WorldSBK Round Two Report | Toprak and Bautista shine
In what was a fascinating weekend of WorldSBK in Spain, Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed two wins in two very different styles and Alvaro Bautista triumphed in race two while the action was aplenty in the WorldSSP 600 class too. Here’s our WorldSBK Round Two Report: Ed Stratmann/WorldSBK
Friday
WorldSBK
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued his impressive start to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with P1 on Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, beating two-time Champion teammate Alvaro Bautista by more than two tenths.
Read our WorldSBK 2024 Round One Report here…
Bulega went faster in FP2, and fastest overall, for Friday, with the two Ducati riders running split strategies to test SCX tyres in FP2. Bulega started on the development SCX C0900 tyre before switching to the standard, where he dipped into the 1:40s with a 1:40.907s. Across the box, Bautista began with the standard SCX, but went on the C0900 to end his session as they focused on race performance. In the end, Bulega’s 1:40.90s was the fastest time of FP2, and the day, with Bautista 0.247s back.
Barcelona is a circuit Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) hadn’t won at yet, but he put himself in contention after Friday’s running along with teammate Michael van der Mark as the pair took third and fourth in the combined classification.
WorldSSP
Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) stormed to a second pole position of the 2024 season on home soil with an almost three-tenths margin over his rivals at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The #99 came into his home round on the back of a podium last time out in Australia and was targeting a first victory in WorldSSP during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.
The session was red flagged around halfway through when Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) had a tech issue on the run into Turn 1, which led him into the gravel and officials working to clean up the track.
When the session resumed, it was a dramatic fight for pole. Huertas went head-to-head with Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), with the #99 posting an incredible 1:44.197s to take his second pole of 2024 by 0.274s ahead of Oncu. The #61 was able to hold on to second ahead of Manzi, with the Yamaha rider finding time in the closing stages but just falling short, with the #62 still claiming a front row start.
Experience paid dividends for Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha), with the 2017 Champion often running in the top three before securing P4 for the Race 1 grid. He was joined by Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fifth after the German, who secured two podiums here last year, posted a 1:44.828s.
Full Friday Superbike and Supersport results here…
Saturday
Superpole
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed his first BMW pole position in record-breaking pace, setting a lap in the 1:39s to lead his rivals at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The speed up and down the grid was incredible with ten riders under the existing all-time lap record during the Pirelli Catalunya Round.
The first runs were completed with Razgatlioglu posting a barely-believable 1:39.489s to lead his rivals by more than two tenths. Initially, Michael van der Mark had been in P2 but lost his first, and best, lap in his first stint for a track limits infringement at Turn 13, with that time being a 1:40.088s. It left Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in second, 0.251s behind Razgatlioglu, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) provisionally completing the front row – half-a-second down on the #54. With the red-hot pace in the first run, Razgatlioglu’s time remained unbeatable as he claimed a first BMW pole position in his second round on the M 1000 RR.
Full Superbike Superpole results here…
WorldSBK Race One
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) led the majority of the race. At one point the Italian had opened a four second lead but in Catalunya tyre consumption is a key factor and with a harder front tyre Razgatlioglu could close down that margin. The BMW rider would take the lead on the 20th and final lap.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), winner of six races in a row at this circuit, was handed a grid penalty that dropped him to the fifth row of the grid for the start. The reigning World Champion recovered to finish third and move up to fourth position in the Championship standings. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) continued to impress as a rookie with fourth.
Having smashed the lap record in the Superpole session, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was aiming for a podium in Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Instead the Turkish star came from behind to claim the race victory in the opening race of the Pirelli Catalunya Round. “It’s been a dream of mine to win in Catalunya and this is unbelievable. Every day the team has done an unbelievable job and they have worked really hard,” insisted Razgatlioglu.
The win marked BMW’s first success since 2021 and validated Razgatlioglu’s decision to switch manufacturers for this season.
WorldSBK Race 1 Results
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.868s
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.338s
- Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +8.543s
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +9.818s
WorldSSP Race One
Adrian Huertas converted pole position into his first career victory in the Supersport class. The Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider kept a cool head under intense pressure from Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) to win by just over one second. The victory underlined Huertas’ title credentials.
