Spain’s Gonzalo Sanchez achieved another dominant victory in the second race of the FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup at the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya, completing a perfect home race weekend and a promising start to the season.

Uncertain conditions in the morning added an extra element to the 10-lap race, but it was declared dry and slick tyres were used by the entire field.

However, this meant a slightly cautious start to the race was necessary, but Sanchez still made sure to get his R3 in front into the first corner. From there the 15-year-old rookie from Teruel settled into a strong rhythm and took control of the race, building his advantage to win by more than eight seconds. An impressive start the World Cup season for the 2023 R3 SuperFinale winner, taking the maximum 50 points available across the weekend.

As in Race 1, there was plenty of excitement among the remaining riders with much of the field in podium contention. Despite their best efforts, they had no answer for Sanchez’s speed, but Marc Vich was able to make an initial break from the pack to begin chasing Sanchez, and the Saturday podium-sitter looked strong enough to repeat the performance, but later in the race the rider from Mallorca struggled with tyre management and lost ground. Dawid Nowak, penalised in Race 1, was determined to achieve his first R3 bLU cRU podium, and the young Pole managed this feat perfectly. Joining Sanchez and Nowak on the podium was Czech rookie Nicolas Zanin.

A multi-rider incident two laps from the end brought out the red flag and called a permanent halt to the race with more than two-thirds distance having been completed. Six riders went down, including Vich who was caught out by debris on the track. All riders were uninjured.

Round 2 of the FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup will take place at TT-Circuit Assen from April 19^th-21st

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU World Cup – RACE TWO

Gonzalo Sanchez, Race 2 winner, said: “It has been a perfect weekend here in Catalunya – my family, my team and Yamaha gave everything to support me and this was the result – a double win. It feels good to start the championship so well and I’ve put in a lot of effort which has paid off. Assen will be a new track for me but I will learn a lot and of course I hope to fight for more wins.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

The level of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is extremely high, so much so that six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) could only salvage an eighth place in Barcelona’s Race 2. The second round of the year welcomed a return to Europe for the field and despite a positive test, gremlins and misfortune continued for Rea.

In Race 1 on Saturday, Rea stated that he “fried the clutch” on the grid and had to retire after one lap. However, he had another bite at the cherry in the Superpole Race but he could still only manage P13 after being forced off-track at Turn 1 on Lap 1. For Race 2, he went from the fifth row again but this time, managed to make big gains and put himself in contention in the latter parts of the race. Making up four positions on the opening lap, he was up into P7 by the end of Lap 6, although he dropped back behind Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in the next laps. He managed to recover the position with Sam Lowes on Lap 17 but was unable to get on terms with ‘Petrux’ and his ex-teammate despite closing in.

“IT’S NOT WHERE WE WANT TO BE RIGHT NOW” – Rea speaks after first 6 races of 2024

A tough start to 2024, Rea gave a summary of his weekend: “Overall, it’s been a very disappointing weekend. Like the trend of Phillip Island, we have made progress even if it might not look like that. We’ve taken our first points of the season in Race 2. Race 2 was a problem-free race without issues. I struggled starting from P13 because you don’t have track position and you have to be a bit more aggressive in the beginning. Then, after that, I’d already wasted some tyre and then tried to conserve as much as possible. Guys like Remy Gardner, Danilo Petrucci and Michael van der Mark and Alex, I thought they’d come back to me at the end. They dropped their pace a little bit but not enough. I was catching but I ran out of laps.

“There are some positives in there; it’s not where we want to be right now but we’ll move onto Assen and try and have an open mind with what could happen there. The tide has to change; we’ve had a lot of issues thrown our way and we’re dealing with them in a really good way as a team by trying to breathe and turn the page.”

Rea’s eighth place does at least give him his first points in what has been a very tricky start to the year; he was best of the team too after Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was caught up in a crash at Turn 4 when Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) took out Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on the opening lap, leaving ‘Loka’ nowhere to go but through the gravel.

