he’d conquer the world of 500cc racing, with a first win coming in 1990 at the Hungaroring.

2.) Troy Bayliss: A wonder from Down Under: – 52 WorldSBK wins, 1 MotoGP™ win

Troy Bayliss is known more for his success in WorldSBK but after a wildcard win at the Valencian Grand Prix in 2006, he joined this exclusive list. The charismatic Australian first appeared as a wildcard in WorldSBK at Phillip Island in 1997, achieving two fifth places. Brought in to replace Carl Fogarty in mid-2000, it would be Race 1 at Hockenheim where he’d take a first win. Other big wins like Monza Race 1 2001 and Assen Race 2 2007 and it’s easy to see why Bayliss makes it to second.

1.) The Roman Empire: Max Biaggi’s masterplan – 21 WorldSBK wins, 13 500cc/MotoGP™ wins

Four-time consecutive 250cc World Champion Max Biaggi is still the last rider to win on their 500cc/MotoGP™ debut. The Italian won 13 races there, with a last at the Sachsenring in 2004. Going to WorldSBK in 2007 saw him win on his debut, the only rider to take debut wins in both classes. A first title in the class came in 2010 before he backed it up with another in 2012, beating Tom Sykes by 0.5 points, the closest title race in history before he retired. ‘Mad Max’ and his outright success in all Championships makes him the number one rider to have won in both WorldSBK and MotoGP™.

The newest members of the club: Petrucci and Iannone etch their name into history

Two more riders have since added their name into the history books, with the tally of winners in both Championships now standing at 19. First was Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who won Race 1 at Cremona, on home soil, before making it three wins in Italy with a hat-trick. ’Petrux’ has three WorldSBK wins and two MotoGP™ wins to his name. The 19^th member of the club is Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), who took a stunning win at MotorLand Aragon in Race 1 for victory in his rookie WorldSBK season. Iannone’s record is one win in WorldSBK and one in MotoGP™, but don’t bet against ‘The Maniac’ adding more to his name in World Superbike.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) remains in FIM Supersport World Championship title contention after a mixed Tissot Aragon Round. The Italian rider was fourth in Race 1 but claimed victory in Race 2 to narrow the gap in the Championship standings across the whole round to 41 points, keeping him in contention as the paddock prepares to move to Estoril next week for what could be a title-deciding round.

Montella took fourth in Friday’s Tissot Superpole session, lapping two tenths away from polesitter and title rival Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). Huertas utilised his pole to full advantage as he broke away from the field to win, while Montella was stuck in a podium fight. He was battling Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) and Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) for the podium, but a mistake at Turn 5 potentially cost him a rostrum.

In Race 2, Montella started from P3 after the fastest laps from Race 1 set the top nine positions on the grid. Using the front row start as a base for victory, Montella took the win although he had to work hard for it after incredible fights with Manzi and Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura). He took the lead on Lap 8 and didn’t look back, going on to beat Manzi by two seconds for victory and take a big chunk out of Huertas’ points lead, with the gap down to 41 points.

Discussing Race 2, Montella said: “It was a perfect way to end the round after Saturday, when we lost the podium fighting with Manzi and Debise. On Sunday, I was just focused on getting to the front and making my pace because I think it was the choice and opportunity for us. It was a crazy start to the first lap. I was focused on coming back little by little with my pace and pushing until the end.”

The title could be wrapped up by Huertas at Estoril if he outscores the #55 by nine points and Manzi by four. However, it is still game on with 100 points available across the final two rounds of the season and Montella, when speaking after Race 2, explained how his aim is to take it to the final race at Jerez. In order to do this, he will need to be within 50 points of Huertas after Estoril and within 25 after Race 1 at the season finale.

Speaking about his title fight strategy, Montella stated: “My approach will be like Sunday! I’ll fight from the beginning to the end. My goal is to arrive at Jerez, in the last race, fighting for the Championship. Then, the best one wins. We’ll see. It’s not easy because we just need to be focused on the setting of the bike and try to find the right way from the beginning. Estoril is a good track for me, I like it and also Jerez. It will be a fun end to the Championship.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Despite finishing off the rostrum in Race 2, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) strengthened his grip on this year’s FIM Supersport World Championship title across the Tissot Aragon Round. On home soil at MotorLand Aragon, a win in Race 1 and a P5 in Race 2 meant he lost only a few points to rival Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) with two rounds to go. The #99 Ducati rider holds a 41-point lead heading into Estoril next week.

Huertas put his Panigale V2 on pole in Friday afternoon’s Tissot Superpole session, setting a 1’52.932s to claim a seventh pole position of the season. He was able to convert that into a dominant Race 1 victory on Saturday for his tenth of the season. He finished almost two seconds clear of Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) in second, while Montella finished in fourth, which opened the gap in the title race to 55 points.

Reflecting on his commanding victory, Huertas, who goes to Moto2™ for 2025, said: “Race 1 was really good. I think I couldn’t ask for much more! We had an incredible pace, we worked hard with the team, and I think we managed the race almost perfectly. We have some margin for Sunday, so let’s keep pushing and keep winning. It’s incredible to have 10 wins in my first season with the Ducati and the team. I will be really sad to leave them because they have been doing things perfectly. I will feel sad, but we are doing things really well and we hope we can create great things to end.”

Race 2 was a completely different affair, with Huertas coming home in fifth place. He started from P4 on the grid, which was set based on the top nine fastest laps in Race 1 and was unable to move himself into podium contention. He dropped to seventh on Lap 2 but was able to fight back to claim fifth and limit the damage somewhat. Montella took advantage of Huertas’ results with a victory, which meant the gap heading to Estoril was 41 points – less than it was going to Aragon, but with Huertas potentially able to wrap up the title next time out.

