There was a huge twist in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title fight in Race 2 at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed out of Race 2 from the lead on the opening lap. The reigning Champion got the holeshot into Turn 1 but crashed out of contention as soon as Turn 3 as his points lead was slashed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who took victory.

Bautista started from second and led into the braking zone at the Variante Tamburello as he went in search of a record-breaking 18^th win of the season. However, he was soon sliding off the track and into the gravel along with his Panigale V4 R as his race came to an end on Lap 1. With Razgatlioglu taking a hard-fought victory over Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), Bautista’s Championship lead was cut by 25 points; it now stands at 70 over the 2021 Champion.

Explaining the crash, Bautista said: “We decided to make the race shorter… and I made it even shorter! I made a mistake. I had a good start and kept a good line, but I just touched the inside white line at Turn 3. Maybe in other laps I touched it without problems but perhaps, on the first laps, the tyres were not 100%, I made a mistake. Next time, I have to be more careful. A pity because we were quite competitive this weekend. We were quite strong in Race 1 and in the Superpole Race. We had a nice battle with Toprak. we were stronger than I expected this weekend. I have to be positive, look forward and try to learn from the mistake.”

Despite the costly crash, Bautista remained optimistic heading into the Czech Round next time out in two weeks, with the Spaniard still having more than a round’s worth of points in hand over his rivals. Bautista looked ahead to the upcoming round, vowing to learn from his mistake, as he looks to defend his title.

He added: “I think it’s important to not make mistakes. It’s what I’m working towards day by day. Today, I think, the combination of Imola being a difficult track for us before we got here, then I felt good on the bike, during the weekend I started to feel like I could fight for wins. If you put all this together, with small details on track, in these difficult conditions like today, it’s easy to crash or make a mistake. It’s good to know and it’s good to learn and not repeat this mistake. Let’s try to keep the mentality. We have to keep working this way and not make mistakes. It’s important to finish all the races. It doesn’t matter if it’s first, second or whatever. We have to finish all the races doing our best but without making mistakes.

Will Bautista bounce back at Most? Find out for HALF PRICE using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The gap in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standing was cut by the maximum 25 points as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took advantage of Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) opening lap crash at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola. The 2021 Champion had to battle his way into the lead in the closing stages of Race 2 at the Prometeon Italian Round after Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) went hunting after a maiden win but was denied with a handful of laps to go.

A KEY MOMENT IN 2023: Bautista tumbles into the gravel, Razgatlioglu wins

Bautista got the holeshot in the shortened 15-lap race, but his race unravelled as soon as it started. He came off his Panigale V4 R at Turn 3 and into the gravel, ending his run of feature length wins in 2023. It allowed 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu to move into the lead as teammate Andrea Locatelli had to take avoiding action. While the Turkish star was in the lead, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) pulled off a mega move to go from fourth to second.

He took advantage of Locatelli running wide at the final chicane at the end of Lap 2 and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) being held up to blast past the pair on the run into the Tamburello chicane to take second. From there, he put in a series of fast laps to close the gap to the Yamaha rider. The gap was just over a tenth on Lap 7 with Rea in hot pursuit of the pair; less than half-a-second separating the top three.

On Lap 8, Bassani made his move on Razgatlioglu for first. He looked to overtake into the Villeneuve chicane first but that didn’t work out, before he went up the inside of his rival at the left-hand hairpin of Tosa. He initially pulled out a small gap, but Razgatlioglu kept in touch as the race entered the final third of the race. At the end of Lap 12, Razgatlioglu made his move into Rivazza 1 with the #47 aiming to cut back into Rivazza 2 although the #54 held on through the exit. On his first full lap with clear air, the Yamaha rider pulled out a six-tenths margin as he went on to claim his first feature-length race win of 2023.

