Toprak Razgatlioglu produced yet another Donington Park masterclass in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, leading from lights to flag, to claim victory in the Tissot Superpole Race this morning (Sunday).
Razgatlioglu shot into the lead from pole position as the shorter 10-lap contest got underway on the East Midlands circuit’s longer Grand Prix layout. Jonathan Rea slotted into second behind the leading BMW, with Nicolo Bulega third as the pack filed through Redgate for the first time.
Like in Saturday’s opening full-distance race, Razgatlioglu wasted no time in pulling away from the chasing pack, setting an impressive pace to build an advantage. Rea however was immediately under pressure, with Bulega’s Ducati all over his Yamaha. The Italian attacked on lap three, and despite Rea’s efforts, he was forced to settle into third by the time they left the Melbourne Loop.
Rea ceded another place midway through the following lap when Sam Lowes, recovering from an accident on Saturday, passed him for third at the Old Hairpin. From there, the lead trio were relatively untroubled to the flag, with Razgatlioglu managing the gap to cross the line just under three seconds ahead of Bulega.
For Sam Lowes, the result represented a first British visit of the weekend to the WorldSBK podium. His popular ride to the rostrum came just a day after he was eliminated from the opener at turn one, whilst brother Alex fell from the lead and was declared unfit to race today.
Behind the leading trio, the fast starting Rea lost even further ground as the race reached its halfway point, with Alvaro Bautista taking fourth. Rea would later lose fifth too, with teammate Andrea Locatelli making a move at the Fogarty Esses on the final lap, forcing the Northern Irishman to settle for sixth.
Danilo Petrucci was seventh across the line with Garrett Gerloff claiming eighth after passing Andrea Iannone on the final lap. Dominique Aegerter rounded out the top-10.
MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Tissot Superpole Race
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati), +2.804s
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), +3.874s
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati), +4.420s
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), +6.943s
- Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha), +7.387s
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), +8.699s
- Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), +9.141s
- Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven), +9.546s
- Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), +10.041s