Looking back on Race 2, the Spaniard said: “I’m not so happy about Sunday because, in the end, we didn’t enjoy the race so much. We had a lot of problems with the setting, and we were missing something that we will need to improve for the next races. We need to keep going the way we were going and not the line of Sunday.”

In the title fight, Huertas can only win it in Race 2 at Estoril. Manzi is in contention as well, but Huertas will win the Championship if he outscores Montella by nine points at Estoril and Manzi by four points.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The Tissot Aragon Round was a memorable one for the story of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as the final quarter of the season ignited. With an eighth different winner of the year and an emotional return to the top step, plus a home favourite and a Championship contender’s return, there was certainly no shortage of picante quotes from Aragon this week.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “My performance was 10/10… it’s the same Bautista as last year”

A Sunday double for Alvaro Bautista, who explained his Race 2 performance and stated that he’s well and truly back to his best: “In Race 2, lap after lap, it was getting better for me and increased the pace. Every lap, it was +0 to Toprak, then I’d set the fastest lap and it’d be +0, shit! In the last laps, he couldn’t follow me so I’m really happy as I felt very focused and very concentrated all the race, arriving to the limit in all the areas. I can say that my performance was 10/10 and it’s the same Bautista as last year – still with a little bit of pain with the ribs. From Most, we changed something and it wasn’t that we went fast straight away because you need to get confidence. This weekend, from FP1, we changed nothing on the bike. We just got the feeling, took the maximum of the bike and we can be confident. I struggle in the beginning more than last year. Now, I feel that I am competitive again because I have a good feeling with the bike but it’s not easy to be patient. At Portimao, I had the opportunity and I wanted to eat Toprak! This is not the Alvaro who won two titles: that one is patient, has a cool head and does the maximum without taking risks.”

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “I won the race of my life”

The 19^th rider to win a WorldSBK race and a MotoGP™ one, Andrea Iannone was a popular winner in Race 1: “I put everything in me; I lived a difficult moment and for sure today is like freedom for me. I felt a good energy and I know I’m a strong man. I won the race of my life, not the race itself. After four years out, I achieve my first win in WorldSBK; we struggled out but now we’ve won. I think on the last lap I could have improved but I ran out of fuel on the back straight. All of the last corner was with the clutch and I arrived for the speed but not with the engine. I think God wanted that I won. I take the clutch, the bike goes off, I released the clutch and the bike came back on. I said “f**k, I don’t win this race?!”. If I wouldn’t win this one, I’d have gone home and not come back.

“Only I know when I struggled during this time, I missed my work, the bike, everything. It’s not easy; I waited for a long time and I’m happy today to achieve this result. For me, as a person, not for my career. For me, as a man, I think this is a great achievement. To comeback, I spoke with Gigi about coming back and he asked me if I’m sure because WorldSBK is so strong now, with it being difficult for Danilo to win a race and after four years away, for you it will be harder. I said ‘for sure, it’s possible I can race and ride fast, like the past’ and he believed in me. He never said it was impossible. He gave me a chance and I think that 80% of this result is for Gigi; maybe without Gigi, I wouldn’t be here.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I feel like I’m 70… we’re not playing in the park”

Making his highly anticipated return to WorldSBK, it was three P2s for Toprak Razgatlioglu, who felt slightly aged at the end: “I feel like I am 70 years old, maybe 80… in the last laps, the rear tyre dropped and Alvaro was very strong in the long corner. I push hard for the rest of the lap but he always made up the same time in the same places. I gave more than 100%, I rode the bike on the limit and I’m happy because we found a good setup and maybe, if we found it on Saturday, we’d have won the race. Anyway, we’ll see next year. In general, P2 is good but after many wins, it doesn’t make me happy. Without the injury or the break, I’d have a good setup earlier and start stronger.

Commenting on the FIM WorldSBK Stewards investigating his pass on Bulega at Turn 15, Razgatlioglu was infuriated: “I saw that they investigated the move I made on Bulega at Turn 15… this was a very stupid investigation because I didn’t touch him, he didn’t go wide and also, Alvaro passed me in the same way and stopped at that corner. It killed me because my bike doesn’t accelerate from there but nobody says anything because it’s racing. We’re not playing in the park and it’s better that the FIM say this; we aren’t playing.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) “If it’s not possible to win the title this year, it’s not the end of the world”

Not mincing words or beating around the bush, Nicolo Bulega wasn’t impressed with some of his rivals in the early laps: “Some riders were very aggressive with me, pushing me out. I tried to recover but at Turn 12, I almost took out Van der Mark, so I had to release the brake, go out and then I lost a lot of positions. I tried to recover but to catch Toprak and Alvaro, it was too late. At this track with the new surface, when you go off the racing line, it’s very dirty and difficult to keep the speed. When I almost touch Van der Mark, I went outside and almost lost the front and crashed. Then, when I was outside, I opened the gas and lost the rear and then lost more positions. To overtake here, it’s a bit difficult and also because I didn’t have the perfect feeling when braking. All the race, I was overtaking but it was too late.”

Speaking about how he feels regarding the Championship fight, Bulega said: “If I can win, then everyone – especially me – will be happy. If it’s not possible to win it this year, it’s not the end of the world. It’s my first year, I’m enjoying the battle with these great Champions that have been here for a lot of years and I’m learning, like in the Superpole Race so, race by race, I have more experience and I am happy for this.”

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW): “I honestly don’t know what was going on at the start of the season”

Talking about his phenomenal form in recent rounds, Garrett Gerloff said: “I honestly didn’t know what was going on at the start of the season; I thought it was me as a rider, I thought I was done. I think there were just some things with the bike that weren’t coming together for whatever reason. Now that everything’s been figured out, it’s simple: I show up, I have speed. Superpole still sucks but besides that, everything feels good.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com