With 57 points scored during the 7th round of the Superbike world championship at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, in Imola, Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) is the big winner this weekend in Italy.
In this respect, it precedes Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who scored 38 points, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 34, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 33, and Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 27.
They said…
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu : " I am very happy to finally win this long race! I've been waiting for this moment all year. I'm very happy and I thank my team for the incredible work they did this weekend, because we improved my R1 in every session. I'm sorry for Alvaro's crash, but you know, it's racing. After that, I planned to ride slowly, not take any risks and follow Axel to keep a very good pace and pay attention to the tires. Anyway, we achieved victory and I am very happy! This is the first time Yamaha has won at Imola, we did a very good job here. It was a very good weekend, everyone was able to attend “real” races today! »
Jonathan Rhea : " The Superpole Race seemed like our best chance to do a good job. But starting from seventh place was not the best way to give yourself the best chance. I had a really good start, but I just didn't have the pace. I was fighting with Locatelli and he didn't make any mistakes, he did a very good job. There was a moment in the second race where I thought maybe we could fight a little more, to be honest. I wasn't sure about Axel Bassani's tire choice, but I was quite sure that the option was good for our bike. We knew most of the competitors would be on the SCX. When I was there after a few laps, I thought, 'Maybe I hit the jackpot with this tire? Maybe it could be for me? 'But about three-quarters of the way into the race, I really struggled with the front of the bike and also with changes of direction. In the first part of the corner exits, I was simply overloading the tire, especially in turns two and three. The drivers in front accelerated a little better in the corners. But I'm happy. Happy with our points gain and it was probably our best weekend of the season, with two podiums in the long races. »
Alvaro Bautista : " There's not much to say. I made a simple mistake by crossing the white line on the first lap. It can happen, and the important thing is to know what happened. It's a shame because the feeling has improved a lot over the weekend, and that's a positive thing anyway. Meet in Most. »
Andrea Locatelli : " I think we did a very good job this morning in the Superpole race, the choice of tires and settings was perfect! I'm a little disappointed with race 2, because we changed the rear tire and I'm not sure it was the best for me: Yesterday I was fighting with the front grip and today with the one at the back. I think we lost the opportunity to fight for the podium in the long race, but it was a strong and positive weekend. We must be happy! It's also my first time here with the R1 WorldSBK, I'm proud of myself and proud of the work the team and Yamaha are doing with me. We must now look forward, come back stronger and push hard! »
Axel Bassani : " I am very happy with my second place. I finished behind Toprak, one of the best drivers in the world. It's an honor to fight with him. I tried to do my race and stay in front to keep up with my pace. Here, it is very hot. You need fresh air. I finished second, and first Ducati, so I'm happy for my team. They did an incredible job. We must progress. We were very close and today we did a good job. We will look at the data to see if we can take a step forward. We will see in Most. »
Michael Rinaldi : " I gave it my all and I'm happy to have brought home some valuable points. Today was difficult, I tried to push, but I felt like I was at 50% of my potential. From tomorrow, I will be able to resume training regularly to arrive in the best possible conditions in Most. »
Photo credits: WorldSBK.com
