2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) underwent surgery on Thursday, 28th March at the Oglio Po Hospital (Cremona). Performed by Professor Alessio Pedrazzini to address chronic exertional forearm compartment syndrome (arm pump), a common surgery in motorcycling racing, it was decided that after previous issues, to be solved before the third round of his rookie season.

The issue has been present since last winter and worsened during the Australian Round for Bulega and was aggravated last weekend in Barcelona, where severe pain threatened to limit the performance of the reigning Supersport World Champion. For this reason, in agreement with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, the decision to perform surgery on Bulega’s right forearm has been made. He will now have plenty of time to recover from the operation and to get in the best condition for the third round of the 2024 WorldSBK season scheduled for April 19-21 at the TT Circuit in Assen, the Netherlands.

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The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has often thrown up surprised in its short time on the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, and 2024 was no exception. After last lap fights, incredible battles and much, much more, it’s time to look at some of the barely believable overtakes that happened during the round with two corners that don’t normally have lots of overtaking featuring a lot.

REPLICATING ROSSI: Razgatlioglu’s sensational move as Bautista goes from P1 to P3

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) led on the final lap but he didn’t lead at the end of it, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) taking a maiden BMW victory. Forcing his way through at the final corner of Turn 14, the #54 moved himself into the lead with just a few hundred metres to go, with Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) taking advantage to move into second and demote the reigning Champion into third.

ANOTHER STUNNER FROM THE #54: one corner, two passes

The Tissot Superpole Race will be remembered for the last gasp move by Razgatlioglu, but another move needs to be highlighted. Mid-way through the race, the 2021 Champion got a good run out of Turn 8 and used it to full advantage. He stormed up the inside of both Iannone and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) to gain two places at a corner you don’t see many overtakes at. 

BAUTISTA ON LOCATELLI AT TURN 6: unconventional to say the least…

Bautista was involved in another unexpected overtake, as he passed Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) at Turn 6. A corner that’s on the short straight between the tight Turn 5 left-hander and the left-hander of Turn 7 that starts the chicane, normally riders are able to pull alongside but the move for Bautista came at the left-hand kink of Turn 6. Unexpected, yet adding to the list of corners becoming overtaking opportunities.

TURN 7-8 CHICANE: almost impossible to pass… but it happened

Lap 5 of the Superpole Race will go down as a memorable one, with action everywhere. It kicked off at Turn 5 when Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) passed Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), before Iannone forced the #11 wide and moved ahead. After that, his sights were soon set on the #22 ahead and he tried to make the move at the Turn 7-8 chicane, the pair running side-by-side at a section of the track that can best be described as single file.

AGGRESSIVE THROUGH TURN 3: Alex Lowes on Bulega

After a frantic start to the race, riders were trying to gain positions back or fight through the field. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) lost ground at the start but was soon on the charge, fighting with Alex Lowes through the opening sector. After banging bars through Turns 1 and 2, the #22 went through fairly forcefully at Turn 3 to keep the position in a superb fight. 

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has been absolutely mind-blowing in the opening two rounds, with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain proving to be some of the greatest racing we’ve ever seen. History was everywhere you looked as BMW returned to winning ways, the reigning World Champion was back on the top step and more. Check out all the big stats below whilst reliving an epic Superpole Race here.

3857/902 – BMW had to wait 902 days for their next win after Michael van der Mark won at Portimao in 2021. However, their last ‘main’ race win was at the Nurburgring in 2013 with Chaz Davies winning in Race 2, some 3857 days before Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) Race 1 win in Barcelona. Divide the 3857 by 902 and you get 4 (nearest whole number): Toprak won in his fourth race for BMW. 

202 – After hitting the 200 mark in Race 1, Yamaha’s streak of consecutive points-scoring rides is now at 202 after Race 2.

93 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is on 93 podiums after his first win of 2024 in Race 2, just one behind triple WorldSBK Champion Troy Bayliss.

87 – During the current points scoring system – since 1995 – 87 points for Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is the lowest amount after six races. However, six races from 1995 until 2018 were all the main races, without the Tissot Superpole Race; it’s still the lowest in the Superpole Race era. 

86 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) became the 86^th rider to lead a WorldSBK race. 

