The wins on Sunday at the Circuito Estoril may have been shared between Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with the title race now going to be decided at the season finale. Bulega claimed a record-breaking win in the Tissot Superpole Race by just 0.003s, while Razgatlioglu took a commanding Race 2 victory to take the advantage into the season-ending Spanish Round.
SUPERPOLE RACE MAKES HISTORY: Bulega just pips Razgatlioglu
The morning Superpole Race had looked like it would be won by Razgatlioglu, but Bulega put in two incredible laps to be in a position to challenge. On Lap 9, he set a new race lap record to close the gap before he got an incredible exit out of the final corner. That allowed him to close in on the #54 and, coupled with the slipstream, meant he crossed the line just 0.003s ahead of the BMW rider, which is the closest WorldSBK finish in history; beating the previous record set in Race 1 in Australia in 2010 by just one thousandth of a second.
Expanding on his historic win, Bulega said: “I enjoyed the Superpole Race a lot. It was a very good race; I overtook Toprak at the last corner, and I had a lot of fun. In Race 2, I also had fun with some overtakes. Toprak was very, very fast and it was difficult to try and beat him. I’m happy because I’ve brought the Championship to the last round. I’m really happy also because Toprak is difficult to beat, especially the last lap. I did it this morning and it was one of the best races of the season, maybe the best, and one of the most beautiful wins for me.”
RAZGATLIOGLU RESPONDS: commanding Race 2 victory
Razgatlioglu got his own back in Race 2 as he took victory by almost four seconds. Razgatlioglu was as low as P5 at the end of Lap 1 but soon picked off his rivals, which included Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), former teammate Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), Bulega, and two-time Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The win means he heads to Jerez with a 46-point lead over Bulega.
Discussing his Sunday win, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m really happy today, especially with Race 2. The Superpole Race is a disaster because I had incredible race pace with the race tyre, but when I saw the chequered flag, I lost. I focused on Race 2 because I needed to win again, more points were available. It was a good win for the Championship.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT: advantage Razgatlioglu into the decider
While Razgatlioglu had a slim chance of winning the title at Estoril, it’s now official that it will go down to Jerez. It can be wrapped up as soon as Race 1 if he finishes more than 37 points clear of Bulega. Razgatlioglu has already been involved in last-round title deciders, having won his in 2021 at the final round, while he was in mathematical contention in 2023 when Bautista secured the Championship at Jerez. For Bulega, he wrapped up his WorldSSP crown early, giving different experiences heading into the finale.
Razgatlioglu played down the stress of Jerez, saying: “Everyone’s waiting for a very stressful weekend at Jerez. I’m more relaxed because I have a big gap in the points. I’ll just try to enjoy it at Jerez. In 2021, I remember the Championship finished at the final round. This year’s the same. Before I crashed, I was thinking it looks like the Championship finished three rounds before. After the crash, everything changed. I’m trying to manage it but sometimes it’s not easy. It was a very difficult race at Aragon, but I did a good job there. Here, I needed three wins, but I lost the Superpole Race. I’m not feeling stressed for Jerez, because I have a very good gap. I just need a good position; I don’t need to win again.”
Despite the possibility of securing the crown, Bulega admitted he was ‘proud’ of what he’s achieved this season regardless of the outcome: “It’s very difficult but, for me, it’s already an incredible result to be here and I can say I’m still fighting for the Championship at the last round in my first year. It’s something incredible but unexpected. I’m really happy and proud of what I did and what my team did for my in the whole season.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com