Last Sunday, during the Hungarian round of the World SBK At Balaton Park, the Superbike World Championship celebrated its 1000th race in style with a Superpole Race full of twists and turns in changing conditions, but ultimately won by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Rain that fell overnight complicated the choice of tires on the Balaton Park circuit, but the reigning World Champion gave the series this historic victory, the 71st of his career.
Highlights of the Tissot Superpole Race
The morning warm-up session, held on a wet track, allowed the drivers to get their bearings in the conditions. But by the time the 10-lap Superpole Race got underway, the track was beginning to dry, making tire choice absolutely crucial for a good result.
The drivers who finished on the podium, as well as all but one of the points-scoring drivers, had opted for slick tires. Conversely, Nicolò Bulega et Danilo Petrucci had chosen intermediate tires, a gamble that turned out to be a losing one. Second in the championship, Nicholas Bulega quickly fell down the standings. Out of the points from the first lap, he finally crossed the line in 13th position.
Toprak Razgatlioglu, who started from pole, took the lead early in the race. But on the third lap, Sam Lowes et Danilo Petrucci attacked and passed him. Lowes led for four laps before having to relinquish the lead to Razgatlioglu at the first corner of lap 7. From there, the two men extended the gap on Alvaro Bautista, who will complete the podium.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Xavi Virgo (Honda HRC) remained in the top 5 throughout the race. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), author of a bold choice with an intermediate front tire and a slick at the rear, made a superb comeback to finish sixth.
Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) and Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Racing) posted their best career results in WorldSBK, with 7th and 8th places respectively, just ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha).
Highlights of Race 2
Despite his pole position, Toprak Razgatlioglu lost the lead on entering the first bend toAlvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who took the holeshot. The Spaniard, who would later crash while battling for a podium finish, led until Turn 5, where Razgatlioglu overtook him under braking. Within two laps, he already had a one-second lead. A series of fast laps, including a new circuit record, allowed the Turk to take off and cross the line with a lead of more than ten seconds. This is the third consecutive hat-trick of victories for the BMW rider.
Nicholas Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who started from the fourth row, quickly moved up the field. Second in the championship, the Italian was in seventh place at the end of the first lap, then reached the podium positions on the fifth lap, before taking second place on the following lap.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was the best independent rider and took his fourth podium in WorldSBK. Starting from the front row, he lost places to Álvaro Bautista et Andrea Locatelli at the start. On the third lap, he overtook them both, but then had to give way to Nicholas Bulega. He then fought with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) before building a comfortable gap at the end of the race. Andrea Locatelli finished in the top 5 for the ninth consecutive race.
alex lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) took sixth place after a great battle with Xavi Verge (Honda HRC). Ryan Vickers, a well-placed time, was penalized by a Long Lap before falling on the penultimate lap.
Championship Highlights
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Razgatlioglu had a perfect weekend and now has a 26-point lead over Bulega.
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Bautista's mistake sees him drop to fifth in the standings, with just 16 points between him, Petrucci and Locatelli.
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Thanks to his nine consecutive victories, Razgatlioglu allows BMW to return to 16 points behind Ducati in the constructors' standings.
declarations
P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m really happy because in Race 2 I tried a different tire, and the feeling was much better. I was more consistent, which allowed me to focus solely on my pace. I want to thank my team enormously for their incredible work. It’s a real collective achievement; we’ve improved session after session. I’m very satisfied to have secured another hat-trick before the long summer break. It’s a great source of motivation for everyone. I can’t wait to be at Magny-Cours, especially since I didn’t race there last year. We’ll see what the season has in store for us.”
P2 – Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I managed to make up some positions by starting tenth. Unfortunately, the conditions this morning didn't suit me, which is something I need to improve on. In Race 2, I was very focused on getting back on track. Congratulations to Toprak and BMW; they were very strong all weekend. It wasn't a perfect weekend for us, but second place is good points. I hope we can improve during the break.”
P3 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “After yesterday’s disappointment, it was great to have a good race this morning in tricky conditions. Race 2 was quite dry and I really enjoyed it. It was a fantastic weekend, and it was great to race for the first time in Hungary. The atmosphere and the fans were excellent. Bulega and Toprak were a bit faster, but I’m happy with my performance. In the middle of the race, I really pushed and improved. Maybe if I finished the race yesterday, I could have done even better today, but that’s racing. I was fast all weekend, and I’m happy to come away with two podiums.”
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