The FIM Supersport World Championship reached the halfway stage of 2023 at Donington Park and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) capitalised on his rivals’ mixed weekends to extend his standings lead to 55 points. Bulega convincingly won Race 1 and Race 2 during the Prosecco DOC UK Round to take his tally of wins to eight for the season as he strengthened his grip on the World Championship.

Bulega claimed pole position with a record-breaking lap as he set a 1’29.323s to obliterate the previous eight-year-old lap record, with two of his flying laps underneath Kenan Sofuoglu’s record of 1’29.925s. The top three in Tissot Superpole went faster than the five-time Champion’s time but it was the Italian ace who secured a stunning pole position; Ducati’s first at the British circuit since Vittoriano Guareschi took pole in 2001.

The Italian resisted early pressure in Race 1 to win by 1.2 seconds although title rival Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) did reduce the gap from three seconds on Lap 15 to just over a second at the end of the 19-lap battle. Sunday’s Race 2 started off in a similar way before Bulega’s title rivals faltered to hand him victory and the Italian extended his Championship lead to more than a round’s worth of points.

Manzi crashed at Turn 11 on Lap 5 which dropped him down the order, with the Yamaha rider re-joining in tenth. On Lap 7, he passed three riders including Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at Turn 1, with French rider Mahias forced onto the grass. The FIM Stewards gave Manzi a Long Lap Penalty for this incident which he took on Lap 10 before the Italian battled his way back up to fifth. Bulega’s other title rival, Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), crashed out of Race 2 on Lap 15 at Turn 12 as he scored no points, while he could only manage eighth in Race 1. The German’s results mean he has dropped to fourth in the standings, level with Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) as they trail Bulega by 91 points.

Bulega, who has a 55-point lead over his nearest rival, said: “It was a perfect weekend, more than this is impossible. Two fastest laps, pole position, a lap record and two victories. It’s incredible. I enjoyed every lap at this beautiful track. Now, we’re already thinking about Imola, the next round and my home round. It will be very nice. It’s incredible to have this advantage, 50 more points in my pocket after this weekend and with good speed. This is the most important. I enjoyed it every time I went on track with my bike. I just want to continue this way and be fast in every race until the end of the year.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on Donington Park for Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) home round as the six-time Champion looked for his first win of the season. The Northern Irishman was able to collect two podium finishes during the Prosecco DOC UK Round but was left ruing what might have been after coming within touching distance of a win in Sunday’s Tissot Superpole Race.

Rea secured his 250^th podium in Race 1 as he claimed third place and he repeated that result in Sunday’s 10-lap battle although he narrowly missed out on victory by just half a second. 118-time race winner Rea had led for the first eight laps but found himself demoted to second on Lap 9 when Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) fought his way through, followed by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at the Foggy Esses on the final lap.

Discussing Bautista’s move and the Superpole Race, Rea said: “He parked it on the apex, which was a little bit naughty, I had nowhere to go. It was either release the brakes and go through the gravel or completely compromise any sort of counterattack. It’s an old hand move. Toprak did the same to me last year. One of those and I just got beaten. It was a tough one to swallow because I did so much in that race; leading for eight laps. To be done on the penultimate lap by Toprak and then by Alvaro when I was trying to set up a move on Toprak was a little bit frustrating.”

The Superpole Race results meant Rea was going in search of three podiums in a single round for the first time in 2023. He was in the top three for the majority of the encounter but dropped down to fifth in the closing stages. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) came by on Lap 18 before Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) followed him through a lap later.

Reflecting on Race 2, Rea added: “It was frustrating to lose the fight for the podium at the end. From the mid-part of the race, I ran out of rear traction. I was spinning a lot and the bike was moving. With Scott, I thought maybe I could fight in the last corners, but he put together a pretty good penultimate and last sector. It’s hard when the results are flipped; if I’d finished off the way I started in the Superpole Race; I’d have been super happy. It so goes that the start of my day was great and it didn’t end so well with a P5, but we learnt a little bit more about our bike. When the grip levels came up and more rubber went down on the track, we struggled. The good thing with testing is we’ve sort of ticked the box of helping the front of the bike. Now we need to manage the rear tyre a little bit better at the end of races.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has reached its halfway point after the Prosecco DOC UK Round at Donington Park; the sixth round of 2023 was a fantastic affair, and that is reflected in the stats. From first-time front rows and podiums to making even more history despite difficulties, the stats are in from Donington Park.

250 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) achieved his 250th WorldSBK podium in Race 1; he made it 251 with third in the Superpole Race.

156 – Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) took became the 156^th rider to start on a WorldSBK front row after Superpole, with his maiden front row in third at Donington Park.

129/34 – ‘Petrux’ took his first podium in WorldSBK at Donington Park in Race 2, becoming the 129^th different podium finish in the Championship. He’s also the 34^th to achieve at least one WorldSBK podium and one MotoGP™ podium.

99 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) managed a hat-trick of podiums this weekend, meaning he’s on 99 for his WorldSBK career. Imola will be his first chance to hit 100 – he took a first rostrum of the 2019 season in Race 1 at that circuit.

85 – Spain now has 85 victories in WorldSBK, courtesy of Bautista’s Race 2 win.

75 – 75 podiums for Alvaro Bautista, who matches Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri in tenth place in all-time WorldSBK podium rankings.

74 – Razgatlioglu and Rea stood on the podium together for the 74^th time in the Tissot Superpole Race at Donington Park, a new record for podiums shared together in WorldSBK. Previously, the record was 73, with Chaz Davies and Rea.

48 – 48 wins for Bautista in his career, which means two wins at Imola will see him become the fourth rider in WorldSBK history to achieve 50, after Jonathan Rea, Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss.

34 – Razgatlioglu’s 34^th career win came in the Tissot Superpole Race, matching Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) for sixth in the all-time rankings.

18 – 18 consecutive races on the podium for Yamaha, their best streak in WorldSBK.

17 – Andrea Locatelli becomes the 17^th rider to achieve 25 consecutive points-scoring finishes; it’s currently the biggest streak of 2023. The all-time record is Jonathan Rea at 48.

16 – 16 wins for Bautista in 2023, which means he is just one away from the record 17 in one season, held by Doug Polen from 1991 and Jonathan Rea from 2017 and 2018.

12 – Ducati’s 12-year wait for victory at Donington Park was ended by Bautista in Race 1 on Saturday, the first winner or the Italian brand since his compatriot Carlos Checa in Race 2, 2011.

11 – Bautista matched his 2019 record and Jonathan Rea’s 2018 record for number of race wins in a row at 11. He was beaten by Razgatlioglu in the Superpole Race, not able to set a new record.

4 – A best result of the year for Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who took fourth in Race 2.

0.537s – The Superpole Race podium of Razgatlioglu, Bautista and Rea was covered by 0.537s, the closest podium of the season so far.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Six rounds are done, six rounds are left to go in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. There have been thrilling battles, fierce fights and plenty of drama in the first half of the season but attention has already turned to the second part of the campaign. Two rounds in July take place before the August break, and then there are four crucial rounds in six weeks to end the season in September and October. You can watch every single moment using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now HALF PRICE.

2023 has seen some incredible moments so far, from a stunning wet race in Australia, a dramatic conclusion to Race 2 in Indonesia, thrilling fights as WorldSBK returned to Europe and much more. Misano had a late-race twist for the podium fight while Donington featured the ‘Titanic Trio’ scrapping it out for victory as a rookie stunned for his first WorldSBK podium after taking a huge step forward in recent rounds.

World Superbike makes a return to the historic Imola venue next time out before the Autodrom Most, a circuit which has become an instant hit, hosts Round 8. A well-deserved summer break in August follows. Magny-Cours is the venue to resume WorldSBK action before an Aragon-Portimao double header and the season finale taking place at the stunning San Juan in Argentina. You can watch all the action in the second half of the season for just €34.99 when you subscribe for the second half of the season.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) currently leads the standings but faces stiff competition from his rivals after a hard-fought UK Round last time out. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) is looking to end his Yamaha association with the title before a switch to BMW, while there’s also an unpredictable battle for the bronze medal between Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing).