60 – Bautista took a 60^th win of his WorldSBK career, all taken with Ducati and he moves into clear second now behind Jonathan Rea (119) and ahead of Carl Fogarty (59) in the all-time WorldSBK win charts.

41 – Razgatlioglu is on 41 wins, ironically just two behind the #41 of Noriyuki Haga, who has 43.

32 – With 32 Superpole front rows, Razgatlioglu matched double World Champion Max Biaggi.

10 – Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took his first top ten with Kawasaki in Race 1 with P10.

8 – Eighth for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in Race 2 gave him his first points with Yamaha.

6 – Six straight seasons of wins for Toprak Razgatlioglu, his first coming during Race 1 at Magny-Cours in 2019.

6 – Six top six finishes for Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the start of the season since 2019 leaves him third overall going to one of his favourite circuits, Assen.

4 – Four race winners from six races, the same number of winners across the full 2023 season. It’s the first time that there’s been four race winners in six races since 2020, when the first four races were all won by different riders. 

4 – Fourth for Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in Race 2, his best race result since third in Race 2 at Mandalika in 2021, denying newly crowned Champion Razgatlioglu. 

3 – Razgatlioglu won for BMW in Race 1 in Barcelona, the third manufacturer he’s won with after Kawasaki and Yamaha. He’s the seventh rider to achieve this in the 36-year history of WorldSBK, behind: Stephane Mertens, Anthony Gobert, Troy Corser, Eugene Laverty and Chaz Davies. Marco Melandri is the other rider but he’s the only rider to have won with four manufacturers. 

3 – Toprak is third in the Championship standings, the best place for a BMW rider since Marco Melandri was also third in 2013 in the #54’s home country, Turkey.

3 – Three top ten finishes in Barcelona for Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) at the only track where he didn’t score a top ten in his rookie 2023 season.

2 – A second podium for Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in his rookie season with a career-best P2 in the Superpole Race. 

0.075s – The closest finish for a WorldSBK race in Barcelona happened in the Superpole Race with Razgatlioglu beating Iannone by 0.075s after he overtook Bautista at the final corner on the last lap. 

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Kove made FIM Supersport 300 World Championship history on two occasions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, by topping their first Tissot Superpole session on Friday before claiming a first podium on Sunday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. They became the first manufacturer from China to achieve these feats and, speaking after the Pirelli Catalunya Round, Team Manager Jesus Rincon and Julio Garcia, who got the podium, discussed the historic moment.

Although Julio Garcia set the fastest time in Friday’s Superpole session after posting a 1’55.313s, the #48 was forced to start from fourth in Race 1. He was given a three-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding in Saturday’s Warm Up session, demoting him to the second row. A technical issue in Race 1 forced the Malaga-born star out of the race, however he was able to bounce back in Race 2 to claim a rostrum finish, his second in WorldSSP300 but Kove’s first since joining the Championship last year.

Reflecting on his weekend and explaining his decision to switch from Kawasaki to Kove machinery, Garcia said: “I think it was a quite positive weekend in which on Friday we already felt very fast from the start, and this was reflected in the fact that we got the pole. On Saturday we had a small problem, but the team solved it quickly so that on Sunday, the bike was perfect, and we were able to get second place in Race 2. I feel very good with the Kove, it was already seen that we adapted very quickly, and I think the bike has a lot of potential. 

“For me, the pole and podium are something that makes me very proud because it is Kove’s first pole and first podium, so I am very proud to have achieved it with them. I decided to leave Kawasaki because Kove presented me with a project in which I saw that they had a lot of ambition to do well, and I saw that the bike could be competitive. Right now, we are seeing that the bike is competitive, and I think that at the end of the year we will be able to achieve great results.”

Julio Garcia is partnered with 2017 Champion Marc Garcia this season, with Kove opting for a mix of youth and experience for their project. Somewhat ironically, Kove did get to start from pole during the weekend – just not when they first thought. Marc Garcia set the fastest lap in Race 1, giving him the best grid position for Race 2, although the #22 fell down the order before retiring on Lap 11 of 12. Nevertheless, both Garcias showed the potential of the Kove at different points.

