Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed his fourth consecutive Superpole success. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider ended the session with an advantage of just over one tenth of a second. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was Razgatlioglu’s nearest challenger. The Englishman claimed his second consecutive front row start
Razgatlioglu became the third rider in WorldSBK history to win 11 races in a row. His run of success stretches back to the Dutch Round at Assen. The Turkish star will try to make history during tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole Race. Razgatlioglu now leads the championship by 80 points from Bulega
The 20 lap race saw a gaggle of riders fighting it out at the front throughout. Lowes led in the early stages having taken the holeshot before Petrucci led until the final third of the race. Razgatlioglu led eight laps and would eventually win by just eight tenths of a second after a race long battle at the front
From the second row of the grid Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) endured a difficult start to the 20 lap race and dropped to 13th position during the opening laps. The Spaniard recovered to come through the pack to finish second. This was his best result since Round 3 at Assen. The double World Champion is now 29 points behind his teammate Bulega in the standings
Petrucci led a WorldSBK for the first time and ultimately he converted a front row into his third podium of the season
Fourth position marked the best result of the season for Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) after the American rider came out on top of a four rider battle with Lowes, van der Mark and Bulega
Key Points:
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
“I’m really happy about this race. At the beginning we were fighting with Petrucci. In the last ten laps I just tried to push as hard as I could for a good lap time. We won again today and I’m really happy. It hasn’t been an easy weekend because everyone was pushing harder and the hot conditions also made it tough. We did a very good job. I need one more win for the new consecutive wins record and we’ll see tomorrow if I can do it!”
WorldSBK Race 1 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.780s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +1.450s
4. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +4.313s
5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +4.690s
6. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.963s
Championship Standings
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 328 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 248 points
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 219 points
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Results
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’39.783s
2. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.104s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.188s
Montella ends Huertas winning streak
A first victory since the opening round of the year saw Yari Montella claw back five points on Adrian Huertas in the championship standings. The Italian rider led every lap, set a new lap record and won the race on a perfect day for the Barni Spark Racing Team rider
Having started from pole position Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) dropped down the order in the early laps. A brave move on Manzi at Turn 9 saw him take second position but with a margin of three seconds to Montella there was too much ground to make up before the end of the 17 lap race
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) came out on top of a last lap battle with Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) but Navarro was given some consolation with a front row start for Race 2 courtesy of his fast lap time during the race
P1 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team
"Finally, it’s a win! Today was incredible because I felt stronger than ever. I enjoyed the entire race. My strategy was simply to push from the start because we saw that usually Huertas pushes from the start. In this race I tried to do the same. I understand that he didn't have a great start so I was probably a bit lucky. In the end, I think we were the strongest today. We need to focus and understand this race to try to improve for tomorrow."
WorldSSP Race 1 Results
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +3.241s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +10.598s
4. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +12.169s
5. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +14.868s
6. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +15.811s
Championship Standings
1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 256 points
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 215 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 199 points
First win of the season for Gennai
Mirko Gennai claimed his first victory on Kawasaki machinery after an action packed race at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
Championship leader Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) made a mistake on the final lap while fighting with his title rival, Loris Veneman. The Spaniard crashed at Turn 8 after hitting the rear wheel of Veneman but will start tomorrow’s race from the second row
Pole sitter Veneman took an early lead but was caught by the pack and eventually finished in fourth position. The MTM Kawasaki rider has closed the gap to Iglesias in the standings to ten points
Replacement rider Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) claimed his second WorldSSP300 podium from two rounds. The Australian was just two thousands of a second ahead of Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) when they crossed the line
Following a grid penalty Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) started from the seventh row of the grid but was able to recover to finish in sixth position. The title contender is now nine points adrift of the championship leader
P1 | Mirko Gennai | MTM Kawasaki
"Today was fantastic. To win again here in Portimao is special! I have the perfect feeling at this circuit; I love it. This win is for Victor Steeman who left us two years ago. I miss you, Victor. Regarding the race itself, I'm very happy because it was hot and fast. I'm also thrilled for the team. Tomorrow, I'll try to break away at the front with my teammate, and we'll aim for a fifth win!"
WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results
1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.893
3. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.895
4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.971
5. Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) +0.976
6. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +1.102
Championship Standings
1. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 129 points
2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) 120 points
3. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) 119 points
WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday with Warm Up from 12:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 14:45 and Race 2 at 18:00, while WorldSSP action continues on Sunday with Warm Up from 11:40, and Race 2 at 16:30. WorldSSP300's Warm Up will be at 11:20 followed by Race 2 at 15:30.