Not only will you be able to watch every session LIVE and UNINTERRUPTED throughout the rest of 2023, you will get access to an extensive historic archive. You can relive the best bits from recent seasons or take a longer trip down memory lane and enjoy classic races from years gone by. As well as archive content, you will get access to the ‘UNFILTERED’ series, a behind-the-scenes look at rounds, as well as ‘RELIVE’ videos; to catch up on all the action in a shorter time. Don’t forget there is also the post-round highlights show, a comprehensive review of all the action from each round.

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The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season is halfway there, but some of the key headlines are surrounding the 2024 grid. Silly season is sillier than ever before, and the talk is centred around BMW for the time being. After Toprak Razgatlioglu’s bombshell switch from his current Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, the transfer market has hit overdrive and it shows no signs of relenting. Current factory BMW riders Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark are both vying to remain inside the factory camp, and both spoke to the media across the weekend to share their views on their 2024 whereabouts.

VAN DER MARK VYING TO PARTNER TOPRAK: “I have nothing to worry about”

Speaking on Friday, van der Mark – who has been out injured since his home round at Assen – was adamant in his future, saying that he’s got no reason be worried: “I’ve been staying home for a while now and I haven’t enjoyed it! I’ll be back on the grid next year, I have nothing to worry about. That’s all I can say.”

Asked about whether the idea is to continue with BMW or not, the Dutchman responded: “That’s my idea for sure… like I say, I have nothing to worry about and first of all, I need to be fully fit. We have had 2 years with a lot of injuries so hopefully, the bad luck is over.” Questioned on when we can expect an announcement, the 2014 WorldSSP Champion was coy: “I have no idea but we’ll see.”

The five-time WorldSBK race winner – including being the only one to achieve it with BMW in the last 10 seasons so far – also shared his thoughts on good friend Toprak joining the team for 2024, something he welcomed publicly at the time, giving intrigue about his own future: “I think it is good; Toprak is always motivated and pushes hard. He has a different way riding style, that’s for sure, so it will be interesting to see how he works on our bike. BMW is pushing really hard on development which is what we need, so the commitment is there and Toprak will be there. Everyone can’t wait to see what happens!”

REDDING PRIORITY TO STAY WITH BMW? “I have the BMW option which is important for me”

Across the box and Scott Redding has already confirmed that he has until July 15^th to decide whether he’d like to take up his option to remain with BMW or to walk away after two seasons. It’s been a tough two years for the #45, with no victories, although a strong home round at Donington Park could have given him plenty of food for thought regarding whether he stays or goes.

Speaking about his own future ahead of the round, Redding said that “time is running out” to make a decision, but his “priority” was to continue with BMW and in WorldSBK, although he’s “looking at all other options”, wherever that might be. He also said that “I need to believe in the project like they’ve believed in me, and I just think that this weekend, having a reset and regroup and to understand a bit more, will help me make some decisions for the future.”

So, the reset brought a first top four finish of the season and general competitivity across the full-distance races, so what did the 30-year-old say at the close of the weekend: “It feels nice to feel like Scott Redding on the bike! It’s been a tough season but to have the feeling of the bike talking to me, I can understand what to do and how to ride and be able to push the bike in the way that I want. It’s been an enjoyable two races!”

However, 2024 is where the juicy stuff is, so with the improved feeling, has it helped at all in his decision making? “There’s obviously a lot of talk going on at the moment and just to show people that I’ve still got it… I know that I have it and it is hard to convince people when the results aren’t showing. When I’m racing, I know what I can or can’t do but I can express that as much as I want but in reality, people don’t care, they want results. Sunday was good to be top BMW and come through so strong, I’m happy. I can come in and say ‘this is me able to ride a bike, not a passenger’ so I hope in the next races, we can have something good as well.”

Getting the spicy part of his future, Redding confirmed that he’s like to be staying in WorldSBK: “I think you’ll be seeing me in this paddock, that’s for sure. We need to see. I have the BMW option which is important for me and that’s where I’m at. Let’s see in the next couple of weeks and see if I can get something to be at the front.”

ALTERNATIVE OPTION: both are teammates to Toprak?

It’s unconventional but it has been done before and it is allowed. A team can field three bikes within one team and maybe if Redding does take up his option to remain and van der Mark stays – he said on the grid at Assen for the Dutch GP to MotoGP.com that his “teammate will be fast next year” when talking about Toprak’s arrival – then the rules do permit a three-bike team.

In 2008, the Alstare Suzuki outfit did this with riders Fonsi Nieto, Yukio Kagayama and Max Neukirchner and in the same year, the Ten Kate Honda team had Carlos Checa, Kenan Sofuoglu and Ryuichi Kiyonari in their team. In 2012, Effenbert Liberty Ducati had a three-rider team of Sylvain Guintoli, Jakub Smrz and the late Maxime Berger. In 2013, the Goldbet BMW outfit put an extra bike on the grid at Magny-Cours for a wildcard with Sylvain Barrier alongside regular riders Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies whilst in 2018, Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s presence expanded to three riders, albeit with Michael Ruben Rinaldi in the “Junior Team”, with riders Davies and Melandri up in the main factory setup.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Following in the footsteps of recent documentaries in ‘The Final Stunt’ and ‘The Return’, the latest WorldSBK documentary tells the story of one of the greatest season-long battles ever seen in motorcycle racing. ‘The Showdown – Imola 2002’ rekindles the magic of Sunday, 29th of September, 2002, when fierce rivals Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss duked it out for the Championship until the final lap of the season and ahead of our return to Imola in 2023, the magic remains unrivalled from over 20 years ago.

However, this latest WorldSBK documentary doesn’t just go back to the day of that famous race, but it looks at the 2002 season and how Troy Bayliss and Ducati’s domination at the start of the year couldn’t resist the late charge and tenacity of Colin Edwards and his Honda team. From six race wins and making history in the opening three rounds, the Championship lead was 58 points with nine races to go; it would need to be the greatest comeback ever seen for Colin Edwards to have a real chance at the title. Laguna Seca’s Race 2 welcomed a home win for Edwards and whilst Bayliss encountered bad luck in the next rounds – notably a scary Warm Up crash at the next round at Brands Hatch and a crash from the podium at the penultimate round at Assen – Edwards kept winning.

Arriving to Imola as the new Championship leader and going into the final race with just six points between them, the stage was set for one of the biggest battles in dramatic fashion. With a capacity 97,700 crowd watching on, countless passes for victory, the strategy of tactics and of course, the sensational, hair-raising final lap, the story and rivalry comes alive just like it did on the day itself.

With all of the emotion of that day revisited by people who were part of it first-hand, including Edwards and Bayliss themselves, Edwards’ crew chief Adrian Gorst, Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi and Ducati project director Paolo Ciabatti. The most successful rider of all-time in WorldSBK, six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea, casts his mind back to that incredible day, whilst double WorldSBK Champion and current commentator within the paddock James Toseland reflects on it all too. There’s also valuable insight from journalists Gordon Ritchie and Carlo Baldi.

For many, this is you – the fans’ – favourite race of all-time and the one that remains synonymous with WorldSBK to this day. Now, you can enjoy it like you’ve never been able to before, with all the edge-of-your-seat drama, tense moments of doubt, illustrious times of celebration and the story from the stars themselves – from both then and now – in a compelling documentary.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship headed to Donington Park for Round 6 as the 2023 campaign hit the halfway stage. The wins were shared between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) while rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) secured a first rostrum. However, there were also disappointments further down the grid after a dramatic Prosecco DOC UK Round.

