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  • WorldSBK: Instant classic Czech Race 2 settled by just 0.027s

    WorldSBK: Instant classic Czech Race 2 settled by just 0.027s

    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

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    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

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu dominates Race 1 in Most

    WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu dominates Race 1 in Most

    Toprak Razgatlioglu lived up to his imperious reputation at the Motul Czech Round with a dominant victory in Race 1 well ahead of an injured Nicolo Bulega, whose effort was remarkable after a highside in practice.

    Despite losing his lead from pole position to Bulega at turn 1 on the 1st lap, Razgatlioglu was quick enough to stick with his Ducati rival as the race developed.  Within just a handful of laps, the BMW rider muscled his was back past at turn 1 to assert a lead that he would stretch to 6 seconds by the end of the 22-lap race in Most.

    Bulega suffered a horrific highside in practice on Friday and was thankfully declared to fit to continue competing in the Czech Republic.  Second place while still recovering from his crash was a solid effort at a track that is known to be one of Razgatlioglu’s strongest.

    Despite the BMW’s comfortable victory on Saturday in the Czech Republic, the second factory Ducati of Alvaro Bautista had some scintillating pace as he fought through from towards the back of the grid.  The 40-year-old underperformed in qualifying with 10th place and then had to slow up going through the tight right-left at turns 1 and 2.

    Andrea Locatelli and Michael van der Mark crashed out as the field concertinaed up behind Bautista, who had to slam on the brakes.  Once he had recovered from the chaos, Bautista started to unleash laptimes that were second only to Razgatlioglu and he eventually recovered to 5th.

    Had the race been another lap longer, that might well have been P4.  Bautista had caught Sam Lowes at the end of the penultimate lap and passed him into turn 1 on the final lap before just running out of time to snatch 4th from the other Lowes brother – Alex.

    The Lowes brothers had contested 4th from the very start of the race but were unable to challenge Danilo Petrucci on the satellite Barni Ducati.  Petrucci’s race was a comfortable ride to 3rd, not challenged behind and unable to trouble the top 2.

    Unfortunately, Petrucci’s chief independent rival – Andrea Iannone – was declared unfit to race.  Behind the top 6 came Iker Lecuona, whose teammate Xavi Vierge had a long battle with Yari Montella for 7th but came off worse.

    Jonathan Rea ran as high as 6th but settled in 10th as the race progressed, with the Northern Irishman’s future the topic of debate after an underwhelming stint with Yamaha.  This was the best result for Yamaha, although Bahattin Sofouglu had a strong ride to 15th that might have been slightly better if he had not been penalised for cutting turn 1 and being docked with a long lap penalty.

    Heading into Sunday’s action at the Motul Czech Round, Razgatlioglu will be confident of securing another triple-victory.  Bautista will also be confident of a strong showing in the Tissot Superpole race to put himself in a better position for Race 2.

    RACE 1 RESULTS

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Bulega repels early Razgatliogu challenge in Cremona Race 1

    WorldSBK: Bulega repels early Razgatliogu challenge in Cremona Race 1

    Nicolo Bulega enjoyed a thrilling battle with championship rival Toprak Razgatlioglu in Race 1 at Cremona before blasting off into the distance to win in front of his home fans and senior Ducati management.

    After denying Sam Lowes back-to-back pole positions, Bulega launched away from pole position in the first WorldSBK race at Cremona but was pursued by Razgatlioglu.  Come the final corner of lap 1 Razgatlioglu muscled his way past to herald the start of a titanic fight for the win, however things would peter out around one-third distance…

    On Razgatlioglu’s first visit to the Cremona Circuit after injury ruled him out of last year’s event, the Turkish rider had a great opportunity to take advantage of the pressure that might have been affecting Bulega.  Not only was the Italian rider racing for an Italian factory on home soil, but Ducati had some of its senior MotoGP personnel in attendance to keep an eye on the man that might bring the WorldSBK crown back to them this year if recent form is to be believed.

    Everyone in attendance was treated to a great battle between the two that seemed to be going Razgatlioglu’s way in the first few laps before the two almost collided at the end of lap 3.  The BMW rider’s defence proved successful but Bulega was never far behind and always able to quickly recover from his failed attempts to pass the Turk.