Talking about how tight it is now in WorldSBK, Rea said: “You don’t have to be too far off the pace now to be fighting outside the top ten and I don’t have that ultimate pace on the bike yet. I’m still finding my feet and trying to understand the bike. I’m really pushing the team to give me what I need to be fast. It’s taking time but I’m sure it will arrive. I really believe in the people around me so there’s a lot of credit to them; they deserve this as much as I do. We’ll keep with it, not give up and Assen is a happy hunting ground for me so there’s no better place to go next to try and score some big points.

TALKING TOUGH: “If the stars aren’t aligning, you’re on the struggle bus”

“You have to take these small wins; we’re not fighting for the podium, that’s always the target. The class is stacked; last year, you could be a little bit off and fight easily in the top ten. Now, if something’s not right or not there or the stars aren’t aligning, you’re on the struggle bus. We need to maximise our weekends and try and stay out of trouble. Superpole is super important; I messed up my lap so I have to shoulder some of that but we probably didn’t prepare in the right way either with Free Practice 3 being tough. When you start from the fifth row, your race is almost written on the wall. Assen’s focus will be getting a bike that I can race with well but also starting further up the grid. We can’t force the wave to come but when it does, I’m sure we’ll ride it well.”

EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from the Catalunya Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport World Championship continued to provide plenty of excitement as Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) claimed a first win of the 2024 season in Race 2 for the Pirelli Catalunya Round. In a shortened red-flag race, there were plenty of early title race twists with Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) the last classified rider after a small Turn 1 crash on Lap 5 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Huertas got a good start when the lights went out and kept the lead despite early pressure from Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)., Oncu, on Lap 2, tried to move into first by overtaking Huertas and Montella at Turn 1. All three made contact, and continued, but Huertas dropped to fourth, allowing Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) into the podium fight.

Huertas soon moved back into the lead with a two-for-one move into Turn 1 with Mahias in second, and the experienced Frenchman kept the pressure on the #99 until the red flags were shown. They were deployed following a crash for rookie Piotr Biesiekirski (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) at Turn 1, with the Pole taken to the medical centre following his tumble.

When the race got underway, it was over a six-lap distance with a front row of Huertas, Mahias and Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). Montella got away well when the lights went out, taking the lead of the race, but it didn’t last long as Huertas pulled off another two-for-one overtake around the outside of Turn 1, passing both Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Montella. The battle continued to rage on until a mistake by Huertas meant he went into the gravel and dropping all the way down to 32^nd place.

That promoted Schroetter into the fight, and he took advantage by passing Manzi into Turn 7 to take the lead before the #62 responded at Turn 1 on the final lap and instantly built a gap over the MV Agusta star. Manzi was able to hold on despite Schroetter’s pressure for victory by 0.086s, ahead of Mahias in third; the Frenchman taking his first podium since Estoril 2020. It was Manzi’s sixth win and 25^th podium, while Schroetter claimed his 11^th rostrum – and continues his record of scoring a podium in every race this year.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 2, full results here:

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)

2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.086s

3. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.201s

4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.681s

5. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.714s

6. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.279s

Fastest Lap: Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’44.432 – New Race Lap record

Championship standings:

1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 76 points

2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 72

3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 65

4. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) 44

5. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 41

6. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 36

WorldSSP heads to the Netherlands next and you can watch it all using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Four winners in six races in the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) got back to the top of the podium with a vintage Race 2 win. A race about managing tyres and very much ‘master vs apprentice’ themed with teammate Nicolo Bulega right in contention, it was an emphatic win for the reigning double Champion who is very much back in the mix.