A ROOKIE PODIUM: Petrucci’s step forward shows

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) made a big step forward last time out at Misano but a couple of incidents meant he didn’t realise his potential. Fast forward to Donington and the rookie shone throughout the round. A first front row in Tissot Superpole was followed by fourth in Race 1 – his best result in 2023; for a day, at least – before he stepped onto the rostrum for the first time in Race 2 after a brilliant charge through the field. He’s stated his goal is to win in WorldSBK… how long until ‘Petrux’ is on the top step after his breakthrough on the Panigale V4 R?

THE RETURN OF THE ‘TITANIC TRIO’: their fierce fights reoccur

Donington Park featured the ‘Titanic Trio’ resuming their rivalries at the front of the order. While Bautista and Razgatligolu shared the wins, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) made it difficult for them as he went in search of his first win of 2023. In the Tissot Superpole Race, the Ulsterman led for the majority before being demoted to third over the last two laps as the fights intensified. Race 2 was another unforgettable bout between the trio as they all battled hard for victory. It also meant Bautista ended Ducati’s Donington difficulties with two wins; extending his lead in the Championship to 93 points.

A NEW MILESTONE: podium 250 for the #65…

While the six-time Champion was unable to end his win drought, he did rack up a new milestone. His Race 1 rostrum was his 250^th in WorldSBK as he became the first rider to hit this incredible record and he made it 251 in the Superpole Race. He is now 121 clear of Troy Corser in second place in the all-time list. His two UK Round podiums meant he moved onto 18 at Donington, moving him ahead of Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) for rostrums at the historic circuit.

WHAT COULD’VE BEEN? disappointment but not necessarily a down…

British rookie Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had high hopes coming into his home round but his goal of reaching the top ten was left unfulfilled. He was taken out in Race 1, leaving his bike parked upside down in the gravel. He battled for 12^th in the Superpole Race – his joint best of the season – before securing points in Race 2 with 13^th. The reigning British champion will head to Imola with his head held high after a strong performance, but perhaps ruing what might have been after showing strong pace in Friday’s mixed conditions.

HONDA’S PERFORMANCE: only one top-ten appearance for Team HRC all weekend

There will undoubtedly be questions asked about Honda’s performance at Donington Park after a disaster of a weekend. Only once did Team HRC secure a top-ten result and that was in FP1 on Friday, where running was limited due to the conditions. Their best result was in Race 1 when Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) took 11^th and narrowly missed out on a top-ten spot, but the British venue was a far cry from last year’s UK Round when Honda were represented in the top ten in all three races by Iker Lecuona (Team HRC).

RINALDI’S LACK OF PERFORMANCE: more woes for the Italian

Another talking about from the UK was Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) struggles. While his Race 2 non-score was due to him trying to avoid someone else’s crash and being put into the gravel by someone who couldn’t avoid Rinaldi’s evasive action, he made two mistakes in Race 1 and the Superpole Race which cost him time and position. In Saturday’s encounter, he ran wide at Coppice which dropped him to the back and the field, and it was a similar story in Sunday’s 10-lap battle when he went into the gravel at Turn 11 on Lap 1. After his Race 2 crash, Rinaldi was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a right ankle injury, but he will hope to be back in action for Imola.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) secured a double at the Prosecco DOC UK Round to end Ducati’s Donington Park difficulties and extend his Championship lead over his rivals. As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship hit the halfway stage of the season, the Spaniard claimed two victories at Donington Park, a circuit he hadn’t won at previously, as he ended the Italian manufacturer’s drought at the iconic circuit which stretched back to 2011.

Bautista lined up from second place after Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session but made his move for the lead just shy of the halfway point of Race 1 and, from there, he didn’t look back as he secured his first win at Donington and ended Ducati’s drought. Before Saturday, the Bologna-based factory hadn’t won at the stunning British venue since Carlos Checa took Race 2 victory in 2011 but they returned to the top step of the rostrum thanks to Bautista.