Reacting to the podium, Kove’s long-term goals and opting to bring in both Julio and Marc Garcia, Team Manager Jesus Rincon said: “Personally, it is a sign that the project that started a year ago is beginning to bear fruit after a great effort from everyone. At the same time, it shows that we are going in the right direction. The goal has always been to be the first Chinese manufacturer to win a world title. They are two riders who have already demonstrated their great talent and who can fit together very well. Both have different riding styles and personalities, but they can work together and can offer a solid team. The goal is clearly to be with both riders at the front and to have them both fighting for the win in the Netherlands.”

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Two different winners from two races started the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship as it will go on, with unpredictability the name of the game. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – PALIGO Racing) was promoted to victory in Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya following a penalty for Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki), before the Spaniard made amends in Race 2 with a hard-fought victory during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

Iglesias had crossed the line first in Race 1, but a three-second penalty in lieu of a Long Lap Penalty demoted him down to 13^th after a collision with Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) and Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) at Turn 5 on the final lap. It promoted reigning Champion Buis to P1 after he had an up-and-down race, fighting at the front at the start and end but dropping out of the points in between. 

It meant he started his KTM career with victory and discussing this, the #1 said: “It’s incredible. It’s not the way you want to win, finishing second and gaining through a penalty. For the points, it’s good. I’m very happy to have the winning formula also with the new bike. The start of the race was good, but I started falling back, I was even in P17 or something like this so that was not so good. The tyre dropped and it’s new for me with this bike, so I needed to adjust my riding style for this. I started to gain confidence and it was a lot better. I fought back to the first position so it’s an incredible way to start the season.”

Although Iglesias was classified in 13^th in Race 1, he knew he had the pace to fight for victory and he did so in Race 2, overcoming what was at times a 20-rider lead group for his first win at World Championship level. It was his first weekend back after moving to the IDM championship for 2023 and winning in Germany, and he restarted his World Championship career with a victory in Barcelona, his first in WorldSSP300 with his fifth podium.

Reacting to his first win, Iglesias said: “I knew I had the pace, and my bike is really good. We worked really hard on the setup so I could do what I wanted. It’s really important because I took a step back last year, so I was a little bit sad not to be here last year. I won IDM last year and I come back stronger. I feel like I’m in a good moment. The last lap is always incredible, but I was saving the tyre in the whole race. I was thinking about the last lap, so I pushed to the maximum to get the win.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Dorna WSBK Organization (DWO), rights holder and organiser of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, proudly announces that it has obtained the prestigious ISO 45001 certification by the IMQ (Istituto Italiano del Marchio di Qualità) certification body.

ISO 45001 is an international standard that sets forth requirements for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, providing organisations with a structured framework to manage risks and enhance OH&S performance.

This achievement emphasises DWO’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the health and safety of its workforce and paddock members during the organisation of its world-class events, which takes place in variable contexts and subject to different local regulations.

“At DWO, the safety and wellbeing of our workforce and paddock members are paramount priorities,” said Stefano Pacchioli, Chief Operating Officer of Dorna WSBK Organization. “Earning the ISO 45001 certification underscores our commitment to fostering a safe and healthy work environment throughout all facets of our event organisation, from planning and implementation to ongoing evaluation and improvement.”

Key elements of the ISO 45001 standard include leadership commitment, worker participation, hazard identification and risk assessment, legal and regulatory compliance, emergency planning, incident investigation, and continual improvement.

“The implementation of ISO 45001 helps to reduce the risks of workplace accidents and demonstrates to all stakeholders that the organisation is implementing internationally recognised best practices for health and safety at work,” commented Fulvio Giorgi, CEO of IMQ. “Dorna, by committing to obtaining a voluntary certification aimed at reducing such risks, has demonstrated an extremely high level of responsibility towards the market and all stakeholders in general”.

By adhering to these criteria, DWO aims to systematically manage health and safety risks, reduce workplace incidents, and enhance overall OH&S performance at each WorldSBK round but also at each stage of the Championship planning.

ISO 45001 certification is a significant milestone for Dorna, but it is only a starting point in its ongoing journey towards excellence in occupational safety.

Source: WorldSBK.com

Andrea Iannone’s (Team GoEleven) strong start to his rookie season continued at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya despite a crash in Race 2 which dropped him from podium contention, with ‘The Maniac’ claiming fourth in Race 1 and second in the stunning Tissot Superpole Race fight. Speaking after his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round, Iannone discussed his weekend and being competitive so quickly which he admitted he wasn’t expecting just two rounds into his debut campaign.