    By the end of lap 6 of 23, Bulega finally made a move stick on Razgatlioglu.  Despite a valiant attempt to retake in an unconventional spot for overtaking through turns 3 and 4, it would mark the end of Razgatlioglu’s time in the lead of the race as Bulega stretched his lead by around 0.3 seconds per lap.

    At the start of the last lap, Bulega was so far ahead that by the time he swept through the notoriously fast turn 1 at Cremona, Razgatlioglu was not even in the same camera shot on the start-finish straight.  Bulega declared this the most important win of his career thus far in World Superbikes and it is hard to see why with all eyes on him and such a crushing performance to rebound from the heartbreak of Assen.

    Someone who was unfortunate not to feature in the fight at the front was Sam Lowes, whose P2 on the grid disappeared almost immediately once the race got underway.  Lowes slipped down the top 10 in the early stages but after running wide on lap 6 he was consigned to 12th place at the chequered flag.

    Alvaro Bautista was in a race of his own in Cremona as he had neither to pace to challenge the front two but more than enough to keep the chasing pack behind.  Andrea Iannone spent the majority of the race in 4th but was passed by Iker Lecuona about halfway through.

    By the time the Honda rider had made it into 4th following a frighteningly close battle with his teammate Xavi Vierge, the Spaniard was already 7 seconds by Bautista.  Rather foolishly, Lecuona pushed too hard for too little of a chance to take 3rd and threw away valuable points for a guaranteed 4th in a self-induced crash on lap 15.

    Iannone was left to fend off Vierge and Remy Gardner while Danilo Petrucci tried his best to make progress but could only manage 7th.  The Italian rider was unable to repeat his 2024 feats around the Cremona Circuit and started outside the top 10 having been blocked by his compatriot Andrea Locatelli during qualifying (for which the Yamaha rider received a grid penalty and then had an underwhelming race of his own).

    Michael van der Mark came home in 9th while Scott Redding split the Bimota duo, then came Lowes in 12th ahead of Dominque Aegeter, Yari Montella and Garrett Gerloff as the last of the points scorers.  The Tissot Superpole and Race 2 at the Acerbis Italian Round get underway tomorrow and Bulega looks odds on to make it a hat-trick at home.

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Locatelli takes maiden win amid double Bulega retirement

    WorldSBK: Locatelli takes maiden win amid double Bulega retirement

    Andrea Locatelli inherited a first WorldSBK victory in Assen after the frighteningly fast Nicolo Bulega suffered mechanical problems in both the Tissot Superpole and Race 2 to leave the championship leader pointless on Sunday at the Pirelli Dutch Round.

    TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE

    Rain was falling as expected on Sunday morning at the TT Circuit Assen, with the warmup and Tissot Superpole being a wet affair for the WorldSBK riders.  With the qualifying session on Saturday also setting the grid for the Superpole race, Sam Lowes had a second shot at converting his maiden pole position while Razgatiloglu and Axel Bassani were not affected by any grid penalties unlike in Race 1 yesterday.

    As the sun started to break through the clouds by the 11am race start time, Bulega once again shot from second into the race lead ahead of Lowes as he had done in the first race on the previous day.  Lowes fell to ninth by running wide at turn 1 in the tricky conditions, which left Razgatlioglu to chase Bulega for the race lead.

    Andrea Iannone did well at the start to jump into third, a place that he eventually lost to his fellow Andrea – Locatelli – who had taken an impressive second place the day before.  Things only got worse for Iannone, who ran wide then later crashed his satellite Go Eleven Ducati bike.

    Razgatlioglu made a move on Bulega for the lead at turn 5 on the 2nd lap.  The gap between the top two in the race and the championship ballooned to almost one second by the end of the lap as the BMW rider best adapted to the tricky conditions.

    Lowes began to recover from his off at the start and made it back to the podium by the end of the 10-lap affair.  The marcVDS Ducati rider had to try twice on the same lap to get past Alvaro Bautista’s factory bike, and then easily inherited second when Bulega ran wide at turn 1.

    As it transpired, Bulega had an issue with his Ducati Panigale V4R that dropped him out of contention.  The results from the top nine in the Tissot Superpole Race determine the starting grid for Race 2, from which the championship leader would have to start from 10th place.

