WSBK Superbike Championship: Double for Razgatlioğlu, who takes off

The Turkish driver shone this weekend in Andalusia, winning all of the races contested in Jerez. But if his lead now stands at 20 points over Jonathan Rea, the latter still remains within striking distance of the championship.

He couldn't do better. Toprak Razgatlioğlu delivered a top performance in Spain, taking the Superpole before winning the two events run this weekend. The Yamaha rider therefore stocked up on points, scoring the maximum possible in the championship.

His title opponent, Jonathan Rea, cannot say the same. The Kawasaki resident actually suffered this Sunday, particularly in the afternoon, where the Ninja's shortcomings in the Andalusian heat were felt more than ever.

Because if the six-time World Champion managed to outsmart Razgatlioglu during Race 1, which he led for the majority of it, he on the other hand suffered the blow in the afternoon, unable to follow the pace set at the front.

Result: A fifth place at the finish, and the bleeding of points that goes with it. However, the situation is not yet catastrophic for the Northern Irishman, far from it, he remains at 20 points in the general classification, or less than a victory, while the Superbike still has to go to three rounds of here is the end of the season, which still leaves 186 points up for grabs.

A freed Redding could act as referee in the final rounds

Behind the two leaders, Scott Redding consolidated his third place in the championship, thanks to his two podiums this weekend, and in particular his good performance during Race 2, where he fought for victory until the last cables, to finally clinching second position.

There is little doubt that the Englishman will finish his last season at Ducati, before joining BMW next year, in third place in the championship, which should give him a free hand in the final rounds to launch a big attack. Knowing the fiery temperament of the former MotoGP rider, we can trust him on this point.

However, his teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi's fourth place is far from assured. The Italian has experienced an undeniable return to form in recent events, that's a fact, but his retirement following a fall during the first race this Sunday costs him dearly, while at the same time his rival and compatriot Andrea Locatelli has again won and finished fourth in the two races contested. Here are the two men tied in the championship, 227 points each, which also promises a great duel for the end of the season.

Alex Lowes, for his part, retains sixth place, despite withdrawing from Race 2 due to recurring wrist problems following his injury contracted a week earlier in Catalonia. Be wary all the same, as Frenchman Lucas Mahias decided to end his season prematurely this weekend due to a similar injury.

Bautista on his way

Status quo also for Michael van der Mark, still seventh in the standings, while his teammate Tom Sykes, who withdrew this weekend, fell from eighth to tenth place, now ahead of Garrett Gerloff and Álvaro Bautista.

Only one point separates the latter two, but the dynamic is clearly in favor of the Spaniard, author of a second podium this season during Race 2. Good dispositions which should delight Ducati at a time when the reunion between the two parts come together.

As for the manufacturers, Yamaha, which was only a small point ahead of Ducati last week, now has a 15-unit margin over the Borgo Panigale brand. A little fresh air for the team with three tuning forks, even if nothing has been done yet, far from it. In the same spirit, if Kawasaki seems to be losing little by little, the brand still remains in the running for the title.

Aegerter without pity

In the Supersport category, we note that only one race was contested, for the dramatic reasons that we know. The weekend was marked by the return to business of Dominique Aegerter, who did not go into detail and won the race with a lead of around ten seconds over his runner-up. The Helvetian is in fact getting a little closer to the coronation at the end of the season following the acquisition of his tenth victory of the year.

The Swiss driver is now 62 points ahead of Steven Odendaal, for whom the title is increasingly becoming a pipe dream. The interest in the championship could thus refocus on the duel between Philipp Öttl and Manuel Gonzalez for third place, with only one point separating the two men.

Indeed, if the Spaniard seemed to benefit from better dynamics in recent rounds, his German rival reacted rather well in Jerez, taking pole position before taking second place. He is still chasing his first victory in the category this season and seemed, despite his good performance in the championship, still disappointed at the finish. Let's see if he manages to display the same level of performance again next week, in Portugal.

Missed opportunity for Huertas

Finally, the weekend was of course mourned by the loss on Saturday during the first event of the Supersport 300 of the young Dean Berta Viñales, who is none other than one of Maverick Viñales' cousins, during an accident involving four drivers and which caused the red flag to come out.

The category is the only one to have seen all of its races contested in Andalusia, Adrián Huertas having a first match point in Jerez to win the title. But the Spaniard didn't do anything about it, finishing seventh in Race 1 before falling in Race 2. However, he still has a comfortable lead of 36 points over his new runner-up, who is none other than the Champion in title, the Dutchman Jeffrey Buis.

The final round of the Supersport 300 will take place next week in Portugal, on the Portimão circuit. The Superbike and Supersport categories will of course also be there in the Algarve.