After a good start from the front, Bautista led the field and a Ducati 1-2-3 into the first corner. Teammate Bulega tried to make his way through on Lap 4 at Turn 10 but ran wide on exit, allowing his veteran teammate back into the lead. At Turn 1 a lap later, ‘Bulegas’ was into P1 and immediately pulled out an advantage of seven tenths of a second. However, staying calm and not being dragged into another tyre tussle, Bautista let the race come to him, passing his rookie stablemate with 11 to go at Turn 1. Although Bulega tried to go with him, the 39-year-old had the overall race pace to stay ahead and managed his tyre to take a first win of his 2024 campaign.

“It has been amazing,” began Bautista at the end of race day. “Even with the penalty on the grid from yesterday and having to recover a lot of positions, also today in the Superpole Race, we were able to be competitive and have a good performance and fight for the victory until the last lap. In Race 2 I enjoyed because it wasn’t easy. In the grid we decided to change the rear tyre because, with less temperature, I thought the SCX could be a better option than the 900. In the beginning I tried to not force the tyre, maybe I slowed down too much, but I was leading, nobody wanted to go faster.”

The Spaniard’s quest to become Ducati’s first rider to achieve three consecutive titles is now back on track and he’s second in the Championship standings with just a twelve-point deficit to his new teammate Bulega. Bautista came into 2024 injured after a testing crash at Jerez at the end of 2023’s season, whilst new rules give him something to contend with too. Moreover, with the level increasing all the time in WorldSBK, his 60^th career win on Sunday afternoon came as one of his most calculated; it was also a 97^th win for Spain, meaning next time out at Assen, they could mathematically make it to 100, the fifth country to hit such a mark (UK on 307, USA on 119, Australia on 118 and Italy on 108).

Resuming about his strategy for the win, Bautista stated: “After a few laps, Nico passed me and I said ‘yes, I agree, I’m too slow. Maybe you want to push a bit more’. I could be 3-4 tenths faster, but not more, otherwise the tyres were going to drop a lot on the last laps. He did two very fast laps, so I just kept calm and a few laps later I started to catch him.

“I’m really happy; today and yesterday we did three very different races and in all three we were quite competitive. This year, we have to get the maximum in all circumstances because there are a lot of riders fighting for the win. Last year, I was winning but it was like ‘another win, OK, another win’ and this isn’t good. You have to be beaten to value the victories more and for that, today I have a special memory. Now I’ve won but when can I do it again, you never know.”

EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from the Catalunya Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ended his short MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship win drought with a Race 2 victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after scrapping with teammate Nicolo Bulega. After starting from the front row for the first time during the Pirelli Catalunya Round, the #1 took full advantage for his 60^th win in WorldSBK but his first of the season, with Bulega coming home in second.

THE FIGHT FOR VICTORY: Bautista vs Bulega, the fight that had been building…

A crash on the opening lap took riders out of contention. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) went down at Turn 4, with ‘Loka’ forced into the gravel although he was able to continue. The FIM Stewards opted to investigate the incident after the race. Out in front, Bautista got the holeshot into Turn 1 while teammate Bulega and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) banged bars under braking for Turn 1.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) dropped down the order as lights went out but moved back into third on Lap 2. Bulega had to fight his way back into podium contention and did just that by first passing Iannone with a stunning overtake at Turn 9, before passing teammate Bautista at Turn 1 and immediately gapping the #1 by seventh tenths as he led the field. However, perhaps it was a case of too much, too soon for the #11 as, at the halfway mark, Bautista re-overtook Bulega at Turn 1 to re-claim first place.

Celebrations for @19bautista after securing his 60th #WorldSBK race victory #CatalanWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/DLjNQt4HTS

— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) March 24, 2024

Slowly but surely, the reigning Champion edged out a gap over his rookie teammate although ‘Bulegas’ didn’t allow Bautista to clear away, remaining within a few tenths off his more experienced rival to stay in contention. On Lap 15, Bautista lapped two tenths quicker to extend his lead back up six tenths before taking it to over a second with three laps to go. Behind the Ducati pair, Razgatlioglu came home in fourth place for his third podium of the weekend. It was Bautista’s 60^th win in World Superbike, surpassing Carl Fogarty’s total of 59. For BMW, Razgatlioglu’s third place gave them their 50^th race where they took a podium and already have four rostrums in six races, their best since 2021 when they had five across the whole season.