Iannone was one of ten riders who went under the pole lap record in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session to line up from second and fought at the front in the early stages in what turned into a strategic race. Eventually dropping into P4 behind Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati duo of Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista who completed the podium, it was a race where the #29 had to learn as he went given his lack of experience on Pirelli tyres at a track where managing them is crucial.

In the Superpole Race, the #29 took advantage of Razgatlioglu passing Bautista at the final corner to overtake the #1 on the run to the line as he moved into second, with Bautista finding himself demoted from first to third in a matter of seconds. P2 continued Iannone’s run of podium finishes, now counting one in Australia and one in Barcelona. In Race 2, he was running in third before a Turn 10 tumble took him out of the race but showing strong pace left him happy overall.

Reviewing his weekend, Iannone said: “I’m really happy about the weekend. We tried to find something more compared to Race 1 in the long race. We found something in the rear. We were in front, and I struggled a little bit more with the front tyres in Race 2. In any case, it’s always like this. This is the game. We take risks to improve. We didn’t improve like we wanted but we gained experience and information, and this race was difficult because I don’t have a lot of experience with these tyres. At the end of the weekend, I’ve learnt.”

The Superpole Race went down to the wire between Razgatlioglu, Iannone and Bautista, with the GoEleven Ducati rider finding a gap between the #54 and #1 to claim second place after running in third on the run into the right-hand corner of Turn 14. When asked about this fight, Iannone spoke about how fighting in the short race is different and how he’s ahead of his expectations in terms of where he thought he’d be fighting.

Iannone added: “The Superpole Race is like a boxing match. Every corner, everybody overtakes me. I overtook one more time… the short race is always like this. It’s a great fight, it’s really fun. I’m happy about the result. In the end, I’ve come back now, and I didn’t expect, in the second round, to be at this level. We need to continue to improve and work but when you are close, the last details are always difficult to achieve.”

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The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted Round 2 in the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and it was sensational. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed his first two BMW victories with two different types of battles and, speaking after Sunday’s action, the #54’s Crew Chief, Phil Marron, gave his thoughts on the success during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.

THE FIRST VICTORY: “a little bit emotional, but it was fantastic…”

Race 1 was a strategic battle, with the 2021 Champion closing a four-second gap to Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to claim victory on the last lap. On Race 1, Marron said: “I was a little bit emotional, but it was fantastic. Pole position and then he followed it up with a masterclass in the race. He didn’t react when he saw the other guys riding away, he stuck to his plan, managed his tyres and he brought it home. When he was hunting down Nico in the last laps, we were on the edge of our seats. Two laps to go, he lost the front at Turn 10, and I nearly had a heart attack! After that, he brought it home and did the business. Really special.

“We work together as a team. It was clear from all the information gathered that we couldn’t go into the 1’41s, had to try and stay in the 1’42s and, in the early laps, manage the tyres. Don’t be greedy, don’t try to get off the turns too much. We all play an important role but also Toprak’s matured a lot as well, and he understood how important it was around here. I didn’t think he believed the win was on the cards in Race 1 but now the belief is strong.”

FINAL CORNER MOVE: “Toprak didn’t have a chance at Turn 10, we didn’t have the tools there…”

While Race 1 was about strategy, the Tissot Superpole Race was a fantastic final-corner fight between Razgatlioglu, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), with the #54 making an ambitious move on Bautista for P1. On the overtake, Marron said: “He never got a chance to see Alvaro, so he didn’t know where he was strong. On all upright braking, Alvaro was really strong. He didn’t have a chance at Turn 10, we didn’t have the tools there. We knew the last corner was the only chance, but it was still a long shot. I’m sure he’s told you already, he held it, went back to second gear, parked it on the corner and got an awesome exit. The racing instinct was incredible.”

