WorldSBK Round Seven | Toprak Razgatlioglu Win 13!

Toprak Razgatlioglu secured his 54th WorldSBK victory and his 13th consecutive win on what was an entertaining weekend of action in Portugal. Danillo Petrucci didn’t make it easy for the Turk, while Alex Lowes, Bautista and Gerloff all put in tough rides up the pointy end. Report: Ed Stratmann/WorldSBK

Friday practice
WorldSBK

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was instantly on the pace at the Pirelli Portuguese Round, with the #54 finishing third in the combined standings at the end of Friday. However, it was not smooth sailing for the 2021 WorldSBK Champion, as he suffered a technical issue during the final 10 minutes of Free Practice 2, with smoke coming out of his BMW, meaning he finished the day 0.102s adrift from top spot.

Read our WorldSBK 2024 Round Six Report here…

Starting the weekend strongly by topping Free Practice 1 and setting a strong early 1’40.777 benchmark, the Turkish rider was 0.391s clear of the field and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) to mark a strong start for the German manufacturer. While Razgatlioglu completed 16 laps in FP1, before setting a further 15 laps in FP2 as technical issues stopped Razgatlioglu from improving further, thus seeing him end Friday behind Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

WorldSSP

The FIM Supersport World Championship delivered further fireworks at the Pirelli Portuguese Round as the riders hit the track for an unpredictable Superpole session. Lap times tumbled throughout as Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) stormed to claim pole position after a thrilling session at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. The Spaniard set a magnificent 1’43.352 to finish Superpole 0.240s clear of his rivals.

Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was quickest in the early of the session, setting a 1’44.825 before there was drama for Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), with the #54 losing the front and crashing at Turn 9. This incident brought out the red flag in the first five minutes of the session. Following the crash, Sofuoglu was transferred to the hospital and declared unfit due to concussion.

Once the session resumed, Huertas took the top stop briefly and would later improve – setting a strong 1’43.858. That time was soon beaten as the top spot continued to change hands, with the fight for pole position entering the final 10 minutes. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Huertas battled for pole as the #99 reigning supreme as the clock hit zero, leaving Montella to settle for second position. Behind the front two and rounding off the front row was Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing).

Full Friday Superbike and Supersport results available here…

Saturday
WorldSK

WorldSBK Race 1

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took victory after a tough battle, with the #54 crossing the line to win by 0.780s to claim his 52nd win and equal Troy Bayliss for the fourth all-time spot. Razgatlioglu also banked his 11th straight win this season, matching the all-time winning streak in WorldSBK by snatching the victory from Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Full Superbike Superpole results here…

The #1 notably secured his 100th podium after an impressive ride, beating Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) to the line by just 0.670s at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. The Italian fought for the lead, claiming his sixth podium after securing P3.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had an impressive start, flying into the lead, and stretching out a strong gap on the opening lap. Meanwhile, polesitter Razgatlioglu would begin to put down the hammer on lap 2, closing the gap to the #22. Further back, Bautista had a difficult start to the race, dropping outside of the top 10 as teammate Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) fell to fifth and was under early pressure from Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who passed the Italian with 18 laps remaining.

After an explosive start, the action did not stop there as Petrucci took the lead with 16 laps to go and Razgatlioglu ran wide – slipping to third. The #54 worked hard, reclaiming second before entering the lead briefly with 11 laps remaining as he began to battle with Petrucci. Razgatlioglu had another unsuccessful attempt with nine laps remaining before making the move stick on Lap 12. Meanwhile, Bautista continued an incredible recovery ride, soon entering the podium places before passing Petrucci for P2.

Heading onto the final lap, everything was still up for grabs as Razgatlioglu stretched his lead to over one second. Petrucci was still locked onto the rear tyre of Bautista on the final lap as the Italian continued to put pressure on the reigning Champion for second place. However, the order would stay as it was over the line, with Razgatlioglu taking a hard-fought victory.

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) missed out on the podium, finishing fourth at the line after pipping Lowes by 0.377s.

“At the beginning of the race I was not pushing, but after the half-race distance, I started to push. Danilo was also pushing hard and we had some fighting with him and after I passed him. I was just trying to continue to ride alone, but he was pushing hard. Anyway, we had a good battle with him, he finished in third position and I think it was a very fun race today,” Razgatlioglu said.

WorldSBK Race 1 Results

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.780s
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +1.450s
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +4.313s
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.690s

View Full Results

WorldSSP Race 1

It was a significant result from Montella, with victory in Race 1 ending Adrian Huertas’ (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) win streak after the #99 was only able to finish in second with work to do on Sunday. Huertas finished on the podium for the ninth consecutive race this season after a strong result in Portugal. It was a fantastic launch off the line from Montella, who secured the holeshot on the run down to Turn 1.

