Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) emerged victorious in Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, claiming BMW’s first victory at the Italian circuit after fending off the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati duo of Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista. With the #1 finishing in third, Razgatlioglu moved into the lead of the Championship standings, something BMW have not experienced in WorldSBK in more than a decade.

The #54 headed into the round six points back from Bautista but his 25-point haul for victory, coupled with Bautista’s 16 points, means the 2021 Champion has surged into the standings lead, three points clear of the 2022 and 2023 Champion. It’s the first time a BMW rider has led the standings since Marco Melandri was P1 in Russia way back in 2012.

Despite moving into the Championship standings lead, Razgatlioglu refused to be drawn into talk about the title and instead preferred to focus on Sunday’s two races, an approach that has served him so well during his WorldSBK career including when he claimed the 2021 title. He did, however, speak about his race – describing it as ‘really hard’ – and reiterated that his dream is to claim a hat-trick at Misano.

Razgatlioglu stated: “It was a really hard race for everyone because of the hot conditions, the bike was just spinning. I felt the front tyre not working a lot because I used it a lot, but I’m just focused on riding the bike and improving the pace. Finally, we won, and for BMW, the first winner here. We are Championship leaders, but I’m not focused on this, I’m just focused on tomorrow because we have two more races. I’ll try to do my best again. Three race wins is my dream, my target.”

The Turkish superstar opted for an alternative front tyre selection for Race 1, going for the SC2 hard compound tyre while his rivals used the SC1 medium. It proved to be a masterstroke after some incredible race pace. He was in the high 1’33s or low 1’34s for all but two of the 21 laps – the first and last being the outliers – while Bulega dipped into the mid-to-high 1’34s and had one lap come in at 1’35.002s. Bautista’s pace was consistent for third, but none of his laps were in the 1’33s.

Explaining his tyre choice, Razgatlioglu said: “In hot conditions, I like a harder tyre, because the SC1 sometimes I feel is over the limit after 8-10 laps. But with the SC2, after 10-12 laps, I felt a lot of movement. I’ll keep fighting. Tomorrow, we need to improve the bike because after 10 laps, I need more grip. I’ll need to speak with the team, but I need some improvements for tomorrow. For the Superpole Race, I don’t need to save the rear tyre and I can use the SC1 front tyre. I think we are pushing more than today because it’s 10 laps and cooler conditions. I’m just focused on Race 2 because I’m stronger than in the shorter races, and tomorrow looks hotter than today.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Saturday saw history being made, with the maiden FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship Race 1 taking place at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. In a day which saw several red flags, the fans were ultimately gifted the finish that such an occasion deserved, with Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) beating rival Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) during Race 1 for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round.

THE BEGINNING: race red flagged after Rusthen crash

There was drama as soon as the lights went out for the original start, with Ornella Ongaro (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) and Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) colliding at Turn 2, while wildcard Beatrice Barbera (Team GP3 AD11 by Tirso) crashed at Turn 4, with all three riders retiring from the race. Relph was taken to the medical centre for a check-up, while the incident will be investigated by the FIM Stewards after the race.

Herrera grabbed the holeshot from pole position, leading through the first half of the opening lap, but Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) didn’t let her have it all her own way. Through the high-speed sector three, the #22 tried to pass Herrera but the #6 was able to resist her challenge over the initial running before trying to build a gap with the 2018 WorldSSP300 Champion leading across the line, although Herrera was able to respond quickly. Carrasco didn’t let her get away, keeping the pressure on, with less than a second separating the top four. On Lap 6, the race was red flagged for a crash at Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) at Turn 16, when she came down at the end of Lap 5. Rusthen has suffered a head concussion and is receiving treatment at the Bufalini Trauma Centre in Cesena; her condition is stable.

RACE RESTARTED: Second red flag of the day

The race was eventually re-started, and then immediately red-flagged again for a crash that involved Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno). Howden ultimately suffered a concussion but was onscious following the accident. Following the accident, the remaining riders on the grid followed the quick start procedure and rolled back out onto the track for a five-lap race.

THRILLING ENDING: Herrera and Carrasco duel to the finish

With five laps to be completed, it ultimately proved to be Herrera and Carrasco that would fight it out to determine who would make history as the first ever race winner in the WorldWCR Championship. Herrera spent four laps monitoring Carrasco, matching her pace through every sector and turn. In the last sector, Herrera made her move, sliding the bike under Carrasco to take a lead that would ultimately prove to be the win.