A TITLE CHARGE IN 2024? “still got a lot of mileage to get before we understand how to react to every situation… never say never”

Two rounds in and with two wins secured on the M 1000 RR, Marron discussed the ceiling of the project. He said: “Toprak’s still improving. Every time he gets on the bike, he wants to extract the maximum of the package. We all know his talents, he’s incredible. BMW are pushing a lot with the project so the potential of the project with Toprak involved is extremely high. I honestly believe we’re still scratching the surface with the package. We’re into the races so we can’t do as much testing as we’d like. To do the development during a race weekend isn’t easy. I think we’ve still got a lot of mileage to get under our belts before we fully understand how to react to every situation we encounter. Never say never.”

TEAMWORK IMPORTANT AS EVER: “Great to see Mickey in P4… as happy for him as we were for Toprak!”

Catalunya was a strong weekend for BMW, with Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) taking a fourth place in the Superpole Race. Expanding on the atmosphere in the box, Marron said: “The group’s fantastic. Both sides of the garage are working together, Toprak and Mickey working together, and it was great to see Mickey in P4. We were as happy for him as we were for Toprak. He’s on the upward trend again. They’re both pushing the bike in the same direction, the atmosphere’s good and really nice.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship had more twists and turns at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as two riders claimed their first victory of the season in style. In Race 1, the glory belonged to Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) after he went from pole to victory, while Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) made it three winners from four races this season to really kickstart his title challenge.

After taking pole in Australia, Huertas did so again on home soil as he posted a 1’44.197s and he was able to convert this into Race 1 victory on Saturday. He finished 1.2 seconds clear of Manzi in second after leading all 18 laps across the line, although he did face stiff competition from Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in the first few laps. He was unable to repeat it in Sunday’s Race 2 though, a crash at Turn 1 in the closing stages dropping him down to last and leaving the #99 unable to score points.

Discussing his first win on Saturday, Huertas said: “I’m really happy about this victory because Australia was quite difficult, and we saw in Barcelona that we’re one of the strongest and that we can fight for the Championship. I think we managed everything really well all race and it paid off. Now I know I can lead a race; this is useful for me because I hadn’t led a WorldSSP race. Now, I know what the feeling is. It’s important not just for this victory but the whole season.”

For Manzi, Barcelona was redemption after a difficult weekend in Australia where he crashed twice in Race 2 – at Turn 4 and then Turn 10. Second in Race 1 in Spain was followed by a hard-fought victory in a shortened Race 2. A six-lap dash to victory featured an incredible fight with four riders going for the win, until Huertas dropped out of contention. Manzi was able to overcome Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) by just 0.086s to claim his first win of 2024.

On returning to the top step, Manzi said: “I feel super, finally! After we worked all winter to go as fast as possible on track and then you come to a weekend like this and be on the podium in both races, the feeling is super. It was a strange Sunday because we didn’t do the Warm Up. We were waiting because I woke up at 6:30am and we raced at 3pm; it was a long wait! The race was super. In the first part, I was managing a bit because we saw a big drop in Race 1. When I saw the red flag, I thought we’d have a very short race and it’ll be a hard fight. Luckily, I had a new tyre for the second part, and we were able to win the race.”

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Four winners from six races, three manufacturers winning and a Championship top five covered by just 36 points, the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was already in sixth gear but it went up a notch at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Two last lap showdowns, emotional first wins with a new team and more – this week’s hot headlines are ‘molt picant’ from Catalunya.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s incredible to attack at the last corner like Valentino Rossi!”

In just his fourth race with BMW, Toprak Razgatlioglu spoke of his strategy to win in Race 1: “My plan was to ride calmer and after Bulega passed me, I was just going to follow him for some laps and check the tyre grip. I saw Nicolo pushing and then I pushed the limit more but I said ‘OK, I need to close the gas as the podium is good’ because I know Ducati are strong here and their tyres in the last five laps are always good. I’d never won here before, neither with BMW, so this is just a dream for me. Andrea Iannone passed me but after two laps, he dropped and I immediately got ahead of him. I was just riding to my pace, doing 1’42s and in the last five or six laps, Bulega started to drop and I pushed more because I needed to win! With two laps to go, I lost the front at Turn 10! I got ahead on the last lap at Turn 5 and I was just smiling! I got the chequered flag and I’ve always said we’re not far away and still, we’re not 100% but now everyone sees how good the BMW is. Everyone before was saying some bad words but now, everyone sees we’ve won in our second weekend.”