    With Razgatlioglu, Lowes and Bautista coming home on the podium, home hero Michael van der Mark tried valiantly to take P4 from Locatelli but came up short.  Scott Redding had a respectable ride to 6th after passing Remy Gardner in the closing stages.

    Yari Montella and Tarran McKenzie also did well in the wet to start race 2 from row 3.  With Bulega mired on row 4 and Razgatlioglu taking a chunk of points from his rival with his 12 points for the win, it set up a fascinating final race in the afternoon.

    TISSOT SUPERPOLE RACE RESULTS

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    RACE 2

    With Bulega stuck in 10th place for the start of the 21-lap Sunday afternoon race, his rivals ahead knew that there was a real chance to capitalise on the championship leader coming from so far back.  Razgatlioglu and his BMW team opted to use hard tyres to give himself more grip for the end of the race when the inevitable pace of Bulega would come to haunt him, or at least that was the thinking…

    The hard tyres simply never worked for Razgatlioglu as Bulega predictably deployed his superior pace to methodically work his way towards the front of the grid. Once again Sam Lowes had a difficult start from the front row, while Bautista passed Razgatlioglu for the initial lead.

    The race developed into a train of the top 7 bikes by about ¼ distance, with Bulega at the back of the pack having risen calmly from 10th.  Locatelli had swooped past Razgatlioglu on the 2nd lap, while Remy Gardner had a thrilling start to run as high as 2nd himself.

    As Locatelli and Gardner fought tooth and nail for P2, Razgatlioglu continued to fall down the order.  After Locatelli had finally dealt with Gardner to cement 2nd on lap 7, the Yamaha rider had enough pace to reel in Bautista for the race lead.

    Once Locatelli had passed Bautista, Bulega was ready to seize on his teammate and then overtook Locatelli for the lead at the halfway point.  That was the last anyone saw of Bulega until it all went wrong for the second time in one day.

    While Bulega stretched his lead the race settled down with Locatelli, Bautista, Gardner, Lowes, Bassani and Razgatlioglu the order.  Then Bulega tragically retired once again with just 2 laps to go after such a stunning ride in Assen that went unrewarded.

    Locatelli was left to inherit his first victory in the Superbike World Championship after a record 154 winless attempts.  Meanwhile, a frustrated Razgatlioglu lost a further two spots at the end to Alex Lowes and Iker Lecuona to fall to eighth in a race where he could have taken up to 25 points out of the championship leader.

    RACE 2 RESULTS

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: Ducati

  • WorldSBK: Bulega dominates as chaos reigns behind in Assen Race 1

    WorldSBK: Bulega dominates as chaos reigns behind in Assen Race 1

    Nicolo Bulega rode off into the distance in Assen to take a dominant victory in the first race of the weekend.  There was a tragic result for shock  first-time polesitter Sam Lowes while Toprak Razgatlioglu was only fourth despite running as high as second.

    Ahead of Race 1 in the Netherlands, 3-place grid penalties were dished out to Razgatlioglu and Axel Bassani.  With his main championship rival demoted to sixth, Bulega knew that if he could ace the start and build a big enough gap out front he would be unchallenged for the win… and this is exactly what transpired.

    The pressure that Bulega put onto his rivals by seizing the lead at the start is what may have led to so much chaos behind him.  At the end of the first lap, polesitter Lowes had fallen behind Andrea Locatelli.

    There were faster riders stuck in the middle of the top 10 – notably Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista.  Razagatlioglu was busy fending off a charging Bassani on the first lap but by lap 2 he began to move forward from his grid spot of 6th.

    By the end of lap 2, the reigning World Champion passed Bautista then moved past Petrucci on the next tour.  This left the factory Ducati of Bautista to engage in a thrilling battle with the satellite bike of Petrucci for fifth.

    Once Bautista eventually dealt with the defiant Barni Ducati rider, he seized upon Razgatlioglu’s inability to pass Lowes for third to scythe through on his old rival for fourth.  However, Razgatlioglu got back past them both as they began lap 6 in a brilliant piece of racecraft , then in his haste to make amends Bautista made a clumsy move halfway round the same lap to knock himself and Lowes out of the race.

    The crash meant Bautista has eliminated himself from Race 1 at both of the last two rounds and trails his teammate Bulega by almost 80 points after just 7 of 36 races this year.  As for Lowes, his maiden WSBK pole for MarcVDS would perhaps have been rewarded with a podium finish but it was sadly not to be.