Razgatlioglu was able to claim his 36^th career win and his 102^nd, while it was also Yamaha’s 410^th rostrum in World Superbike. Bassani took his sixth podium in the Championship, and his second this season, as he equalled his best result. Rea took two feature-length race podiums in a single round for the first time in 2023. With Bassani taking the fastest lap, a 1’47.491s on Lap 5,, Bautista secured the Pirelli Best Lap Award for 2023.

CAREER-BEST RESULTS IN THE TOP SIX: Imola ends on a high

Locatelli was demoted to fourth when Rea overtook him at Turn 9 on Lap 3, and he remained there for the rest of the race to take P4 and end his home round in a good way following on from his Tissot Superpole Race podium. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fifth ahead of a three-way scrap for sixth. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) took a career-best sixth after fending off two BMW riders. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) and Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) were separated by just half-a-second at the line with Baz taking P7.

SCORING POINTS: fierce fights for the top 15

Rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was ninth, five seconds down on the fight ahead. He also had a decent margin on the riders behind as they battled it out for a place in the top ten. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) put Honda in the top ten for the first time this weekend as he, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), teammate Dominique Aegerter, Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and Xavi Vierge (Team HRC).

The quintet was changing positions throughout the race with Gardner finishing 0.44s down on Lecuona in 11^th while he was almost two seconds ahead of his teammate. Aegerter was 12^th with Gerloff and Vierge directly behind; just 0.117s separated the trio. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) was the final points scorer in 15^th, with Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) narrowly missing out on a home point. Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing), who started from the pitlane after exceeding the engine allocation, was 17^th ahead of Roberto Tamburini (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) in 18^th and his teammate, Eric Granado, completing the classified riders.

HOUSEKEEPING: the retirements from Race 2

Tito Rabat (Barni Spark Racing Team) crashed out of the race on Lap 5 at Turn 12, while Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) retired after a trip across the gravel. It was a similar story for Oliver Konig (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) while Isaac Vinales (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) crashed at Turn 12 on Lap 9. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a tumble at Turn 7 on Lap 12 which ended his hopes of a top-six finish.

The top six following WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:

1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)

2. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +1.996s

3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.458s

4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometon WorldSBK) +6.111s

5. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +11.154s

6. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) +12.210s

Fastest Lap: Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) – 1’47.491s

Championship standings

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 391                    
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 321
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 208
4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 201
5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 179
6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 129

Watch all the action from Round 8 in the Czech Republic next time out for HALF PRICE using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) put in a masterclass at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola for his second win of the Prometeon Italian Round, closing down early race leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and passing him before extending his gap to more than seven seconds. The FIM Supersport World Championship standings got even closer with Manzi beating Bulega to take out another five points out of the latter’s lead.

ALL-ITALIAN ROSTRUM: the gap closes again…

Bulega got the holeshot as the lights went out for the 17-lap race and the Italian soon pulled out a gap over his rivals, taking advantage of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) seemingly holding up the chasing pack. By the start of Lap 4, the #11 had a lead of 1.513s over the #62 as he lapped in the 1’51s; finding almost a full second compared to his lap times from Race 1. However, Manzi responded soon after to bring the gap down to less than a second by the end of the same lap as Bulega dropped into the 1’52s.

The Yamaha rider kept getting closer to his title rival and soon moved into the lead when he overtook the Ducati rider into the Villeneuve chicane on Lap 7. From there, Manzi was able to pull a gap out with Bulega unable to respond. Bulega’s pace dropped into the 1’53s while Manzi lapped in the high 1’51s to extend his gap, with the Yamaha rider able to manage the gap to claim a double at Imola; only the second time this season he’s scored two podiums in a single round. It also meant the Championship standings closed up further with Manzi taking another five points out of the standing’s leader; the gap is now 41 points.

Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) had been running in the podium places when he crashed at the final chicane on Lap 6. The Italian did remount his Ducati Panigale V2 but brought it into the pits at the end of the next lap and retired. This promoted Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) into third place, and he was relatively unchallenged to claim his fourth podium in WorldSSP and his third of the season so far. It was the eighth all-Italian podium in WorldSSP history.