DRAMA OFF THE PODIUM: Iannone crashes, Petrucci top Independent rider

Iannone had been running a fairly comfortable fourth place but a crash at Turn 10 on Lap 13 forced him out of the race and promoting Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) into fourth. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was fifth after he made a late race move on Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) at Turn 1 in the final few laps, with the #87 holding on to cross the line in sixth. However, he was given a once-place penalty for exceeding track limits at Turn 5 on the final lap. This promoted Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who had been chasing the #87 down, into P6 with Gardner in seventh.

REA’S FIRST YAMAHA POINTS: a top-ten finish for the #65

It’s taken six races, but Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) finally has points for Yamaha. Coming home in eighth after fighting former teammate Alex Lowes and his twin brother Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Rea was able to take P8 and a first top-ten on the R1. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was ninth with Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) beating teammate Scott Redding into the top ten after they scrapped in the second half of the race.

A solid point scoring result is in @jonathanrea‘s sights #CatalanWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/HkUNZDbj4z

— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) March 24, 2024

BATTLING BACK, DROPPING DOWN: Sam Lowes loses ground, Locatelli scores points after Lap 1 incident

Despite a strong race, Sam Lowes dropped down the order and finished in 12^th place, three seconds behind Redding. Locatelli battled back from his Lap 1 incident to score points and take 13^th, passing Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) on the final lap and beating the #97 by a tenth. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was the final points scorer as he came home in 15^th place on home soil, although he had been running towards the top ten in the first half of the 20-lap race. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha), Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and Adam Norrodin were the final classified riders.

OVER BEFORE IT STARTED: Lecuona, Ray crash at Turn 1

It had been a difficult weekend for Honda, and that continued when Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) collided at Turn 1. Both were able to walk away from the crash, and the FIM Stewards said they’d look into the incident after the race.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.041s

3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +7.005s

4. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +12.452s

5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +15.076s

6. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +15.285s

Fastest Lap: Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’41.578s

 

Championship standings:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 87 points

2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 75

3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 75

4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 71

5. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 51

6. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 47

The ‘Cathedral of Speed’ is up next! Watch all the action from Assen next time out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

An epic MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship keeps getting stronger and stronger as the Pirelli Catalunya Round comes to a close with an unbelievable weekend of racing. The Tissot Superpole Race was an absolute belter, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) snatching a win from underneath Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in a final corner showdown, one of the best races in WorldSBK. Watch the last lap here!

RAZGATLIOGLU’S VIEW: “If I didn’t try, I’d be really angry”

Having lost opportunities at Turns 4, 5 and 10, Razgatlioglu had to invent something in the final sector, similar to Valentino Rossi’s 2009 MotoGP™ race-winning pass and he replicated it phenomenally: “I am really happy; I didn’t have more chances because at Turn 10, I lost it because I wasn’t close enough to attack,” said Toprak in Parc Ferme. “I was then just thinking in the last corner and what Valentino Rossi did many years ago, so I thought ‘why not now?’ and I was close enough. I used second gear in the last corner, took the line and the plan was perfect. The acceleration wasn’t bad and I am winning again. I’m not surprised, I was just thinking in the last corner!”

Talking about it at the end of the day, he said: “If I didn’t try, I’d be really angry. I need to see if it works or not! It’s a good plan and I need to show it. I used second gear for acceleration because maybe in third gear, it doesn’t accelerate well. This Superpole Race and especially the last corner have given me good memories! Maybe it’s one of my top three race wins.”

BAUTISTA ON THE RECEIVING END: “Even if I was on the inside kerb, he’d try!”

