There may be a break between WorldSBK race events at present, but the riders have remained in the hot seat, with BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu breaking the Misano lap record in testing last week.
The Turkish rider, champion with Yamaha in 2021, has won more races than any other rider this year following his switch to the German manufacturer. Having broken the lap record on the first day of the test on Thursday, he did it again on the second day for ROKiT BMW Motorrad, lapping a tenth of a second quicker than his previous best.
Such was his speed, the Turkish rider was over half a second clear of the field, headed by six-time champion Jonathan Rea aboard the Pata Prometeon Yamaha. Margins were much closer behind with Rea just 0.020s clear of Ducati’s impressive series newcomer Nicolo Bulega, already a race winner this year, with his reigning double champion teammate Alvaro Bautista less than half a tenth further back despite four crashes across the test.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometon Yamaha) and GYTR GRT Yamaha runner Remy Gardner completed the top-six on Friday.
While Razgatlioglu may have been well clear in testing, the action in WorldSBK this year has been intense to say the least. In addition to his wins, Bautista and Kawasaki’s Alex Lowes are others to have two victories to their names, with Bulega and Nicholas Spinelli having also stood on the top step of the podium in 2024, making for five different winners from the nine races held so far.
The next race event takes place at Misano in less than two weeks time, and then it’s the annual visit to Donington Park for the UK round on 12-14 July.
Three WorldSBK races are the main headline act of Donington’s big international event of the year, with further action from World Supersport, Yamaha R3 Blu Cru European Cup, Tracker Kawasaki Superteen Championship, BMW Motorrad F 900 R Cup and the new FIM Women’s World Championship.
All spectators will enjoy free paddock access throughout the event, including the lively Paddock Show stage where all the main race podiums take place, plus Q&As, fun and games, giveaways, concerts and the unique Victory Lane where fans can high five the winning riders as they head to the podium.
Tickets are available in advance, with main race day admission priced at £45 for adults, with further savings on offer for teenagers aged 13-15 and free entry all weekend for children under-13. For more information and to book, click here.