BEST RESULTS OF 2023: Huertas, de Rosa shine under the scorching sun

Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) had shown strong pace throughout the Round and that culminated in him taking his WorldSSP-best result with fourth. He was five seconds down on Montella in the podium fight, but he was able to take advantage of the scrap behind him to finish three seconds clear. The battle for fifth turned into a four-rider fight as Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) running wide at the Variante Alta with just a few laps to go. The Italian rider claimed fifth, his best result of 2023, while Navarro, Schroetter, and Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) scrapped it out on the final lap. Schroetter tried to pass his Spanish rival into Acque Minerali, but the Yamaha rider responded into the second part to retain sixth place. With Schroetter forced slightly wide, Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) took advantage to claim seventh with the German in eighth.

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP TEN: Edwards takes his best result of the season

Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished in ninth, almost 17 seconds down on the battle ahead of him but it was a dramatic end to the race. He battled with Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team) with the 2017 Champion coming out on top on the final lap. However, the Australian will leave Imola with his best result of the season in the bag as he took tenth; while it was also his best finish since Estoril Race 2 in 2022 when he took ninth. Edwards also finished as the top WorldSSP Challenge rider.

BATTLE OF THE SUBSTITUTES: Verdoia, Fuligni impress

Andy Verdoia (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) secured 11^th place in a race of attrition to take more points, as he fended off Filippo Fuligni (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) in a battle of the late replacement riders. Verdoia was drafted in before FP2 for Apiwath Wongthananon while Fuligni stood in for the injured Andrea Mantovani. Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) took his best result in World Supersport with 13^th, while it was the same for Alvaro Diaz (Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP) as he was 14^th; scoring his first points since graduating to WorldSSP. John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) was the last points scorer with 15th. Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIE Racing) and Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) were the last classified riders in 16^th and 17^th respectively.

HOUSEKEEPING: a race of attrition…

Local rider Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) crashed at Turn 18 on Lap 3 which put him out of the race, while Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) crashed at Turn 14. He re-joined the race but opted to bring his Yamaha machine into the pits and retired. Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was another rider who didn’t finish the race when he tumbled out of the race at Turn 7 on Lap 5. There was drama at the final chicane at the end of Lap 7. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) came off his bike through the Variante Bassa which forced him out of the race; in a separate incident, wildcard Emanuele Pusceddu (J.Angel by Edafos) crashed at the same corner.

Stefano Valtulini (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) crashed out at Turn 9 on Lap 9 as he ended his weekend early. The Italian rider, standing in for the unwell Yuta Okaya, was also given a six-second time penalty, in lieu of a double Long Lap Penalty, for a jump start. Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing), Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) and Harry Truelove (PTR Triumph) all brought their bikes into the pits and retired. Maiki Abe (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) was on course for his best finish of his rookie campaign but a Turn 6 crash in the final laps of the race put him out of contention.

Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) didn’t compete on Sunday after his Race 1 crash. He was reviewed again on Sunday morning, ahead of Warm Up, and declared unfit with a right wrist sprain and contusion, which impaired his use of it.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 2, full results here:

1. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +7.188s

3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +9.804s

4. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +15.370s

5. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +17.370s

6. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +17.636s

Fastest Lap: Stefano Manzi, Yamaha – 1’51.445s

Championship standings

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 283 points

2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 242

3. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 184

4. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) 156

5. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 97

6. Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) 93

WorldSSP heads to the Czech Republic next time out – watch it all for HALF PRICE with the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) beat Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in an epic Tissot Superpole Race scrap at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola. The battle for victory went down to the final lap as the 2021 Champion fought hard to claim his first victory at Imola with the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings closing ever so slightly with the results in the Prometeon Italian Round.

