After victory pole position and victory in Race 1 on Saturday, Sunday started well for Toprak Razagatlioglu as he saw off an early challenge by Nicolo Bulega in the Tissot Superpole Race but was thwarted on the finish line in Race 2 by his Ducati rival by just 0.027 seconds.
TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE
Much like in Race 1, Bulega beat Razgatlioglu to turn 1 at the start of the 10-lap affair. This began a thrilling battle that lasted just under half of the race before the crucial moment came when Bulega cut the first chicane while battling Razgatlioglu for the lead.
While running wide, Bulega added a second to Razgatlioglu’s lead that the Turkish rider was able to protect for the remainder of the race, with the BMW rider going on to secure a new race lap record on his way to the victory. It was another comfortable 2nd place for the factory Ducati rider ahead of the two satellite riders behind him.
Danilo Petrucci recorded another podium finish and was ran close by Sam Lowes. Behind them came a charging Alvaro Bautista who came from 10th to 5th with some audacious move in the 10-lap sprint to secure a second-row start for Race 2 in the afternoon.
Alex Lowes split the Honda HRC riders, with Xavi Vierge only just pipping Andrea Locatelli to the line for 8th place. Jonathan Rea was also right behind in the battle for the crucial top 9 positions that set the grid for Race 2 but fell short behind his teammate.
Axel Bassani had been in contention for a top-9 spot but was docked with a double long-lap penalty for jumping the start. Up front, there was definitely some renewed vigour that Bulega could challenge Razgatlioglu more than in Race 1 heading into the final full-distance even in the afternoon.
TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE RESULTS
RACE 2
For the third time in succession, Bulega beat Razgatlioglu to the first corner at the Motul Czech Round as the BMW rider struggled to get the hole shot from his three successive pole positions. The pair were fortunate to get to the chicane before everyone else as just like in Race 1 the filed concertinaed up with disastrous consequences for some.
Once again, Bautista found himself caught in the madness that he hoped he would avoid having started from P5 instead of P10 but it was not to be for the Spanish veteran. It was Rea who checked up going through the apex of turn 2 that saw a distraught Bautista and Vierge eliminated on the spot and Alex Lowes being forced to ride through the gravel and condemn himself to the back of the grid after taking the necessary avoiding action.
Rea had got himself into 5th thanks to the chaos he had initiated but was unsurprisingly dealt a double long-lap penalty from the stewards. Once he rejoined from both he ended up 12th and would finish 13th, although there had at least been flashes of pace this weekend for the Northern Irishman who continues his recovery from injury earlier in the season.
Razgatlioglu stuck within range of Bulega for the first half of the 22-lap race, meanwhile Petrucci and Sam Lowes resumed their battle from the Tissot Superpole over the final spot on the podium, with the former once again securing 3rd place but by a very slim margin over his British rival.
The other big mover in the first half of the race was Bassani who rose as high as 5th ahead of an impressive Remy Gardner. In the end it was Gardner who prevailed while his teammate Dominique Aegerter fought his way up through the lower points-paying positions and another satellite Yamaha of Bahattin Sofuoglu had yet another long-lap penalty that ruined his progress for cutting turn 1 again after a solid ride until that point.
With half the race completed Razgatlioglu passed Bulega with a surprise move through turns 16 and 17 having stalked his rival to identify his weaknesses around Most. Although Bulega was back past at turn 1 shortly after, the next time around saw Razgatlioglu launch a successful block pass through the first chicane to steal the lead.
It appeared that Razgatlioglu had it all under control as he sought the treble in the Czech Republic before Bulega started to reel him in right towards the very end of the 22 laps. With 3 laps to go and rain starting to fall around the outskirts of the circuit, it suddenly looked as if the race was well and truly on instead of another forgone conclusion.
Even exiting the last corner on the final lap Bulega was still not ahead but by the finish line he was, by just 0.027 seconds. It was the sort of ending that Razgatlioglu used to suffer back in his Yamaha days when battling Bautista at tracks like Portimao and the Turk predictably made his frustrations clear on the slowing down lap while also pinning the blame on his bike.
Bulega’s victory was thoroughly well deserved after his horrific highside on Friday and it brought a nice bit of variety after he himself blitzed everyone at Cremona a fortnight ago. Razgatlioglu ultimately brings the points gap down to Bulega by 3 overall and 31 total this weekend, while Petrucci jumps ahead of a hapless Bautista for 3rd overall in the standings.
RACE 2 RESULTS
Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK