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

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
2. Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) +0.067s
3. Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +0.986s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) +1.454s
5. Beatriz Neila (Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +1.591s
6. Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM Latinoamerica by Team GP3) +7.127s

Watch WorldWCR Race 2 on Sunday at Misano at 11:50 Local Time (UTC+2) on the WorldWCR YouTube and WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Ducati were able to celebrate a double podium in Race 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claiming second place and teammate Alvaro Bautista in third. Despite the two podium finishes, both riders were left with a ‘what might have been’ feeling for different reasons at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, after they were beaten by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

The #54 started from pole position for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round but lost out at the start after Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) got a mega start from P3 on the grid, leading in the early stages before the 2021 Champion was able to pass him. Bautista also got a good start, moving up from fifth on the grid to move into second, while teammate Bulega moved back after a poor start.

However, Bulega, despite running wide, had better pace than his Champion teammate, and made light work of Gardner with both Aruba Ducatis passing the #87 in a few seconds, before overtaking his teammate in the first sector on Lap 8. From there, Bautista was unable to challenge his rookie teammate, although the gap was just 1.4 seconds at the end of the 21-lap race. Speaking after, both revealed different issue they had that might have potentially cost them a better result.

When asked when a poor start might have cost him victory, Bulega replied: “Unfortunately, my start was not so good and then I had to overtake some riders, so I lost a lot of time. When I overtook the other riders and I got into second, my pace was good. I also had a little bit of belief that I could overtake Toprak, but it was too late. He never gave up. He had a fantastic race. It’s my first race in Italy in WorldSBK, with a podium and almost pole position this morning, so if the weekend is going well. In the beginning, I lost a lot of time. I was much faster, but it was impossible to overtake. You can never know how the race will go.”

For Bautista, a good start helped the #1 fight at the front, but he was unable to keep second place from his teammate. Bulega hounded the reigning Champion before getting past him at Turns 4 and 5, before pulling out a gap over Bautista. The 61-time race winner did close some time back to the #11 towards the race’s conclusion, but he had to settle for third place; his eighth podium in 10 races this season.

Explaining why he was unable to fight for victory, Bautista said: “Conditions are different every year and the level of the category is really high. We worked to get a good feeling with the bike but it’s still not as we wanted. Today, with the really hot conditions, I struggled to stop the bike especially on the front tyre. In the first few laps, I couldn’t push really hard because every time I tried to force the front, I lost it, and I had many slides in a lot of corners. It was really difficult. The only thing I could do was try to get to the end and get the maximum I can. After mid-race, the pace was similar to the leader and the guys in front, but the problem was I was over the limit. I tried to push more, lost the front and I nearly crashed 10 or 12 times! The only thing was to finish the race, try to get more information and some references for tomorrow.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Medical updates have been provided on Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing) and Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) following their respective crashes in Race 1 of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship. Rusthen crashed at the final corner at the end of Lap 5 and was transported to hospital with polytrauma. She suffered a head concussion and is currently receiving treatment at the Bufalini Trauma Centre in Cesena; her condition is currently stable. In the restarted race, Howden came down on the opening lap at Turns 1-2. The South African rider suffered concussion in the crash and was transported to the same hospital as Rusthen. She is conscious.

Source: WorldSBK.com

With the FIM World Supersport Championship back in full swing, it was the turn of the middleweight class to take to the track for Race 1 action on Saturday. And it certainly did not disappoint. As has been the story of the season, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) decided to fight it out between themselves to determine the race win, as well as the lead of the Championship.

HUERTAS HUNTS MONTELLA DOWN: Spaniard pips Italian at the line to win Race 1

Adrian Huertas continued his incredible start to the WorldSSP season by engaging in yet another all-action battle with title rival Yari Montella. The Spaniard stalked Montella around the track for nearly the entirety of the race, before starting to close in on his rival towards the final sector of the track. By the time the final corner came, Huertas capitalised on a slight slide by Montella to level his bike alongside the Italian and just pip him to the line. A truly exciting championship battle, indeed. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) rounded out the podium with a solid P3 performance.

TOP SIX SECURED: Championship contenders continue to push

Many of the Championship contenders rounded out the top six to continue their title ambitions. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros WorldSSP Yamaha Team) quietly continued his impressive season to date as he claimed P4, whilst Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) claimed a very solid P5 placing. German Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) completed the top six.