THE FIGHT FOR THE WIN: Locatelli leads, Razgatlioglu beats Bautista for victory

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) once again got the holeshot and defended valiantly despite pressure from teammate Razgatlioglu, with their battle allowing Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) to stay in contention. Razgatlioglu looked to pass his teammate on several occasions but was unable to make the move before the Spaniard bundled his way through on the Turkish star at the Variante Bassa at the end of Lap 5. Just a few corners later and the reigning Champion was out in front as he passed Locatelli into the Variante Tamburello.

It left the two Yamaha riders to fight it out and the 2021 Champion attempted to pass his teammate into the Tosa hairpin, but Locatelli held position. Heading out of Acque Minerali, Locatelli made a small mistake which allowed Razgatlioglu through forcefully at the Variante Alta. He soon closed the gap to Bautista out in front, with Razgatlioglu making the race-winning move at Piratella on Lap 9 as he caught his rival by surprise. Bautista kept him in his sights and looked for a way through on the final lap but the #54 was able to hold on for a hard-fought victory.

The Turk was able to hold on despite last-lap pressure from the defending Champion to claim his third win of the season and close the gap in the Championship standings by three points. It was his 35^th win in WorldSBK, putting him alone at sixth in the all-time list. Bautista took his 77^th podium while Locatelli resisted Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the second half of the race for his 12^th podium. The front row for Race 2 will therefore be Razgatlioglu, Bautista and Locatelli.

MOVING UP THE GRID: Rea charges to P4, Bassani loses grid positions

Rea will lead off the second row after he moved up from seventh on the grid for the Superpole Race and he will be joined by two Italians who go in search of a stunning home result at home. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) renewed their rivalry as they battled over fifth place, with Rinaldi coming out on top after the #47 fell down the order, partly aided by a poor start.

A GOOD STARTING PLACE FOR RACE 2: can they move up the order in Race 2?

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will line up seventh for Race 2 as he finished 0.616s down on Bassani ahead. Danilo Petrucci’s (Barni Spark Racing Team) continued his strong run of form as he scored eighth place, the second consecutive Superpole Race he has taken points from. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will complete the third row in Race 2 as he secured ninth; just beating Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) by 0.194s.

The top nine from the Tissot Superpole Race, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)

2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.244s

3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +1.720s

4. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.969ss

5. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.341s

6. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +4.603s

7. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.219s

8. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +7.536s

9. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +9.407s

Next up, Race 2! Don’t miss any of the action from 14:00 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola for the first time since 2019 with a thrilling Race 1 on Saturday with more of the same promised on Sunday. There have been schedule changes made for the final day of the Prometeon Italian Round due to the very high temperatures forecast, with WorldSBK Race 2’s distance reduced by four laps.

Due to the high temperatures forecast for the final day of the Prometeon Italian Round at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola, Race Direction decided for WorldSBK Race 2, based on a report from the medical director and with the consensus of the riders, to shorten the race length from 19 to 15 laps. The race build-up will also be shortened, with the sighting lap now scheduled five minutes later, at 13:45 Local Time (GMT+2).

Watch all the action from Imola for half price using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) led the way in the 15-minute Warm Up session for the Prometeon Italian Round as the final day of MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action got underway, while there was drama for the reigning Champion. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed at Acque Minerali with just a few minutes left to bring his session to a premature end.

It’s been a stunning return to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola after Race 1’s incredible fight and all the Tissot Superpole session twists. 2021 Champion Razgatlioglu completed eight laps in Warm Up, in a single stint, as he set a best of 1’46.350s; the #54 was 0.054s clear of Bautista. The Spaniard was on a lap that potentially would have moved him into P1, but he crashed at the famous Acque Minerali with less than four minutes remaining in Warm Up. He was unable to re-join the session and completed just four laps. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) continued to show his pace at Imola as he took third, 0.195s down on Razgatlioglu.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fourth with a 1’46.837s while Race 1 podium finisher Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was fifth. Just 0.008s separated Rinaldi and Rea in the timesheets with the top five covered by less than half-a-second. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), one of several riders who led Race 1 on Saturday, took sixth as he set a 1’47.074s.