As Montella started strong, so did Manzi, who was able to charge into P2 in the early stages of Race 1. However, Huertas struggled in the early stages, battling for the P3 at the end of the opening lap, before running wide at Turn 1 on Lap 2. The #99 would reclaim his cool, beginning to string together strong laps to overtake Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) for third before pulling off a brave move at Turn 9 on Manzi.

Meanwhile, Montella extended his margin to 3.662s at the front, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. This left Huertas on his own on the circuit, trying to find time where he could as the race progressed. Manzi was then put under intense pressure from Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) for the final position on the podium.

On the entry to Turn 1, Navarro snatched P3 from Manzi, with nothing separating the riders on the circuit. The #9 almost made contact with Manzi at Turn 8, losing time and losing an opportunity to finish on the podium. Soon after, Montella crossed the line to claim victory at Portimao ahead of Huertas, with Manzi taking the important third place finish. Navarro missed out on the podium, crossing the line in fourth after pushing hard on the final lap.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +3.241s
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +10.598s
Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +12.169s
Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +14.868s

View Full Results

Sunday

Superpole Race

It was an unbelievable race which entered the history books after Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) became the first rider ever to take 12 consecutive victories in WorldSBK.

Petrucci got a brilliant launch, leading Lowes on the opening lap as the thrilling Superpole Race got underway. However, Razgatlioglu was soon on the attack, lining up a move on the run to Turn 1 by using the slipstream and braking deep to charge from third to first.

Meanwhile, Petrucci began to battle with Lowes, trying to reclaim second place at the halfway point. The Italian made the move stick, with Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) soon putting the #22 under pressure in the battle for the final podium position. Lowes dropped to fourth with two laps remaining, before responding on the final lap to reclaim third from van der Mark.

Nobody could match Razgatlioglu’s pace, though, allowing the #54 to claim his 12th consecutive victory in WorldSBK, with Petrucci and Lowes joining him on the podium. Finishing in fourth was van der Mark, who continued to show podium pace at Portimao after the Dutchman finished ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Superpole Race Results

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +2.980s
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.251s
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.563s

View Full Results

WorldSBK Race 2

The #54 took his 54th victory and claimed his 13th consecutive win ahead of Nicolo Bulega and Alex Lowes. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned for one final throw of the dice at the Pirelli Portuguese Round in what was a brilliant Race 2. Taking glory once again for his 13th consecutive win was Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who crossed the line with just one front wing remaining at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

Razgatlioglu took a 15th win of the season, his best season so far in WorldSBK, after defending from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who battled with the Turkish rider to the chequered flag.

Once the lights went out, it was Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) who briefly hit the front before the Italian was overtaken by Razgatlioglu on the entry to Turn 3. The #9 soon dropped down to fourth as Lowes and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) found their way through. Lowes put early pressure on the #54, who ran wide at Turn 5, allowing the lead to change. It soon turned into a four-way fight with van der Mark charging to P1 in an unforgettable show for the Portuguese fans. Lowes soon responded as he led with Razgatlioglu now in chase.

The move from the #54 came on the main straight, using the slipstream to pass while ouching the back of Lowes’ machine and losing his left front wing. The Turkish star maintained his lead as Lowes ran wide and dropped behind Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to third. The gap was changing every sector, with Bulega now being the rider on the move, entering the podium places. The key moment of Bautista’s race came with five laps remaining as the #1 and Razgatlioglu went head-to-head, with Bautista losing the front at Turn 5, leaving just Bulega to battle for the win.

Heading onto the final lap, it was an intense fight for victory, with Razgatlioglu defending every inch of the track. Bulega tried to stay as close as possible on the final lap, aiming to build towards a move. However, Razgatlioglu was able to hold onto victory, extending his all-time win streak after a miraculous ride with one front wing.

Holding onto fourth on Sunday was Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), banking his best finish of the weekend and taking the honours as the top independent rider in Race 2. The Italian was ahead of compatriot Petrucci, who was unable to find late-race pace, blasting over the line to round out a competitive top five.

“Thirteen victories in a row and a new record – this is good, I am very happy with this. I now have also 54 victories in my WorldSBK career, that’s a nice number. For me, it has been an incredible weekend,” stated Razgatlioglu.