    While Bulega disappeared into the distance with fastest lap and pace that was sometimes as much as half a second better than Locatelli and the others behind, the focus switched to the battle for second.  Razgatlioglu reeled in his old Yamaha teammate with 13 laps still to go, but instead of eating into Bulega’s near 5 second lead he was unable to keep Locatelli out of striking distance.

    As the factory BMW and Yamaha riders duelled for second, Petrucci began to reel them in, while Razgatlioglu’s teammate and home hero Michael van der Mark was fifth. Yari Montella, Bahattin Sofuoglu, Alex Lowes (who rejoined) and Andrea Iannone all crashed out in that order to promote Garrett Gerloff and the Honda duo to 6th, 7th and 8th and all began to catch the second factory BMW rider.

    Locatelli moved Razgatlioglu up and out of the way through the hairpin on lap 12 before Petrucci also took the BMW rider two laps later with a great move through the fast chicane at the end of the back straight.  Despite Razgatlioglu getting back past the Italian at turn 1 on the next lap, Petrucci sealed the deal with three laps to go to take the final spot on the podium.

    Behind the top four, all hell broke loose in the battle for fifth as van der Mark’s pace disappeared as the race wore on and Lecuona asserted himself as the best of the rest.  As van der Mark and Gerloff fell down the order, the Honda’s battled Bassani, Dominque Aegerter and Remy Gardner as the race reached its climax.

    Bassani made it two crashes for the Bimota Kawasaki team with a self-inflicted crash on the final lap, while Lecuona held off his teammate for fifth in a strong result for Honda.  With rain possibly on its way for tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole and Race 2, Lowes, Bautista and Razgatlioglu in particular will all be hoping they can take the fight to Bulega in better circumstances in the remainder of the Pirelli Dutch Round.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu restarts title defence in Portugal after disastrous Australian opener

    WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu restarts title defence in Portugal after disastrous Australian opener

    After a frustrating start to the defence of his Superbike World Championship title in Phillip Island five weeks ago, Toprak Razgatlioglu broke the lap record in Portimao to secure pole position before scoring a narrow victory over his main rival Nicolo Bulega in race 1.  Although there were not quite as many changes of positions as Razgatlioglu has experienced with Alvaro Bautista in the past, the lead changed hands several times between the BMW and his Ducati nemesis before the Turkish rider crossed the line just 0.067 seconds in front.

    Things got off to a bad start for Razgatlioglu as he fell to fifth by the first corner.  A few seconds later, two of his Ducati-powered rivals crashed out as Bautista and Scott Redding came to blows as the field bunched up through turns 3 and 4, with Remy Gardner involved as well but surviving the contact.

    There were six teams being represented in the top eight positions after the first lap.  Bulega broke free at the front of the Ducati-dominated pack with Andrea Locatelli in an impressive second for Yamaha and Razgtlioglu on his BMW the only riders from different marques in the front eight.

    Razgatlioglu is notoriously strong around the Algarve International Circuit and the Turkish rider began to plot his way back through to the front.  His first victim was Danilo Petrucci who he swooped over the crest to pass around the outside in a sensational move before dispatching Sam Lowes and Locatelli by around one-quarter race distance.

    It was not long before the reigning World Champion reeled in Bulega and the two began a 15-lap battle for the win that never looked certain until it was over.   A common theme across the position changes for the lead would be Razgatlioglu leading into turn 14 before Bulega deployed his slightly superior Ducati power through the long turn 15 to blast ahead by turn one on the following lap.

    The fight was fairer this time around for Razgatlioglu compared to when he was riding for the slower Yamaha against Bautista’s Ducati before his switch to BMW, with their 2023 battles around the Portimao track living long in the memory of all those blessed to witness it.  However, Razgatlioglu still had to push as hard as he could to defeat a defiant Bulega in the sweltering Portugese Saturday afternoon sunshine.

    The Ducati held a 2mph advantage on the BMW and it was at the end of the long straight on lap seven that Bulega first took his lead straight back from Razgatioglu, before Toprak finally cemented the lead for a while after an agressive move at turn 12 on lap 9.