Rookie Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was another who continued to show his rapid Imola pace as he finished in seventh spot, less than half-a-tenth clear of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team). Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was ninth while Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was the second BMW rider to feature inside the top ten as he set a 1’47.475s to complete the first ten positions.

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who will start the Superpole Race from the front row, was 12^th in Warm Up. Swiss rookie Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was unable to set a lap time. He completed just a single out lap in Warm Up but didn’t record a time.

The top six from WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 1’46.350s

2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 0.054s

3. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.195s

4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.487s

5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.495s

6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.724s

Next up, the Tissot Superpole Race! Watch it all for half price using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Championship held its fifth round at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola and history was made in the class when Aldi Satya Mahendra achieved a huge race winning margin in Race 1, and a second impressive victory in Race 2.

Italy’s classic track of Imola was hotter than ever on Saturday morning, making the technical layout and boiling track temperatures a daunting prospect for the young riders that make up the R3 Championship.

Mahendra made a strong start in Race 1 and managed to dominate the pace from the early stages of the race, with a chasing pack of six eager riders trying hard to keep up. Championship leader and 2022 SuperFinale winner Emiliano Ercolani tried to stick to his plan of starting off calm and pushing in the latter half of the race, but the Italian suffered a crash on the kerbs after shooting into second place with four laps to go. While the pack battled for positions, Mahendra kept his head down to build a phenomenal lead, crossing the line seven seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Krittapat Keankum finished in a hard-fought second place, while Kevin Fontainha completed the podium.

In Race 2 the gaps were smaller and the result much harder to call until the final flag, but Mahendra once again got off to a flying start. Marc Vich and Ercolani gave chase and were joined in the lead group by Keankum and Eduardo Burr. Despite the best efforts of the leading group of seven, they eventually had to surrender to Mahendra’s dominating pace as the Indonesian star extended the gap to two seconds in the closing laps. Ercolani, who worked his way through the field, finish second while Keankum was third. With this double victory, Mahendra moves to second in the title chase and closes the deficit to just 16 points ahead of the final round.

Check out the results for Race 1 and Race 2!

Double winner Aldi Satya Mahendra said: “Today’s hot weather is normal for me coming from Asia, so I didn’t suffer too much. From the first lap of Race 1 I decided that I wanted to try to escape from the group, and I kept that in my mind for the whole race. Finally, I was able to win by seven seconds, which makes me very happy. Then, in Race 2, I managed to win again – it was a smaller gap but I’m so pleased with my performance, especially as it’s my first time in Imola. The title gap is smaller now and I’ll give my best until the end.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

The Prometeon Italian Round marks the second visit to Italy for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2023. Last time the Championship travelled to Italy, the passionate crowd had plenty to cheer with Ducati wins, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) claiming a podium and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) taking a huge step forward. The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola hosts Round 7 of 2023 and in Race 1, the Italians were on form again but narrowly missed out on a rostrum… can they celebrate in style on Sunday?

COULD A TYRE CHANGE HELP LOCATELLI? Used SC0 in Race 1, most rivals use SC1…

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) got off to an incredible start as the lights went out. He blasted into the lead of the race, and he held it until Bassani came through on Lap 2 but took full advantage of his rival’s wobble to re-take the lead before being demoted to fourth as the race progressed. Locatelli and Bassani were the only riders who started on the front five rows to opt for the SC0 soft, and the Yamaha rider discussed whether this cost him a podium.

On his tyre choice and previewing Sunday, Locatelli said: “Maybe the choice of tyres we made for today was wrong because I started to feel a lot of closing and pushing on the left, because this track has a lot of chicanes. It was good race, P4, and not too far from the podium. Maybe, tomorrow, we can get the podium especially in the Superpole Race. We can be strong for 10 laps and then we will see, but we need to be happy because it’s my first time here at Imola with this bike. Battling with Bautista and Toprak is one target we can have. Tomorrow, I would like to fight. I think we have a good chance to fight with them.”