WorldSBK Race 2 Results

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.035
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +6.299
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +9.715
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +11.318

View Full Results

Championship Points

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 365 points
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 273 points
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 223 points
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 213 points
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) 155 points

View Championship Standings

WorldSSP Race 2

The FIM Supersport World Championship provided exciting action for Race 2 at the Pirelli Portuguese Round after Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed top honours after a sensational ride from the Italian, which saw him secure a fifth victory. The #55 was flawless, taking a 15th podium in the process as title rival Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) only scored four points in Race 2 at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

It was a massive race in terms of the Championship, with Montella claiming victory over Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), who finished 5.897s behind as the #62 took another podium finish. Manzi had another strong result on the Yamaha, with the Japanese manufacturer claiming their 250th podium as Manzi crossed the line ahead of Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) in third.

Montella made a carbon copy start in Race 2, launching to the lead in the opening stages. However, the Italian did not have it easy as he was chased by Huertas, who was aiming for redemption on Sunday at Portimao. The leading duo were locked together on track, with further action beginning as Huertas took the lead with 11 laps to go. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) made a solid start to Race 2, riding hard in third before everything unfolded for the #9, crashing at Turn 5 with 10 laps remaining.

The drama did not stop there as Huertas became the next faller at Turn 5. With damage to his Ducati, the #99 quickly dropped outside of the points with work to do as Montella now had a strong advantage in the lead. Once everything began to settle, it allowed Manzi and Debise to enter the podium places, in a strong ride from the Yamaha riders.

On the final lap, Montella had over seven seconds of an advantage with one hand on the victory. Meanwhile, there was a huge battle for fifth position as Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) continued to defend from Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing). However, once the flag came out, there was nobody able to match Montella, reigning supreme and beating Manzi and Debise.

Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) was fourth and crossed the line to take the honours as the top MV Agusta rider. Meanwhile, Mahias held onto fifth place as van Straalen was forced to settle for sixth position.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) +5.897s
Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +9.487s
Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +12.436s
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +19.187s

View Full Results

Championship Points

Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 260 points
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 240 points
Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) 219 points
Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) 156 points
Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 142 points

View Championship Standings

WorldWCR

WorldWCR Race 1

The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship was back on track for an exhilarating Race 1 on Saturday, with Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) storming to an impressive victory. It was the Spaniard’s fourth victory in just five races, further stretching out her Championship lead to 16 points at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

The battle began at the start as Herrera and Carrasco fought for the lead on the run to Turn 1. However, it was Herrera who would lead after sweeping around the outside of Carrasco in the braking zone. Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) entered the podium places early on after a poor launch from Sanchez. A four-bike group soon formed with Carrasco and Herrera going head-to-head once again.

Positions were changing at every opportunity as Neila soon entered P1 for the first time, as Carrasco was pushed back to fourth. Slipstream proved to be vital as Herrera tried to stretch a gap, with the top four remaining to look inseparable. However, as the laps ticked down, the #6 continued to push, stretching out a small advantage with only Sanchez able to challenge heading onto the final lap.

Sanchez was in chase of the #6, glued onto the back wheel of Herrera throughout the final lap. The #64 looked for an opportunity, trying to get the perfect drive onto the straight for a slipstream to the line. However, Herrera was able to hold on in a thrilling finish to the opening race of the weekend. Neila missed out on a podium by just 0.009s, finishing in fourth position after a brilliant Race 1.

WorldWCR Race 1 Results

Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team)
Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) +0.060s
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros. Racing Yamaha Team) +2.253s
Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +2.262s
Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) +26.707s

View Full Results

WorldWCR Race 2

It was a perfect launch off the line from Carrasco, with the #22 claiming the holeshot on the run to Turn 1 before polesitter Herrera made her move to take the lead for the first time at Turn 3. However, Race 2 was red-flagged after a crash at Turn 3 involving Nicole van Aswegen (Andalaf Racing) and Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport). Both riders were taken to the medical centre for a check-up as Relph was found to have suffered a lower left leg injury, with no detected fractures, and van Aswegen was transferred to hospital with a right femur fracture, thigh wound and a right shoulder dislocation.

Race 2 was soon restarted for a seven-lap race, which saw the riders start in their original grid positions. Herrera claimed the holeshot on the restart after a quick launch off the line, allowing the #6 to lead Carrasco and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) on the opening lap. The front group began to battle, treating the Portuguese fans to overtakes at every opportunity, with Sanchez soon entering the fight. It was the battle of the late brakers that saw Carrasco lead Herrera with just two laps remaining as the podium places continued to change.

Entering the final lap Carrasco led Herrera, with the #6 pulling off a spectacular move at Turn 4 before Carrasco tried to respond instantly. It all came down to the final sector, as Carrasco looked for any opportunity as she lined up the perfect drive out of the final corner. Using the slipstream, Carrasco stormed to take victory in Race 1 with Sanchez following behind in second as Herrera dropped to third.

Missing out on a podium finish was Neila, who took fourth place after finishing a further 1.705s adrift from P3. However, it was still a strong result after finishing ahead of Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) in fifth.