With victories in the Superpole Race and in Race 2 today, Toprak Razgatlioğlu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) dominated the FIM World Superbike Championship weekend at Donington Park, England, taking home a hat trick of victories and two lap records. Press: Pirelli Moto
The Turkish rider capitalized on the standard SC1 front and SC0 rear combination to win all the races, today, like yesterday, with a wide margin over his rivals – almost 5 seconds in the Superpole Race and 8 in Race 2. With the new all-time track record already broken in qualifying yesterday (done with the SCX rear), today Razgatlioğlu also set the new race lap record, breaking the one he had set just yesterday in Race 1.
Finishing first in WorldSSP was Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team – Ducati) but, due to a post-race penalty, the win went to Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team – Ducati). Both raced with the standard version of the SC1 front combined with the SCX rear, as did Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura – Ducati) who finished third.
GIORGIO BARBIER
“The winning choice today was the SC0 rear. Combined with the SC1 front, it allowed Razgatlioğlu to win both races today and it gave Jonathan Rea his first podium of the season in the Superpole Race. As we expected, with asphalt temperatures around 25°C, the SC0 was somewhat of a compulsory choice for everyone in the long race because it is more consistent over the long distance. In this morning’s Superpole Race, more than two thirds of the riders on the grid went instead with the SCX, which confirms that it is an extremely valid option as bike settings progressively improve. Interpreting the available data, it would seem that the track is less aggressive on tyres than in the past, so this specification could be increasingly interesting for the future. Gaps as wide as the ones we saw this weekend are the exception to the rule in a championship which is otherwise proving to be extremely heated, even more so than in recent years. It will be interesting to see how the second half of the season shakes out.”
TYRES IN ACTION
WorldSBK
- For the Superpole Race, all the riders chose the standard SC1 at the front. Whereas race winner Razgatlioğlu and third-place finisher Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) combined it with the SC0 rear, second-place finisher Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) preferred the SCX, as did 16 other riders. The race was also faster than last year, with an average improvement per lap of almost 3 tenths of a second. The race fast lap record was also broken. Razgatlioğlu broke his own record from yesterday in Race 1 by more than a tenth and a half.
- In Race 2, practically all the riders chose the SC1 front and SC0 rear combination, with Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) being the sole exception, preferring the SCX at the rear. This race was also faster than last year, with an average improvement per lap of 0.276 seconds.
WorldSSP
- In addition to the three riders who finished on the podium, 25 others also chose the standard SC1 front tyre. At the rear, one third of the grid preferred the SCX to the SC0. At the second start following a red flag due to an accident, 10 riders changed their rear tyre choice from SC0 to SCX. Both WorldSSP races were faster than last year in terms of average lap times, with an improvement of about a half a second in each.
WorldWCR
- In the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, in its second round here, Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) won Race 1 and Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) took Race 2. All the participants raced with the SC1 at the front and rear, in accordance with standard allocation.