    Bulega was back in front briefly with a late move at the end of the start-finish straight on lap 10 but Razgatlioglu was back in front as the circuit tightened into turn 3 and the Ducati ran wide.  However, Bulega made a move stick into turn one once again on lap 14.

    This lead for Bulega lasted three laps before Razgatlioglu then finally got the better of the Ducati into turn one.  Then came one last successful retaliation from Bulega with two laps to go before his Turkish rival once again got him back quickly and held onto win by 0.067 across the line at the end of a thrilling 20 laps.

    There were just 17 riders who took the chequered flag.  Both of the Lowes brothers crashed out while running strongly with Sam eliminating himself from the top five not long after being moved aside by a charging Razgatlioglu and Alex sliding out of ninth place after a stellar recovery from the back of the grid (after an incident in qualifying) that came to nought.

    The TV footage seldom focused on the action further down the grid as the top two stretched their lead on the rest of the pack despite passing and re-passing each other.  Locatelli was thrilled to take his and Yamaha’s first podium of the year – some eight seconds behind the two leaders and just one in front of top independent rider Petrucci.

    Seven seconds behind Petrucci in fourth just five seconds then covered the rest of the top ten, with Gardner’s Yamaha being usurped on the run to the finish line by three of his rivals to end up in tenth.  There should be more action to look forward to in tomorrow’s pair of races starting with the 10-lap Superpole, but Bulega will need to pray the BMW on pole messes up the start once again if he is to stand any chance of defeating the rejuvenated Razgatlioglu.

    Results from Race 1:
    Image Credit: SBK

     

    Feature Image Credit: SBK

  • Vickers does the double at BSB season opener

    Vickers does the double at BSB season opener

    After months of waiting, the British Superbikes Championship got the green light in 2024 under the Spanish sun at Circuito de Navarra.

    It was a rather different setting for the BSB curtain raiser, as the MSV-owned track played host to this year’s opening round.

    And there was a different face at the front for Sunday’s first race, with Danny Kent taking his first ever pole position in the series aboard the McAMS Yamaha – making it a front three for the Japanese manufacturer as the OMG Racing pair of Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde completed the first row.

    The Yamaha trio led the way at the beginning of Race 1, albeit with Ryde heading the field ahead of Vickers and Kent from lap four.

    Despite a setback after running wide and dropping a place to third Vickers managed to keep the pace to move his way back to the front, as he passed Ryde with three laps to go.

    The 25-year-old set the pace from then on, bridging a lead of more than a second by the chequered flag.

    The second and final race of the weekend brought more of the same at the front – although there was some late drama to overcome for eventual victor Vickers.

    This time it was Kent who held the cards after lap five, taking the lead from Ryde into turn one.

    However that lead was relatively short lived – as Vickers eventually took control at the front on lap nine.

    It all looked set in stone for Vickers to comfortably take his second victory of the day, however there was a big moment for the Yamaha rider at the last corner of the final lap as he very nearly lost the front-end of the bike – putting his victory in jeopardy.

    But a Marc Marquez-style save was all he needed to reach the line, and Vickers did just that as he took the chequered flag 0.277 seconds ahead of Kent and 1.177s ahead of Ryde.

    Speaking in the post-race press conference about the near-crash, the championship leader said it came as a result of how close Kent was behind.

    “I came on to the last lap and looked at my pit board and I had plus zero [to the rider behind], so I thought ‘I’ve got to do a really good last lap here’,” he explained.

    “I didn’t want to defend and slow up the pace because if I did have a little bit of a gap I didn’t want to lose it, so I braked as late as possible and I got on the gas as hard as possible.

    “I thought if I did that and anyone comes past me, they’re going to run wide.”

    However when it came to the final corner, Vickers added it became a slightly different approach.

    “I did the whole lap and got through the last left [turn], and I was like ‘I’ve done the whole lap now, just defend the last corner’,” he said.

    “Because I don’t want to lose it on the last corner, and nearly did.

    “But that was because I defended and went in at the same pace and it was a little bit tighter – just the nature of the corner really because it’s uphill and you get a lot of load through the front tyre.”

    Elsewhere in the field it was a disappointing end to the weekend for reigning champion Tommy Bridewell – who was aboard his new bike after joining the Honda Racing Team for 2024.

    Image Credit: Honda Racing UK

    After a solid seventh-placed finish in Race 1, Bridewell was in the mix for a podium on the second race.