WILL RINALDI’S LUCK TURN? “I will try to improve my speed so I can fight for the podium.”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was declared fit to ride on Friday following his Donington Park crash and showed good pace from the start. In Superpole, he was set to move to the top of the timesheets, but yellows flags meant his best time, when he was up on the fastest time of the session, was lost. In the race, he battled from eighth to fifth but was able to make progress despite closing in on Locatelli.

Looking ahead to Sunday, Rinaldi stated: “I started from eighth and I pushed a lot from the beginning. I needed to fight with some riders and spent a lot of energy. In the end, I wasn’t able to have enough to for a higher position even if I closed the gap. We were unlucky in Superpole because I had four yellow flags and one was when I was doing the best lap. I didn’t want a non-score in Race 1 or make crazy moves. I want to have a good Superpole Race to start in a better position for Race 2. I will try to improve my speed so I can fight for the podium.”

“THE FEELING WASN’T GOOD”: leading laps but dropping back

Bassani led a lap of Race 1 at Imola when he overtook Locatelli but a huge moment on Lap 3 dropped him down the order. He was unable to fight back and finished the race in seventh place, the last of a quartet of Italians from P4 to P7. After an emotional home podium at Misano the last time WorldSBK raced in Italy, Bassani will be hoping he can repeat that on Sunday.

Discussing where he’s looking to improve, Bassani commented: “Not the race we wanted. I started well but after two laps, the feeling with the bike wasn’t the same as free practice. I started to have a lot of problems with the front tyre. I tried to manage to finish the race. The feeling wasn’t good. I don’t know. Now we will try to understand why. The bike was the same as practice, the tyres were the same. We’ll look at the data and try to understand what we can do tomorrow. I think we have the potential for a podium. We are really fast. We will try to start Sunday with a good feeling and battle for the podium.”

PETRUCCI AIMS FOR ANOTHER ROSTRUM: “A podium in Italy would be great!”

Full of confidence after his podium at Donington, Petrucci is looking to repeat that in Italy. He missed out on a home rostrum at Misano when he crashed while chasing Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) but, in contrast to Locatelli and Bassani, had to fight his way up the grid. He started tenth and moved into the top ten with rapid end-of-race pace to finish sixth; five seconds from Locatelli. Could a good Tissot Superpole Race – and a higher starting position for Race 2 – propel Petrucci to the podium?

Petrucci said: “Finishing as top Independent is a good target for us. We made a good step forward at Misano. I’m happy about this but the Championship is so competitive, you always have to be on top. It will be very tough tomorrow because we have two races. The Superpole Race will be very important to maybe gain some positions for the Race 2 grid. A podium in Italy on my home soil would be great. Today, we were quite far from the podium, but we started in the middle, so I need to gain some positions.”

Can the home heroes score an emotional podium or win on Sunday? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) put in an almost-flawless performance to claim victory in the FIM Supersport World Championship’s opening race of the Prometeon Italian Round as he took a hefty haul of points out of Nicolo Bulega’s (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) Championship lead. The race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola was red-flagged with the leaders on the final lap as the Championship battle heated up under the scorching Italian sun.

A TITLE RACE TWIST: Manzi wins, closes the gap to Bulega

Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) got the holeshot but he was soon out of contention as he tumbled into the gravel at Turn 6 on the opening lap with the Italian dropping to last. He was able to re-join the race but, he opted to bring his bike back into the pits and retire. This allowed Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) to take the lead and escape from Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) in third, who seemed to be holding up Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).

