Round two of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at Portugal’s Estoril circuit was full of drama, excitement and tension as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK) claimed two victories after rival Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out from second place.

The first race of Portugal’s Estoril Round proved to be a thrilling spectacle that ebbed and flowed throughout between the leading trio at the Circuito Estoril as Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship win of the season with the top three separated by just one second.

Redding and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) both got a good start but it was the Ducati of Redding who got the jump on Rea on the opening lap before Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) was able to jump Rea into second place. As Redding and Razgatlioglu broke away at the end of the opening lap, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was able to fight with Rea to pass him on lap 2, although Rea responded the following lap to move back into the podium places. The trio battled it out throughout the race, with Rea on the SC0 tyre and both Redding and Razgatlioglu on the SCX tyre.

 

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) got a good start on his SC0 tyres, one of only six riders to start on that tyre, to move from seventh into fifth on the opening lap before moving down the order as riders who had lost positions through Superpole times being deleted made progress; Mahias would eventually finish in 13th place.

Although the battle for the lead settled down in the middle stages of the race, Rea’s SC0 tyre appeared to hold on more throughout the 21-lap race as he put pressure on Razgatlioglu in the latter stages. Rea was able to get a run on Razgatlioglu on the start and finish straight, although the Turkish star was able to keep the position on the brakes into the right-hander of turn 1.

It means Redding claimed his first back-to-back wins following his race 2 victory at the Aragon Round last time out, while Rea stepped onto the podium for the 189th time in his WorldSBK career; while it’s Kawasaki’s first podium at Estoril since 1993.

Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished fourth after fighting back through the field after losing out at the start, including a battle with Rinaldi in fifth; Gerloff passing the Italian rider in the latter stages of the race to claim a top-four finish. Rinaldi was unable to keep his pace going throughout the race and dropped four seconds to Gerloff at the end of the race but was able to finish ahead of Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) in sixth.

Dutch rider Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) battled form outside the top ten to claim a seventh place finish as the new BMW M 1000 RR showed strong pace yet again, ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) after the Spanish rider started 18th following his Superpole time being deleted. Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) claimed his best WorldSBK result to date with ninth while Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) secured a top ten finish after losing out in the early laps of the race.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), the youngest rider on the grid, was another rider who had a Superpole time deleted but the Italian rider was able to come home in 11th place and take home his best WorldSBK result to date, five seconds clear of Leon Haslam (Team HRC). Mahias finished in 13th place with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in 14th despite the British rider moving up the order in the early stages before falling back down. Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) claimed the final point available in Race 1 with 15th place, finishing one second clear of Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action).

Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) came home in 17th place on his first visit to Estoril on WorldSBK machinery, while Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse), who had made progress from 13th on the grid to run in the top seven lost the front of his BMW M 1000 RR at Turn 4 when battling with van der Mark, forcing the Irishman to tumble down the order although he was able to rejoin the race. At around the same time on lap 9, another rider who was making up ground, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed at turn 7 as he also lost ground after fighting from tenth. Like Laverty, he was able to rejoin the race to finish ahead of Loris Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing).

Estoril Race One Results (full results here)

1 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) +0.877s
3 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.915s

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TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE
A thrilling three-way battle across the ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race dominated racing at Portugal’s Estoril circuit with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claiming victory after opting for an alternative tyre strategy to his main rivals.

Rea was the only rider on the front two rows to use the SC0 tyre and was under pressure from Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati); the Italian trying to go around the outside at turn one.

Rea came out of turn one in the lead, but soon found himself shuffled down to third behind Redding and Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu jumped from third to first in one move at turn one on his Yamaha, although he did have to fight to keep the lead from Redding.

Redding dropped down the order again after a mistake at turn six, allowing both Rea and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) through although Redding responded on Gerloff just a few laps later.

Meanwhile, heading into turn one, Rea was able to make the move on Razgatlioglu to re-take the lead of the race and claim his first victory in Estoril. Razgatlioglu was unable to respond and came home in second place, ahead of Gerloff.

Rinaldi was unable to capitalise on his strong start to claim his podium with the factory Ducati outfit, coming home in fifth place after fending off the challenge from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) by just 0.040s to complete the second row alongside Gerloff and Rinaldi.

The third row featured two BMW machines with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) coming home in seventh place ahead of his former teammate, Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) in eighth. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) will start race two from ninth after fighting through from 15th to finish ninth in the Tissot Superpole Race.

Tissot Superpole Race Results (full results here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) +0.690s
3 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.180s

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Race Two
The race started with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) being given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start, while Redding was able to get the leap on the rest of the field on the run into turn one, while reigning Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) lost ground when Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) forced the British rider wide at turn four.

It enabled Rinaldi to move into second place, behind teammate Redding, and the young Italian had a look at his teammate into turn one, he backed out of the move. It meant he lost time to American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) before the American lost control of his Yamaha YZF R1 at turn six and made contact with the Italian; forcing both to retire from the race on the second lap.

With Razgatlioglu’s penalties served, it enabled Rea to close in on Redding as the 21-lap race reached the halfway stage with the duo racing on different tyres; Rea once again on the SC0 and Redding attempting to complete the race on the SCX tyre as he did on Saturday when he claimed victory in race one.

On lap 14, Rea tried to make his first move at turn one but, despite the advantage of the slipstream, with Redding just holding on. Rea got briefly ahead at turn one before Redding used the cut back move to stay ahead. Redding then ran wide at turn three, allowing Rea to get back ahead, before Redding lost the front of his Ducati Panigale V4 R at turn four, forcing the British rider to tumble down the order.

Redding’s crash allowed Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) to close in on long-term rival Rea in the closing stages of the race although Rea was able to hold on to claim his second victory of the Estoril Round and fourth of 2021, with Davies on the rostrum for the first time in 2021. Razgatlioglu recovered from his double Long Lap Penalty to claim his third podium of the weekend.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) came home in fourth place in race two as his strong start of the season continued, finishing 1.6 seconds clear of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) in fifth; the Italian picking up his best result in WorldSBK so far in his debut season. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed sixth place on his BMW; three of the four BMW M 1000 RR bikes finished inside the top ten. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) battled through from 18th on the grid again to claim seventh place, ahead of Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK).

Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) was ninth with his second top ten finish of the weekend and the third BMW rider in the top ten. 2014 Moto2™ World Champion Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) claimed his second top ten finish of the weekend with tenth while Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) equalled his best finish of the 2021 season with 11th.

Apart from Gerloff and Rinaldi from their lap two crash, there was only one more retirement from the race with Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Action) retiring in the early stages of the race with a technical issue with his BMW M 1000 RR. Samuele Cavalieri (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) retired on lap 17 of the 21-lap race.

Race Two Results (full results here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2 Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven)
3 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK)

Championship Standings (Full Standings here)

1 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 110
2 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) 75
3 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 74

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