    However that couldn’t come to fruition for the 2023 champion, as he was forced to retire on the ninth lap of the race.

    The paddock takes a week off for now, but BSB will return in under two weeks time when the riders face the Oulton Park Circuit in Cheshire.

    Find the standings after Round 1 here.

    Featured Image Credit: @OfficialBSB on Twitter

  • A Rea-Marc-Able Career

    A Rea-Marc-Able Career

    Two separate careers to be precise, and what careers they have been.

    With a total of 14 World championships between them, Jonathan Rea 6x WSBK champion, and Marc Marquez 6x MotoGP World Champion, as well as both 125cc, and 250cc champions. Both riders have their upcoming birthdays next month in February, with Jonny turning 37, and Marc turning 31. Now in the twilight years of their respective careers, they both still feel they have a point to prove, and perhaps, also prove a few critics and naysayers wrong.

    Jonathan Rea – Picture courtesy of Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK

    The end of the 2023 season saw an emotional Rea walk away from the Kawasaki Racing Team, an incredibly long partnership that saw him dominate many seasons and claim 6x World titles, becoming arguably their best WSBK rider. The struggles of the Kawasaki team over the past few seasons were well documented and a frustrated Rea could do no more than look on in envy at the sheer flawless nature of Alvaro Bautista’s wins on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati, which saw the Spaniard claim back-to-back championships.

    Prior to the Ducati dominance in both WSBK and MotoGP,  2021 was the year of Yamaha, with both Toprak Razgatlioglu on the R1, and Fabio Quartararo on the M1 claiming their respective world championship crowns. In WSBK that year Toprak was a joy to watch, pushing the R1 to its absolute limits. Rea however, was once again left frustrated with the performance of the Kawasaki, only managing to finish runner up.

    There was a time when Marc Marquez was considered unstoppable on the Repsol Honda RC213V, dominating his rivals and racking up incredible statistics in the process. His 2019 winning season and 6th overall in the premier class, was testament to the absolute insane level of skill he possessed at that time. He won 12 races and finished on the podium in 18 out of 19 rounds, amassing an eye watering 420 points, which was also a points record at that time. Not to mention beating riders like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Andrea Dovizioso in the process.

    Sadly, subsequent seasons have seen Marc suffer virtually career ending injuries, with many speculating that he’d never return. The fact that he did return, albeit on an under-performing Honda, speaks volumes about his mental resilience and sheer unquenchable desire to continue riding and return to winning ways.

    2023 was not a happy season for Marc and saw him crash a total of 29 times, the most out of any rider across all the classes in MotoGP, according to the MotoGP falls report, published by Dorna media officer, Frine Velilla. That was a figure he himself had not got close to since the season of 2017, where he crashed 27 times.  Similar to Jonathan Rea, a disconsolate Marc could do no more then look on as Francesco Bagnaia, rode his Ducati to back-to-back championships.

    Marc Marquez – Picture courtesy of Honda Racing Racing Global

    As the curtain closed on the 2023 season, both Rea and Marc walked away from their respective teams, buying their way out of lucrative contracts in the process. Rea secured a ride with the Pata Prometeon Yamaha WSBK Team onboard the R1, while Marc, will be joining his brother Alex in the Gresini Racing Team onboard the Ducati.

    As race fans eagerly anticipate the start of the 2024 season, the fact that these two legends of motorcycle racing are still racing, is an absolute bonus to the sport, as well as a credit to the resilience of each of their own characters and the determination to succeed, continuing to push onwards for the next taste of race winning glory.

     

  • Round 12 WorldSBK, Jerez, Spain, Race 2

    Round 12 WorldSBK, Jerez, Spain, Race 2

    The earlier Superpole race saw Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati), claim his 2nd win of the weekend, could the newly crowned champion make it a treble to close out the season in style?

    Round 12 WorldSBK Jerez, Spain 29.10.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK

    Lights out for the last time this season and its Bautista with the hole shot into turn 1, followed by Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who immediately attacked and passed to take over the lead. Bautista 2nd,  Toprak (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 3rd, Aegerter (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 4th, and Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 5th.

    Next lap of the 20 lap race and positions were as follows: 1. Rea 2. Toprak 3. Bautista 4. Aegerter 5. Locatelli 6. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 7. Gardner (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 8. Redding (Rokit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 9. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing) 10. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing).