The Championship leader soon passed his compatriot as he moved into third and tried to close down Manzi and Schroetter ahead, as he looked to make up an almost two-second gap from Lap 2. By the end of Lap 3, the gap had been halved to just nine tenths to Schroetter and lapping around two tenths faster than the rookie directly ahead, although Schroetter was maintaining the gap to Manzi in the lead of the race. Bulega was three tenths quicker than the MV Agusta on Lap 5 as he set a 1’51.184s for the fastest lap at the time.

Once the Italian got on the back of Schroetter, he was unable to make the move with the gap between the top three just over a second at the start of Lap 10. Manzi started opening the lead over Schroetter with the fastest lap on Lap 10 as he set a 1’52.162s, three tenths quicker than the rookie, to extend his lead to over a second. His pace kept allowing him to extend the lead to around two seconds as the race progressed and he closed the gap in the Championship standings to Bulega by nine points; the gap is now 46 points with Bulega finishing in third place.

In his first campaign on Yamaha machinery, Manzi took his second win on the YZF-R6 and third in WorldSSP while it was also Yamaha’s 140^th win in the Championship. It was Manzi’s 13^th podium since he joined World Supersport, while Schroetter claimed his fifth in his rookie campaign. Bulega’s third place gave him his 20^th rostrum while it was also the 50^th for Ducati; the Bologna-based manufacturer able to celebrate a milestone on home soil.

DRAMA UNTIL THE END: the fight for fourth rages on

There was an eventful scrap for fourth between two WorldSSP300 graduates as Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) fought it out. Sofuoglu made the move on the 2021 WorldSSP300 Champion at Tosa, the left-hand hairpin, on Lap 8 to move into fourth but the Spaniard did not let Sofuoglu escape. On Lap 14, Niki Tuuli (PTR Triumph) fought his way up to fourth as he demoted Sofuoglu and Huertas, while French rider Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) overtook the Spaniard for sixth.

A lap later, Sofuoglu and Tuuli scrapped it out with the Finn passing his adversary into Rivazza 2 after Sofuoglu went defensive into the first Rivazza but he responded almost immediately as he pulled off a superb late-braking move on Tuuli into the final chicane. As the pair entered the Variante Bassa on the penultimate lap, Tuuli lost the front of his bike with Huertas having nowhere to go; the pair crashed, and the red flags were shown to end the race before the final lap could be completed. Tuuli was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. The results were taken from the last completed time-keeping point for each rider.

That crash meant Montella was classified in fifth place with Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in sixth. The Italian was involved in the final chicane incident but was able to stay on his bike, although he did lose time to Montella ahead. Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) was promoted to seventh. Debise, who had been involved in that battle, retired from the race with a handful of laps to go with a technical issue.

IN THE TOP TEN: Booth-Amos extends WorldSSP Challenge lead

Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) made another appearance in parc ferme as he secured top spot in the WorldSSP Challenge with eighth place, extending his standings lead over his WorldSSP Challenge rivals, and finished two seconds down on Spinelli. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who continues to substitute for Can Oncu, secured ninth while Huertas was able to remount his Kawasaki ZX-6R to be classified in tenth place.

LATE CALL UPS NO PROBLEM: success so far at Imola

Filippo Fuligni (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), who received a late call-up to replace the injured Andrea Mantovani, took points on his WorldSSP return with 11^th. He was ahead of wildcard Luca Ottaviani (Extreme Racing Service), with the Italian having three seconds added to his race time by the FIM Stewards. He was deemed to have ridden slowly in FP2 with the Stewards handing him a three-second penalty in lieu of a Long Lap Penalty. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) battled his way back to take 13^th after he was involved in a Lap 1 incident, while two riders who did not expect to race this weekend secured points. Andy Verdoia (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) stepped in for the still injured Apiwath Wongthananon and took 14^th while Stefano Valtulini, replacing Yuta Okaya who’s suffering with gastroenteritis, was the last points scorer. Valtulini also had a three-second penalty after cutting the chicane at Turn 21, with this sanction given instead of a Long Lap Penalty.