BEST OF THE REST: Oli Bayliss makes the top ten

As has been the story of the weekend, it was an extremely competitive fight for the top ten. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) continued his impressive weekend by finishing P7, whilst long-touted prodigy Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) picked up P8. Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) finished P9, and Glenn Van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) completed the top ten. Also worth noting is the performance of Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team), who finished in P12. He was the highest finishing WorldSSP Challenge rider out of anyone on the grid.

Top six from Race 1, full results here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.021s

3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +4.667s

4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +5.892s

5. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +14.686s

6. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 17.884s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship saw Race 1 action on Saturday, with Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) securing a stunning Race 1 win to become the new Championship leader. Aruba.it Racing – Ducati continued the hunt however, with both Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista securing P2 and P3 to keep the pressure firmly on.

RIVETING RAZGATLIOGLU: BMW’s ace comes up trumps yet again

Once again, Toprak Razgatlioglu made all the difference on Saturday in Race 1 at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. “El Turco”, who started on pole following an epic Tissot Superpole session earlier in the day, initially surrendered his lead, but was able to regain it again. However, this time, he never looked like relinquishing his advantage; the Turk stretched out a commanding advantage before crossing the line in P1.

DUCATI PUSH THE PACE: Bulega and Bautista continue the hunt

Nicolo Bulega and reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) both enjoyed successful races, with both riders finishing P2 and P3 consecutively. Bulega, in particular, showed strong pace and stable consistency throughout Race 1, especially at the beginning. Reigning World Champion Bautista started to come on strong towards the end of the race, having struggled for pace in the opening laps of Race 1. Bautista has been vocal about his struggles in finding a consistent race setup for his Panigale V4 R; however, the reigning Champion will be hopeful that he has found something positive based off of his late-race pace on Saturday.

TOP TEN BATTLE: Diversity at the top of the timesheets

A very interesting variety of riders was aptly represented at the end of Saturday’s Race 1. Yamaha, in particular, enjoyed a successful day on the Adriatic Coast, with both Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) securing P4 and P6 respectively. Fellow Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki also enjoyed a very successful Race 1, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) rounding out the top five. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team – Ducati) ensured strong representation for Ducati at their home round. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in a respectable P8, whilst Iker Lecouna (Team HRC) secured an impressive top ten finish.

REST OF THE ACTION: Rea, Sam Lowes fail to finish

It was mixed fortunes for the rest of the grid, as Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) both failed to finish. Rea, whose struggles onboard the R1 have been much publicised, suffered a massive crash on the opening lap. He was then taken to the medical center for a check-up and will be reassessed before the Warmup session tomorrow morning. Lowes was forced to retire following a sliding crash towards the end of the race.

Top six from Race 1 at Misano. For the full results, see here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.782s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.176s

4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +10.337s

5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +11.671s

6. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +14.822s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The action has firmly resumed in the FIM World Supersport 300 Championship, and Race 1 on Saturday delivered in spades. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) delivered a last lap battle for the ages, with the Spaniard pipping the Indonesian rider to the chequered flag by just seven-thousandths of a second.

EPIC LAST LAP DUEL: Iglesias and Mahendra fight to the finish

In one of the closest race finishes in recent memory, Inigo Iglesias and Aldi Mahendra delivered a truly titanic last lap battle, one more than worthy of the occasion at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Swapping first place several times over the course of the last lap, Mahendra stole a march on Iglesias heading into the final sector, before Iglesias straightened up on the final straight in a drag race to the line. Iglesias’ momentum just nudged him ahead of Mahendra to pick up an epic win in Race 1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) put together a very impressive performance to pick up a very solid P3, securing his place on the podium.

TOP SIX: Marc Garcia leads the way

In an equally intense affair, Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) secured P4 with a rock-solid performance. P5 and P6 were rounded out by Spaniard Jose Osuna Saez (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) and reigning World Champion Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing), who both confirmed solid showings during the race.

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP TEN: Intense battle for the best of the rest

Like the other battles at the top of the standings, the fight for the top ten was an intense affair. Dutchman Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) secured P7, whilst P8, P9 and P10 were all secured respectively by Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia), David Salvador (MS Racing) and Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse).

CRASHES, DRAMA AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN: Huge drama in title race

Elsewhere within the chaos of Race 1, there were several incidents and accidents amongst the grid, including some that could have huge implications in the WorldSSP300 title race. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) and Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) were involved in a crash at turn 3, with Czech rider Svoboda later confirmed to have suffered a left lower leg displaced fracture. Most crucially, Championship leader Daniel Mogeda (Team #109 Retro Racing Kawasaki) was involved in two incidents; the first incident he was able to get away from, but the second one brought him down. A crash at turn 15 saw Mogeda’s Championship lead converted into a deficit.