    With 18 laps remaining, Rea was looking quick out in the lead, and was trying to end his Kawasaki career on a high, he held a gap of 0.7s to Toprak who then posted the new fastest lap with a 1:39.871.

    Next lap and both Rea, and Toprak had got away from the rest, with Bautista in 3rd barely just hanging onto the back, such was the pace being set by Rea, who went on to set the new fastest lap with a 1:39.744. Further back Remi Gardner went through on Locatelli into turn 9 to move up to 6th.

    With 16 laps to go, drama for Rea who lost the front end into the tight turn 2, it was a slow enough crash, and he was able to pick the bike up and rejoin at the back of the field. A disappointing way to end his 9 year career with Kawasaki, as he had been looking so good up until that point. Positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Bautista 3. Aegerter.

    With 14 laps left, Toprak was making the most of his newly acquired lead and held a gap of 0.9s to Bautista behind.

    Approaching half race distance and as has been the story all season long, once the fuel levels have reduced, and his tyres have been managed, Bautista starts to post faster lap times. This was the case again, and he was reeling in Toprak lap by lap, with the gap cut down to 0.3s.

    Just at half race distance and Bautista lined up a move on Toprak out of the straight, and into turn 1, Toprak successfully defended. Meanwhile the battle up front had allowed both Aegerter, and Rinaldi to close in on the leading pair.

    Next lap of the 20 lap race and positions were as follows: 1. Toprak 2. Bautista 3. Aegerter 4. Rinaldi 5. Gardner 6. Petrucci 7. Locatelli 8. Redding 9. Oettl (GoEleven Ducati) 10. Bassani.

    Meanwhile at the front, Bautista continued his assault on the Yamaha R1, this time with a rehearsed block pass into the final corner, but could not make it stick, and Toprak retained the lead.

    Next lap and this time Bautista does take the lead with a superb cut pass under Toprak.

    Round 12 WorldSBK Jerez, Spain 29.10.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK

    With 7 laps remaining, and with shades of the amazing battle between the two at Portimao, the lead was once again being swapped multiple times, this was shaping up to be another intense fight to victory between the two champions.

    Next lap and Toprak ripped the lead back, before Bautista cut under Toprak into turn 5 to retake the lead. The intense battle for the lead had now allowed both Gardner, and Petrucci to join the melee, and the group at the front was now made up of 6 quality riders. Toprak back into the lead before the start of lap 5.

    With only 4 laps left Toprak was still defending his lead. Meanwhile further back a mistake from Rinaldi, meant he dropped several positions down to 6th. Bautista 2nd, Aegerter 3rd, Gardner 4th, Petrucci 5th.

    Onto the final 3 laps and Gardner was now losing contact with the trio ahead of him, such was the scorching pace being set. Toprak held a lead of 0.3s.

    Next lap and Bautista, becoming ever more desperate, once again attacked Toprak into turn 1, the Turkish rider was able to defend to hold onto the lead.

    Onto the final lap and Toprak was in the lead, followed by Bautista in 2nd, and Aegerter in 3rd. Approaching the final corner Bautista tried the block pass, infamously used by Valentino Rossi against Sete Gibernau in a MotoGP race there. Bautista slammed hard on the brakes, dived up the inside of Toprak, but Toprak knew it was coming, and squared the corner off accelerating hard out of the corner and narrowly beat Bautista to the line in a drag race. The Turkish rider’s elation however would be short lived, as race direction subsequently demoted him one position, for exceeding track limits on the final corner.

    Round 12 WorldSBK Jerez, Spain 29.10.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK

    That meant that it was indeed a treble for the newly crowned champion Alvaro Bautista, and what a season he had. Toprak 2nd, Aegerter 3rd, Gardner 4th, Petrucci 5th, Rinaldi 6th, Oettl 7th, Redding 8th, Locatelli 9th, Gerloff 10th.

    Result top 5:

    1. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati)
    2. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)
    3. Aegerter (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
    4. Gardner (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
    5. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing)

    Championship top 3:

    1. Bautista – 628
    2. Razgatlioglu – 552
    3. Rea – 370

     

  • Round 12 WorldSBK, Jerez, Spain, Race 1

    Round 12 WorldSBK, Jerez, Spain, Race 1

    Last round of the 2023 championship, will Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) be able to clinch his 2nd title, or could Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK) snatch a dramatic comeback?