Manzi was one of the few riders to opt to use a harder rear tyre and was rewarded with his second podium of the season. Marcel Schroetter’s (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) third place notably meant he emerged as the only rider to finish on the podium in each race this season (a streak he continued in the second race). The German was involved in a race-long battle with championship leader Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who finished fourth to hold an 11 point championship lead over Schroetter.
WorldSSP Race One Results
- Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +1.277s
- Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +5.840s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.653s
- Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +9.798s
Sunday
Superpole Race
The Pirelli Catalunya Round 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 down to the final corner of the race. 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.
Changing backwards and forwards, the race really exploded into life at 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.
Bautista made his way into the podium places on Lap 7 when Iannone ran wide at Turn 10 and then battled back ahead of Bulega, 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 three 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. He wasn’t done there, as the favourite had many overtaking opportunities left yet.
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 he 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.
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.075s
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.260s
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.411s
- Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.611s
WorldSBK Race Two
With Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) surprising Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to take the victory in the Tissot Superpole Race, the Turkish rider became the first BMW rider since Chaz Davies in 2013 to take back-to-back WorldSBK wins. Despite having to settle for a podium in Race 2, this was a superb weekend for Razgatlioglu who now sits fourth in the Championship standings.
The much touted battle of Alvaro Bautista versus Nicolo Bulega played out in Race 2. On this occasion, it was double WorldSBK Champion Bautista, who used his guile to win. The victory margin would eventually be just over two seconds, with Bautista completing a weekend of podium finishes having dropped from the lead to third at the final corner of the Superpole Race. “I feel really happy! It’s been a long time since my last win so we’re going to celebrate,” explained a delighted Bautista.
Bulega, from pole position in the Superpole Race, finished fourth before his second place finish in Race 2. The final race of the day also marked the first points of the season for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who finished in eighth position. With four different winners from the opening six races of the season the 2024 WorldSBK season has started in style.
WorldSBK Race Two Results
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.041s
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +7.005s
- Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +12.452s
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +15.076s
WorldSBK Championship Standings
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 87 points
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 75 points
- Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 75 points
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 71 points
- Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 51 points
Download Championship Standings
WorldSSP Race Two
A red flag following a Piotr Biesiekirski (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) crash saw Race 2 shortened to just six laps for the WorldSSP field. Starting from pole position, Adrian Huertas was in contention for the victory, but the Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider suffered a late race crash while battling for the lead.
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) emerged victorious with the Italian taking the sixth victory of his career. The win was the rider’s first of the season as he narrowly defeated Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) to the line. The result continued Schroetter’s perfect podium record for the season but the German is still awaiting his first victory.
On the podium for the first time since Estoril 2020, Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) was happy to round out the podium spots. Yari Montella continues to lead the Championship with the Barni Spark Racing Team rider finishing fourth to now hold an 11 point advantage.
WorldSSP Race Two Results
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
- Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.086s
- Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.201s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.681s
- Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.714s
WorldSSP Championship Standings
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 76 points
- Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 72 points
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 65 points
- Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) 44
- Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 41
Download Championship Standings
WorldSSP 300
Having switched manufacturers for 2024 Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) immediately showed KTM why he’s a double WorldSSP300 champion. The Dutchman proved his mettle by keeping a cool head to come through from the fourth row of the grid to claim the 12th victory of his career.
The victory was confirmed by the FIM Race Stewards after Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) was handed a post race penalty for causing an accident on the last lap. The penalty dropped the Spaniard to 13th position in the classification. Rookie Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) was classified in second position while Samuel di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) was third having been forced to start the race from the back of the field.
WorldSSP 300 Race One Results
1. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Raging)
2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.040s
3. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) +0.227s
WorldSSP 300 Race Two
After a penalty dropped him to 13th position yesterday Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) was officially confirmed as a race winner in the WorldSSP300 class. The Spaniard, in his 44th start, led across the line for the last three laps but critically held off the pack to claim the race victory.
A last corner reshuffle saw Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) come through for second position and the first ever World Championship podium for the Chinese manufacturer. Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) finished third.For Race 2 the top nine positions on the grid are set by fastest laps in Race 1. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) will be rewarded for the fastest lap with pole position.
WorldSSP 300 Race Two Results
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
WorldSSP 300 Championship Standings
1. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 29 points
2. Iñngo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 28 points
3. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) 25 points
WorldSBK 2024 Round Two Gallery