Top six from Race 1 of WorldSSP300, full results here:

1. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki)

 2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.007s

 3. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) +0.227s

 4. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.308s

 5. Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) +0.482s

 6. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) +1.092s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Race 1 for the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship has been postponed until this afternoon. The race was red flagged due to an incident at Turn 16 involving #29 Mia Rusthen (Rusthen Racing). The race has been postponed until Saturday afternoon, with the start time to be confirmed. Rusthen has suffered a polytrauma and is being transferred to the Bufalini Trauma Centre (Cesena) for further assessment and treatment.

Source: WorldSBK.com

Two pieces of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship 2025 grid have fallen in as many days. After the news that Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) would spearhead the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team project in 2025, it’s now been announced who his teammate will be: Axel Bassani. The Italian joined KRT for 2024 and will remain with the Provec Racing-run team into their new project.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: new project, same line-up

As Kawasaki and Bimota prepare for their new era in 2025, they’ve decided that keeping the same rider line-up is the best option. Lowes will head into his sixth season with the Provec Racing squad, while it will only be Bassani’s second. He joined the team for this season following Jonathan Rea’s (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) departure to Yamaha, completing his dream to race for a factory team. It’s been a challenging campaign on the ZX-10RR as he adapts from the Panigale V4 R, with a best result of ninth so far.

BASSANI’S JOURNEY: rising through the WorldSBK ranks

The #47’s journey inside the WorldSBK paddock started in 2015 when he debuted in STK600, racing at Jerez and Magny-Cours, scoring a podium in the latter as he showed his potential. A move to WorldSSP followed in 2016 as he finished 12^th in the standings, claiming a best result of fourth; again, at Magny-Cours. He made a one-off appearance in STK1000 in 2018 on BMW machinery, finishing sixth at Misano, before returning to WorldSSP in 2020 on a Yamaha R6. He secured only one top-ten finish – eighth at Estoril – and narrowly missed out on the WorldSSP Challenge.

A MOVE TO WORLD SUPERBIKE: an instant impact with Motocorsa Ducati

Bassani’s potential was on show throughout his career, and it earned him a move to WorldSBK for 2021, linking up with Team Motocorsa Racing. ‘El Bocia’ claimed a podium in his first season when he finished second in a wet Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, before claiming three more rostrums in 2022: two at Magny-Cours and one at the Circuito San Juan Villicum. Sixth in the Championship came in 2023 – his best finish yet – with two podiums on home soil, at Misano and Imola.

BASSANI SAYS: “As part of my personal racing journey this will help me learn more and develop as a rider”

Reacting to his signature being secured, Bassani said: “What better venue than Misano to announce my continuation with the team and involvement with a project that combines skill and commitment from Japan and Italy! As part of my personal racing journey this will help me learn more and develop as a rider. It for sure feels like a logical step by step process for my career path. I am super happy for this opportunity and in terms of confidence and focus for the remainder of 2024 it allows me to invest all my time and energy into the task of points and podiums on the KRT Ninja ZX-10RR.”

FROM THE TEAM: “he has 100% covered the expectations we had of him…”

Providing the Provec Racing view was Team Manager Guim Roda, who said: Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, stated: “We extended the long-term agreement with Axel as he has 100% covered the expectations we had of him. His potential is shown in details of quality during the first races of 2024 season. We are so committed to give him the necessary tools to consolidate his potential. At the same time, he will polish himself to understand how to ride such different bike compared to the one he used in past. Everybody in team is very happy with this continuity and we expect amazing 2025 with him”.

KAWASAKI’S VIEW: “Kawasaki and Bimota have two fundamental parts of the jigsaw in place”

Shigemi Tanaka, General Manager, Marketing & Sales Division, Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. concluded: “This weekend we witness the next step in the evolution of the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team project. By securing the talents of Axel and Alex both Kawasaki and Bimota have two fundamental parts of the jigsaw in place and we can move on with the complex development of the new machine. Equally it quells speculation allowing everyone involved with the project to concentrate on a successful 2025 WorldSBK season on the Ninja ZX-10RR.”

Race Planning Manager for Kawasaki Motors Europe, Steve Gutteridge, added: “These are complex times and continuity is fundamentally important. To add Axel’s commitment to the realisation that Alex is investing his experience into the new project is a giant step forward”. 

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Source: WorldSBK.com