“Starting from the back, I didn’t expect to be on the podium,” began Bautista in Parc Ferme, immediately after the heat of the battle in which he finished in P3 after Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) took advantage of the Turn 14 squabble. “I expected the overtake from Toprak, so I closed the line a little bit, more than normal. However, even if I was on the inside kerb, he’d try. More than pass me, it was going to be push me out, crash or something else! But this is racing, so in any case, I am so happy and the performance has been really good.”

Continuing after Race 2 – in which he won for the first time in 2024 – he said: “I knew that Toprak was going to try it in the last lap, he should. I tried to close a bit the line, but not too much because he was trying it either way, whatever my line was! It’s important to finish and not crash, so I just closed a little bit to not leave the door open, but I had to pick up the bike and go to the dirty area and lost the position with Iannone. It was an aggressive move, but in any case, if I tried to close more, there would have been contact.”

THE MANIAC STRIKES BACK: “Unfortunately, the race has finished!”

With a perfect view of it all, Andrea Iannone was the big winner as he picked up P2 when Bautista was wide, with him saying in Parc Ferme: “It was incredible and all the race too! We overtake in every corner with different riders! I said ‘what happened? We went into the same corner all together!’ but it was a really fun race. A great battle with everyone, the first time I have battled like this. Unfortunately, the race has finished! My feeling was good!”

EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from the Catalunya Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Race 2 was a story of redemption for Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) as he claimed a hard-fought victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After crossing the line P1 in Saturday’s race before receiving a penalty, Iglesias took the win in Race 2 for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship after an incredible last-lap fight during the Pirelli Catalunya Round. Elsewhere, there was history made as Kove took their first podium thanks to Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team).

0.064s IN IT: a fight to the line as Iglesias takes victory

WorldSSP300 continue to be as unpredictable as ever and the race was decided on the final lap. Iglesias was fighting at the front throughout and stayed there heading onto the last lap, fighting his way into P1 to respond from yesterday’s post-race disappointment. He was 0.064s ahead of Julio Garcia with the Spaniard taking Kove’s first podium despite losing ground before battling back over the final couple of laps. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki), back in World Championship action on a full-time basis after a year away, claimed third and completed the podium.

A RELATIVELY INCIDENT-FREE RACE: two retirements

The first crash of the race came on Lap 7 when Emiliano Ercolani (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) and Gustavo Manso (Yamaha AD78 FIM LA by MS Racing) crashed at Turn 1, with both able to re-join the race but at the back of the field and well out of contention. Ercolani opted to bring his bike into the pits after returning from the gravel. On the final lap, Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PL Performances) went down at Turn 7 with the #85 out of contention.

 

A HUGE GROUP FOR THE WIN: as many as 20 riders in the lead group

The race often featured a 20-rider lead group with several riders exchanging first place, and it was hard to call until riders crossed the finish line with 12 riders separated by less than a second, the most riders within one second in WorldSSP300 history. In the end, Iglesias, Garcia and Ieraci rounded out the second podium of the year, with several riders narrowly missing out.

ENDING THE WEEKEND IN THE TOP TEN: strong results on Sunday

Just off the podium was Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) was fourth, 0.143s away from victory, with the Spaniard enjoying a strong home round. He was a tenth clear of Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) in fifth. Two Indonesian riders followed Mogeda and Svoboda with brothers Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitRacing) and Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) in sixth and seventh, with Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) in eighth despite leading at several points. Teammate Samuel Di Sora was ninth with Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) completing the top ten.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 2, full results here:

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

2. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) +0.064s

3. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) +0.116s

4. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) +0.143s

5. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.264s

6. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.514s

Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) 1’54.997

Championship Standings

1. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 29 points

2. Iñngo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 28

3. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) 25

4. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 24

5. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) 23

6. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) 20

Next up, Assen! Watch every moment from the Netherlands using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Anyone who is hasn’t watched anything from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship or read anything about it should probably start now. The Pirelli Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya gave its second final lap showdown of the weekend with an absolute hair-raiser between Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), which went to the final corner of the race.