    Round 12 WorldSBK Jerez, Race 1, 28.10.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK – Alvaro Bautista

    The earlier Superpole saw Bautista claim top spot, followed by Domi Aegerter (GRT GYRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and Sam Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

    Lights out for Race 1 and it was Bautista with the hole shot into turn 1, followed by the Kawasaki team mates of Lowes, and Rea in 2nd, and 3rd respectively, followed by the GRT GYRT Yamaha team mates of Aegerter, and Gardner in 4th, and 5th respectively. Rea then charged through on Lowes to take 3rd, while Toprak burst up to 4th, after only starting from 7th on the grid.

    Next lap and Toprak was charging, he cut under Lowes into turn 1 to take 3rd. Positions on lap 2 were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Rea 3. Toprak 4. Lowes 5. Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK) 6. Gardner 7. Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati) 8. Oettl (GoEleven Ducati) 9. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) 10. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing). Toprak then burst through on Rea to take 2nd.

    With 18 laps of 20 remaining, it was Bautista who put in the new fastest lap with a 1:40.3, and held a gap of 0.4s to Toprak behind in 2nd.

    Next lap and Toprak was out to upset the rhythm of Bautista, and was piling the pressure on from behind. The pressure told and Bautista made a slight mistake which allowed Toprak to close the gap down to 0.3s.

    With 17 laps to go, Gardner crashed out into turn 8 after running into the back of Bassani. The Italian managed to stay upright, while the Aussie was sent cartwheeling into the gravel, with pieces of faring flying off the bike.

    Next lap and Toprak responded with a new fastest time of 1:40.351, the lap times were virtually identical between Alvaro, and Toprak. Meanwhile a bad day for GRT GYRT Yamaha got worse, with Domi Aegerter plunging down the order after starting from 2nd on the grid, he was now in 21st.

    With 13 laps to go, Oettl dived up the inside of Bassani to take 6th.

    Next lap of the 20 lap race and Bautista held a lead of 0.1s.

    Round 12 WorldSBK Jerez, Race 1, 28.10.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK

    Half race distance and Bautista had pulled away from Toprak, with the  gap between them now up to 0.9s. Positions were as follows: 1. Bautista 2. Toprak 3. Rea 4. Lowes 5. Locatelli 6. Oettl 7. Petrucci 8. Bassani 9. Rinaldi 10. Vierge.

    With 8 laps to go, Locatelli cut up the inside of Lowes to take 4th, swiftly followed by charging through on Rea into the final corner to take 3rd. Locatelli was finding great late race pace.

    With 7 laps remaining the gap between Bautista, and Toprak had now increased to 2.9s.

    Next lap and Bassani crashed out into turn 9, after Rinaldi seemed to clip the back of his Ducati. Bassani was not at all happy.

    With only 5 laps left, both Oettl, and Petrucci had now caught a slowing Sam Lowes, who seemed to be struggling with grip. Meanwhile Rinaldi was given a long lap penalty for his contact with Bassani.

    Next lap and both Oettl, and Petrucci did get through on Lowes, Lowes dropped to 7th. Meanwhile out in the lead, Bautista was showing no signs of slowing down, and had extended his lead to 3.8s. Toprak held a gap of 6.1s to Rea in 3rd.

    Final 3 laps to go, and Locatelli continued his late charge getting through on Rea to take 3rd, Rea dropped to 4th.

    Round 12 WorldSBK Jerez, Race 1, 28.10.2023 Picture courtesy of WorldSBK – Alvaro Bautista

    Last lap and Alvaro Bautista crossed the line to take the win, and with it his 2nd world championship title; 2. Toprak 3. Locatelli 4. Rea 5. Petrucci 6. Oettl 7. Lowes 8. Rinaldi 9. Lecuona (Honda HRC) 10. Vierge (Honda HRC)

    Result top 5:

    1. Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati)
    2. Razgatlioglu (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK)
    3. Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha WorldSBK)
    4. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
    5. Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing)

    Championship top 3:

    1. Bautista – 591
    2. Razgatlioglu – 526
    3. Rea – 363