Talking about his Superpole Race final corner pass on Bautista, he was proud to emulate Valentino Rossi from MotoGP™ in 2009: “At Turn 13, I saw that I’m very close to him. I said, ‘now, it’s time to attack’ and at the last corner, I attacked. I used second gear for stopping and I stopped his good line. I had good acceleration in second gear. For me, it’s incredible to attack at the last corner like Valentino Rossi. I remember many years ago he fought with Jorge Lorenzo. It’s not similar, but the same attack.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “If I go on the inside kerb, he’ll go over the kerb!”

Starting with the Superpole Race battle before moving onto his Race 2 return to winning ways, reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista said: “I enjoyed that battle with all the guys a lot. I just missed the win in the last corner. I knew Toprak was going to try, which ever line I took! I tried to close it a little bit but not too much because I thought, ‘if I go on the inside kerb, he’ll go over the kerb’. In the end, I tried to manage but he entered to pass me rather than taking the corner. In any case, I was happy with the performance. When everyone is pushing, starting from further back was hard. I could take the lead on the last lap at Turn 1. In Race 2, I changed tyre choice on the grid. I did the sighting lap with the X tyre and the feeling was much better. It worked. In the first laps, I was very slow, but no one passed me! When I saw Nico pass me, I thought it was normal. I kept calm. When I caught him again, I thought it was possible to keep that pace until the end, so I took the lead. I could be very precise with my riding, concentrated all race, so I’m happy with the win and the way we won. Step by step, my confidence and feeling with the bike is coming.”

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “This is Toprak! He’ll try things where you think it’s not possible and makes it possible!”

A fine P4 from Michael van der Mark was his best finish in two and a half years but he praised teammate Toprak’s final lap corner Rossi-style pass in the Superpole Race: “I could see it, which is positive because it means I wasn’t that far away! I saw something happening and I was like, ‘nah nah nah’ and then he went and I thought he IS going to try it! Honestly, I almost missed the corner because I was enjoying it! Especially when I came out of the last corner, I saw what happened and it’s Toprak, you can never relax. He’s always trying, it’s the strongest point of his riding. He’ll try things where you think it’s not possible and makes it possible!”

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “I saw nothing dirty”

Picking up the pieces from Turn 14’s last lap Superpole Race shuffle, Andrea Iannone spoke from his perspective: “The race is the race. Everyone wants to win and it’s normal when you have a chance, you try. In any case, I’m happy about today’s races. We fought and this is important. I know everything’s good but it’s not easy. We try to improve every race. I expected that Toprak would try, he was in the position to try, and he did. I saw nothing dirty; it was clean. On the TV, it’s like I’m closer to Toprak but I’m not close, I’m a bit far away. I tried to also overtake Toprak. When you are there at that point, you try to win but we need a little bit more in some areas.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Until the last lap, I was doing an incredible job!”

So close, yet so far for Nicolo Bulega, who nearly bagged a second win of his rookie season in Race 1: “In the straight, I was like a chopper because the rear tyre was finished! I’m happy but not happy; first until the last lap… I didn’t have a lot of experience because this was my first long race, where I had to manage tyres. Until the last lap, I was doing an incredible job. I chose the new 900 rear tyre; the track temperature was high so maybe the SCX was a better choice but if the race finished one lap less, my choice would be the best. I didn’t know it was Toprak, I just knew someone was coming. With two laps to go, I knew I had to do something because I was in a bad situation and was struggling a lot. Then, on the last lap, I heard Toprak from behind and when he overtook me, it was like me but seven or eight laps before. I have to be happy for second in my first full race… I learnt something.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “We have to trust the process”

After five races in Yamaha without points, a P8 was Jonathan Rea’s first points haul of 2024. He outlined his struggles so far: “I really love the bike and the character and the engine is amazing but to be really fast on the bike is hard. The rate of progression and development has been very slow, much slower than expected and than necessary to make progress. We have to trust the process and trust that we can make it better. It’d be much worse if I came here and said that I’m doing everything, the bike is perfect etc, no; we have a lot of margin to improve, both my understanding of the bike but also the crew’s help and support of making it my bike. That’s why I’m not super disappointed about where we are; I have to be patient. We’ve had a lot of strange things happen this year; maybe the first test was the smoothest!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com