Competition, News, WSBK

LAST LAP SHOWDOWN: Bautista ends 161-day win drought after battling Razgatlioglu and Bulega

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship provided non-stop action on Sunday morning, as the riders took to the Spanish track in the Tissot Superpole Race. It was 2023 World Champion, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who stormed to victory at his home round, after a nail-biting battle between current title leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

BAUTISTA BACK ON TOP, RAZGATLIOGLU SECOND: an incredible showdown

It was Bulega who took the hole shot at lights out, leading Saturday’s Race 1 winner, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Bautista chasing him down. Despite a poor start off the line, Razgatlioglu soon gained speed, overtaking both #9 and #1 on the first lap, and moving ahead of Iannone in lap 2. A five-way battle unfolded in the early stages of the race, but it was Bulega who demonstrated consistent pace throughout, with a determined #54 hot on his tail.

LOWES CRASHES: Early race exit for the #22 Brit

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was in close contention in the top 6, however crashed out of the race at Turn 1 with eight laps remaining. He was taken to the medical centre where he was declared unfit for the afternoon’s Race 2. Back at the front, it was Razgatlioglu who began matching the pace of #11 and with 6 laps of race distance remaining, overtook the Ducati rider into first position, whilst Bautista waited in the wings in third.

99 WINS FOR SPAIN: Can Alvaro make it 100 at home?

Toprak was eager to showcase his comeback to racing, putting in an incredible lap time of 1’47.935s, a new race lap record at Aragon. It was down to the wire for the top spot on the rostrum, with an exciting last lap battle, where Bautista came out on top after a sensational Turn 15 pass on ‘El Turco’, achieving his 62nd win, and 99 wins for Spain. Razgatlioglu takes home the silverware and Bulega achieved his 17th  podium, matching the likes of Ben Bostrum, Ben Spies and Andrea Locatelli.

RACE 2 EXCITEMENT: Championship heats up

Just missing out on the podium was Race 1 winner Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) who led Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and Petrucci to take the top 6 positions. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) crossed the line in seventh followed by Dutchman Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Spain’s Xavi Vierge (Team HRC). Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) displayed a strong ride, rounding off the top 10. Sunday’s Race 2 is promising to be a thrilling display of action-packed racing.

The top six from WorldSBK Superpole Race, full results here:

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.088s
3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.172s
4. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +4.691s
5. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +5.317s
6. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +6.940s
7. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +7.988s
8. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +10.170s
9. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +10.894s

Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW – 1’47.935s (New race lap record)

Don’t miss the WorldSBK Tissot Aragon Race 2 at 14:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – Just €9.99

Source: WorldSBK.com

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