Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed an emphatic victory for his ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team squad during the first of three MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship races at Donington Park across the weekend this afternoon. This victory for the Turkish rider was his 10th at the East Midlands circuit, making him the championship’s most successful at the venue.

Razgatlioglu produced a great start from pole position to lead as the pack streamed into Redgate for the first time, with a quick starting Jonathan Rea moving up to second on his Yamaha with Alex Lowes third. A slower getaway for Nicolo Bulega dropped him a little further back from the front row.

A three-rider collision in the middle of the pack eliminated Sam Lowes, Alvaro Bautista and Yari Montella almost immediately, but the leading group avoided trouble as they rocketed down the Craner Curves. Alex Lowes was up to second by the time they crossed the start-finish line again, and he managed to pass Razgatlioglu shortly afterwards to take the lead in front of his home crowd.

Razgatlioglu set about catching his rival promptly, but he ran wide at the start of the third lap, allowing Alex Lowes even more room to breathe at the front. The British rider’s joy was to be short-lived however, as he crashed out from the front at the Craner Curves a lap later, handing Razgatlioglu a lead he wouldn’t give up thereafter.

Further back, Rea began to slip back after his quick start and ceded a place to his Pata Maxus Yamaha teammate Andrea Locatelli with the recovering Bulega following him past just moments later. Bulega then moved past Locatelli to take second place and assumed a runner-up spot he would ultimately hold until the chequered flag.

Another rider on the move was Danilo Petrucci, who’d started only ninth but was gradually making his way up the order through the middle part of the race. He made his way past Rea on lap eight and swept past Locatelli a handful of laps later to move into third. British favourite Scott Redding was yet another making moves, following in Petrucci’s wake to rise up to fourth ahead of the two Yamahas by lap 12 – an almighty effort after starting down in 17th.

As the race wore on, Redding began to fall back towards the Yamahas with Locatelli and Rea forming up behind in close formation. Locatelli made a decisive move to reclaim fourth at the Old Hairpin, with Rea ultimately having to wait until the penultimate lap to pass Redding at the Melbourne hairpin.

At the front, Razgatlioglu eased the pace slightly to ride across the line over six seconds clear of Bulega. Petrucci held onto third, almost 12 seconds back, with Locatelli and Rea completing the top-five.

Redding held off further pressure late on, resisting late attention from both Dominique Aegerter and Garrett Gerloff to cross the line in sixth. Behind that trio, Remy Gardner and Andrea Iannone completed the top-10.

MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Race 1

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu  (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati), +6.535s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), +11.775s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), +14.446s
5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha), +16.160s
6. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing), +16.733s
7. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), +17.089s
8. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), +17.205s
9. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), +19.911s
10. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven), +21.942s

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