FROM THE START: Crucial early stages as good starts prove vital

Off the line, it was another poor start from Championship leader Nicolo Bulega, whilst it was the traditional fast-starting Andrea Iannone who grabbed the holeshot from Race 1 winner Toprak. Alex Lowes was a big mover on the opening lap, up into contention. Sam Lowes was also a fast starter once again in second and hit the front at Turn 9. Bulega tried to fight back into Turn 1 to get ahead of a charging Alex Lowes and did so but Lowes retaliated at Turn 3.

Changing backwards and forwards, the race really exploded into life on Turn 5. Sam Lowes had been dropped down to P5 but at the front, the gloves came off as Razgatlioglu, Iannone, Alex Lowes and Nicolo Bulega battled side-by-side through Turn 5 up until Turn 9, when Toprak took two in one move to lead. Iannone settled down but as was the case in the early stages, the #11 Bulega struggled in battle.

SECOND HALF BATTLES: an absolute classic into the final laps

Bautista made his way into the podium places on Lap 7 when Iannone ran wide at Turn 10 and then battled back ahead of Bulegas, putting the reigning WorldSSP Champion wide and allowing Bautista into third. Toprak however was leading and looking comfortable, even if Bautista managed to get ahead of Iannone with 3 to go, with the top four covered by a second into the final lap.

Making his move for the lead, Alvaro Bautista hit the front at Turn 1, out-braking Toprak but it wasn’t done there; the favourite overtaking opportunities of Turn 4 and Turn 5, it all seemed to rest at Turn 10 but the Turk wasn’t close enough. However, having been so strong in the last two corners yesterday, both riders were evenly matched. Building through the downhill sweep of Turn 13, Toprak made a huge lunge at the final corner to pass Bautista in a replica of Valentino Rossi vs Jorge Lorenzo from MotoGP™ in 2009. Toprak forced Bautista to pick up which allowed rookie Iannone to surge through his fellow Ducati rider but couldn’t quite get Toprak. Two from two, Razgatlioglu doubled up in Barcelona ahead of Iannone and Bautista, with Bulega and Alex Lowes completing the top five.

Sixth place and a solid result for Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) the last of the Superpole Race points-scorers. Gardner’s teammate Dominique Aegerter missed out on points whilst Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) went too hard, too soon and finished down in 12^th, ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who has still to score points with Yamaha.

Top nine after WorldSBK Superpole Race, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

2. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.075s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.260s

4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.411s

5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.611s

6. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +2.634s

7. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +4.249s

8. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +4.354s

9. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +5.196s

Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.955s – New Race Lap record

EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from the Catalunya Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has seen plenty of shocks and surprises throughout the opening four races and two Superpole sessions of the year but now, it’s the weather’s turn to spice things up. Rain surrounds the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya but Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was on top in Warm Up to start Sunday well.

Bolting in a top time right at the end of the session and continuing to show his competitivity from Race 1, rider of the moment Toprak Razgatlioglu had a three-tenth advantage in Warm Up during the tricky conditions, just pipping Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who was top for most of the 10-minute session. Working together in the damp conditions, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Alvaro Bautista were third and fourth in Warm Up. The two Ducatis, who had a clear pace advantage until Toprak took victory in Race 1, will face a new challenge in cooler and changeable conditions later. After a fourth consecutive 0-point race, Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was in P5 and will hope to surge through the field to improve his starting place for Race 2 during the Tissot Superpole Race.

Always good on a damp or wet track, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was in P6, whilst top Kawasaki honours went the way of Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) clinched eighth place in conditions which traditionally haven’t favoured him, with Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) and Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in P10, making it five out of six Yamahas inside the top ten, with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) missing out in P11. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was best Honda in P12, whilst Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was P15 and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in 17^th.

Top six after WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’56.739s

2. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.379s

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.514s

4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.710s

5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.724s

6. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.753s

EVERY SECOND LIVE: watch all the action from the Catalunya Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com