HOUSEKEEPING: the retirements from Race 1

Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) crashed out of the race at Turn 2 on the opening lap after an incident involving Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team), Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) and wildcard Emanuele Pusceddu (J. Angel by Edafos). The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM Stewards with Pusceddu given a three-second time penalty, as an equivalent to a Long Lap, for irresponsible riding. This was his second time penalty, as he also had one for slow riding in FP2. However, before the penalties could be applied at the end of the race, the Italian was forced to stop with a technical problem.

Alvaro Diaz (Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP) crashed at Turn 18 after he was enjoying a strong weekend, with the reigning WorldSSP300 Champion taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and declared fit. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) had his second crash of the day at Turn 12 on Lap 5 which forced him out of the race. Malaysia’s Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) retired from the race not long after Navarro’s crash. Harry Truelove (PTR Triumph) and John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) also did not finish.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:

1 Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)

2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

4. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)

5. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)

6. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)

Fastest Lap: Stefano Manzi (Yamaha) – 1’52.162s

Watch WorldSSP Race 2 from 12:30 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The top two in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings engaged in a fierce fight as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) duelled it out for victory at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola. Championship leader Bautista came out on top after the incredible scrap despite a huge moment in the early stages of the race and Razgatlioglu’s efforts to win at Imola.

Bautista started the race from fourth and was soon ahead of his rival but the 2021 Champion pulled off a sublime overtake on the Spaniard as he went around the outside on the entry to the Variante Alta for second place. Razgatlioglu then made his way into the lead when he passed teammate Andrea Locatelli, before Bautista overtook the Italian on Lap 5 at the Variante Alta. From there, it became a two-way scrap as the pair each hunted an Imola victory.

Razgatlioglu was able to keep the reigning Champion at bay for the first half of the 19-lap race, with Bautista dropping down to third on Lap 8 when he had a huge wobble on the run out of Acque Minerali and into the chicane. This allowed Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) to pass but Bautista was soon back ahead of the six-time World Champion at Rivazza 1. He once again set his target back on the Turk out in front with the crucial move coming into the same corner on Lap 11.

From that point, Bautista extended his lead to over 3.5 seconds to claim a 17^th victory of the season although Razgatlioglu didn’t make it easy for him; putting him on the verge of more history. One more win in WorldSBK will be his 50^th while it will also be his 18^th of the season, meaning he will have won more races in a single campaign than anyone else.

Discussing his win, Bautista said: “Honestly, I didn’t expect to win. It was only my second time here at Imola. Today, we made a small change to the bike, and I felt much better in the morning. It started to feel like it did at the other tracks. The race was really tough because it was hot and very slippery. In the beginning, I didn’t feel much confidence to push in the opening laps. I saw several riders with more confidence than me. I started to, step by step, push more. We were missing some grip. I thought it was maybe because I don’t have clean air and the front is struggling a bit. I had some laps with clean air. The feeling with the front was improving so I tried to stay in front and, at least, the front was better.”

Although he was unable to take victory, Razgatlioglu’s second place gave him his 100^th WorldSBK rostrum. He is only the sixth rider to hit this milestone after Rea, Troy Corser, Noriyuki Haga, Tom Sykes and Carl Fogarty. The results mean Bautista’s lead in the standings is now at 98 points over his rival, while Razgatlioglu is 96 points clear of teammate Locatelli in third place.

Reacting to his milestone podium, Razgatlioglu commented: “I’m waiting for 100 wins! We have time for this. Today, wasn’t a bad race. I’m not 100% happy because I finished the race in second position. My goal is to win a race. In Race 1, I was feeling good but when the tyres started to drop, I saw the Ducati still had very good acceleration. I tried to keep fighting with him, but it wasn’t enough. It’s better than nothing.”

More racing action is to come tomorrow with the Superpole Race and Race 2: watch it all using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com