In the Tissot Superpole race, the Spaniard was demoted to second. He fought hard with rivals Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the Ulsterman leading for the majority of the 10-lap fight before the 2021 Champion overtook him and then Bautista went through on the final lap. In Race 2, Razgatlioglu was able to keep the Ducati rider at bay for the first two-thirds for Bautista got ahead to claim his second win of the weekend as he extended his Championship lead to 93 points, and now has 16 wins to his name this season.

Summing up the weekend, Bautista said: “It was a great weekend for me because if you told me before we came here, I would have a first, second and first, maybe I wouldn’t have believed you! At this track, we always struggled a little bit. Every year is different. The feeling with the bike was amazing, it was like at other tracks. I could ride as I want. I enjoyed Race 1 a lot. Everything was new for everybody with the asphalt. We had some data on Sunday. The pace in the Superpole Race was amazing with Jonathan pushing really hard and then Toprak trying to follow him. In the end, he tried to stay in front of Jonathan. When I saw that, I thought, ‘maybe they’ll start to fight’ and I have the chance to overtake them. The pace was also amazing in Race 2, it was really fast. Toprak was very strong. I thought I could go a couple of tenths faster than him and I tried to stay in front. He tried to not let me lead the race, but I could make a gap and get some advantage.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) have both been declared unfit following their Race 2 crash at Donington Park. The crash occurred at Coppice corner on Lap 1 after Sykes highsided off his M1000RR machine, with Rinaldi and Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) also involved in the last MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race of the Prosecco DOC UK Round.

Sykes was declared unfit after breaking ten rear ribs, including three in two places, in the crash while he also sustained a thoracic injury and a left ankle injury. Sykes, who was standing in for Michael van der Mark as the Dutchman continues his recovery, was enjoying a strong weekend on home soil as he raced inside the top ten during all three races and narrowly missed out on a 52^nd pole position in Saturday’s Superpole session.

Italian rider Rinaldi was knocked off the track by Baz in the incident and he was taken to the medical centre following the crash. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a right ankle injury. Rinaldi’s UK Round had proven to be difficult after he ran wide on the opening lap of both Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race which dropped him down the order.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was able to end his win drought in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship by claiming victory in the Tissot Superpole Race at Donington Park. He took the win after a race-long fight with his rivals and ended Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) winning run when the Spaniard was on the verge of writing more WorldSBK history.

Razgatlioglu started from the second row but he was soon into the lead group as soon as the lights went out as he fought with Bautista and six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). The fight for victory went down to the wire with just half-a-second separating the last three WorldSBK Champions at the end of the 10-lap race. Rea was the long-time race leader but Razgatlioglu got the better of him at Turn 11 on Lap 9, before Bautista overtook the Ulsterman on the final lap at Turn 9.

On his Superpole Race win, Razgatlioglu said: “It wasn’t a bad weekend. I tried more than 100% to win. The Superpole Race was a good race for me. We got first place. Race 2 was important, I tried my best, and I got second place. I’m already looking ahead to Imola. I hope we are winning again but in Race 1 and Race 2, because I miss winning the in the feature length races. I’m not thinking about the Championship points. I’m just focused on winning races because it’s important for me. The Championship is long, but Bautista is very strong this year. I’m just looking at winning a long race and maybe this changes everything.”

A win in the Superpole Race would have put Bautista on 12 consecutive wins, an outright record in WorldSBK. The current record is 11 with Bautista reaching the milestone twice and Rea once. It also would have meant Bautista could have had a shot at racking up the most wins in a season at Donington, but he leaves the UK on 16, tying his best, but the record for victories in a single campaign will have to wait until at least Imola.

Razgatlioglu also claimed two second place finishes during the UK Round but, with Bautista claiming Race 1 and Race 2 wins, lost ground in the Championship race. The reigning Champion now leads Razgatlioglu by 93 points at the halfway stage of the season with the paddock heading to Imola in two weeks for the Prometeon Italian Round. Will Razgatlioglu be able to fight back as Imola returns for more incredible WorldSBK action?

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Source: WorldSBK.com