The BMW ace Toprak Razgatlioglu held off the pair of Ducatis during the fifteen minutes of the Superbike warm-up in Misano. How can he be beaten?
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Toprak Razgatlioglu, always him: the Superbike has found its new steamroller. The BMW ace was also fastest in the warm-up, in the fifteen minutes that are used to prepare for Sunday's two challenges, including the Superpole Race. Only ten laps which will allow twelve points to be awarded but above all the best places on the starting grid for race 2. The Ducatis are still in pursuit, Nicholas Bulega 105 thousandths ahead Alvaro Bautista more than seven tenths. The Spaniard is also ahead of the excellent alex lowes, whose Kawasaki has been refreshed by regulatory concessions.
How to beat Toprak?
On the Ducati circuit, the BMW shows its muscles. The tests a fortnight ago suggested that Toprak would be particularly successful here, but the show of force exceeds the Ducatists' darkest predictions. The duo of world leaders does not seem to have any weak points: explosive dry ride, perfect control of grip over distance. The drop in speed at the distance that Bulega and Bautista expected did not happen. The Superpole Race (11 a.m.) is the most improbable task for the pursuers: Friday morning, in FP1, Toprak simulated the ten laps with nine passes under 1'34" and the last one just above. A phenomenon. Race 2 more open, in the afternoon. Bulega, who of the two Ducatis is the most incisive, will however have to get a perfect start and surprise Toprak. Only with clean lines will Nicolò be able to perform the fast laps necessary to stay in the wake of the BMW. Either way, it will be difficult to stop Razgatlioglu from achieving the hat-trick he dreams of.
At Honda, it's raining hard
Even at Misano, one of the least hostile circuits, Honda cannot find its way. Iker Lecuona was thrown to the ground by the CBR-RR at the exit of the Rio, a new fall for the Spanish pilot: when he tries to pull, he often falls. The super dealerships have given wings to BMW (only to Toprak…) but on the HRC side, it is worse than ever. Despite Honda's technical efforts, the crisis seems hopeless. In Superbike, the situation is completely blocked, as in MotoGP. Fifteenth time for Jonathan Rea, who only decided to compete in the two remaining races after the warm-up. Misano could have been the turning point, but the rift between rider, bike and team is increasingly evident.
Ranking of the Superbike warm up in Misano:
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Paul Gozzi
Classification credit: WorldSBK.com
Photo credit: Marco Lanfranchi
