The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has officially seen Round 4 come and go, and what a weekend of action it was. In a weekend that saw history being made, as well as big changes to the Championship, it was one man; Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). who stood tall at Sunday’s end.
TOPRAK TORCHES THE COMPETITION: Razgatlioglu takes all the marbles
Round 4 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is officially in the books, and it will be firmly remembered as the weekend of one man. Toprak Razgatlioglu, who has been untouchable all weekend, completed a first personal hat-trick in two years, as well as BMW’s first ever treble. The Turkish rider was temporarily relegated to fifth place at the start of Race 2, before the inevitable comeback came. Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) were able to maintain the pressure by finishing Race 2 in P2 and P3 respectively, but neither could get close to “El Turco” at any point during the weekend on the Adriatic Coast.
TOP SIX: Lowes, Petrucci rubber-stamp positive weekends
Once more, Great Britain’s Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secured a very positive finish, this time securing P4 in Race 2. The British rider has consistently spoken about the progress made by the Japanese giants, and said progress appears to be paying off in a big way. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) continues to fly the flag for Yamaha, remaining their highest finishing rider by securing P5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) capped off a remarkable comeback weekend at his home round by securing P6, a result not even the most optimistic of supporters could have seen coming.
FINISHING THE TOP TEN: All Japan in the fight for the top spots
The rest of the top ten saw a lot of variety within the standings. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) capped off his positive weekend with yet another good result; this time, a P7 finish in Race 2 saw Bassani continue to push the pace and improve. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured a P8 finish for Race 2, whilst Iker Lecouna (Team HRC) obtained a P9 finish by the end of Sunday. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) again suffered a miserable start to his Race 2. Fortunately, his race ended better than it began, with the Ulsterman’s pace enough to secure a place rounding out the top ten.
REST OF THE GRID: Crashes aplenty throughout the grid
Elsewhere throughout the grid, there was plenty of drama during Race 2 at Misano. Sam Lowes (ELF Mac VDS Racing Team) rounded off a weekend to forget with a P13 finish. The Ducati rider struggled at Misano but will be hoping to kick on when the Championship heads to Donington Park. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) saw his bike suffer a major technical problem (accompanied by a lot of smoke) that saw the Swiss rider forced to retire prematurely. Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) suffered a crash on the last lap to cap a forgettable weekend for Ducati’s main test rider. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Adam Norrodin (Petronas MIE Racing Honda) all failed to finish the race due to different crashes and incidents throughout the race.
Top six from Race 2 at Misano:
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.980s
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.940s
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +9.951s
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +11.974s
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +15.900s
Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’33.307s
WorldSBK Standings:
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 179
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 158
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 155
4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 124
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) 94
6. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 83
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