WorldSBK Round 6 | Razgatlioglu sparkles at Misano | Over 76,000 fans came out in force at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli for the latest MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round, as the home crowd were treated to an action-packed weekend. Report: WorldSBK/Ed Stratmann
Friday practice
WorldSBK
It wasn’t just the temperatures that were rising at the Misano World Circuit as the pace ramped up in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11) claiming Friday honours by 0.190s ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team #1). The top two in the standings traded fastest laps throughout the day, with ‘El Turco’ fastest in FP1 and ‘Bulegas’ quickest in FP2, at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team #5) was an impressive third in FP2, which gave him fourth in the combined classification after setting a 1’33.640s, although it wasn’t enough for third in the combined standings – that belonged to Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) who was fourth in FP2, just 0.014s away from Montella.
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team #87) was the fastest Yamaha rider on Friday through his FP1 effort, with the Australian star losing track time in FP2 after a crash at Turn 3. He was able to rejoin the action in the final minutes of FP2, before he crashed at Turn 13, but his 1’.33.669s gave him P5 overall.
Read our WorldSBK Round Five report here…
WorldSSP
The FIM Supersport World Championship field popped the cork on Friday’s Tissot Superpole action at a balmy Misano. Taking pole position, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura #51) was the fastest after the 45 minutes, followed on the timesheet by Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing #40) and Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse #11) in P3.
Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing #23), with his 1’37.395s lap, missed the front row by just four hundredths of a second behind Bendsneyder. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #61) snagged a second-row spot through his 1’37.513s lap, finishing as top Yamaha in the session.
Saturday
WorldSK
WorldSBK Race 1
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) ran away with P1 as he put distance between himself and rival Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who finished P2 for his 18th WorldSBK podium. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team #9) held off Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team #22) for P3 in a nail-biting battle for his 19th career podium in the category after Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team #47)’s strong start was ruined by his Lap 2 crash.
Razgatlioglu held onto his P1 grid start as he claimed the holeshot, followed into T1 by Bassani and Bulega; however, the pair of Italians strode past the #1 as he ran wide.
After Bassani disappointingly crashed out of the race, ‘El Turco’ thundered back towards Bulega in P1, overtaking him on Lap 4. The pair from there locked horns as the #1 doggedly defended his P1 to try to win back Championship points. Behind them, Alex Lowes and Petrucci had a protracted duel of their own as they each wanted to claim the final rostrum spot for their own.
In the late running, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha #55) closed the gap to Alex Lowes in P4, nipping at the British rider’s heels as they battled in front of him. In the end, he lacked the pace to fight for P3 as well, finishing top Yamaha in P5.
“This is very good for me. After signing for next year in MotoGP, I’m really happy, but I’m just focused on my job. This weekend is very important for me because we’re still fighting for the title in WorldSBK,” Razgatlioglu said.
WorldSBK Race 1 Results
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.045s
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +16.684s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +16.824s
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +17.450s
WorldSSP Race 1
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing #62) took his 50th WorldSSP rostrum, becoming only the third rider to reach this milestone alongside Kenan Sofuoglu (85) and Jules Cluzel (63).
Manzi thundered across the line in the opening race for his 14th career win, and the fourth this year. Rookie Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) struck a late move on Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) to land P2, relegating Oncu to P3 for Masia’s third podium and Oncu’s 20th.
Manzi charged up the grid on the first lap of the race, and after just one lap, Manzi had recovered from his P10 starting position to P3. On lap 5, Oncu made an incisive move to take P1 from Masia, and Manzi followed him through the break, contacting Masia and Oncu as the riders went three wide, relegating Masia to P3. Manzi, shortly after setting up shop in P1, put on a defensive masterclass as Oncu launched assault after assault, and Manzi consistently held his P1 position. A late move by Masia on the race’s final lap cut in on Oncu and shuffled the Turk to the bottom rung of the podium as the Spaniard earned his third career WorldSSP podium.
Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing #69) hung with Schroetter and Debise in front of him for most of the race, as he eventually earned a solid P5.
WorldSSP Race 1 Results
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
- Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.514s
- Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +1.518s
- Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +1.573s
- Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +1.783s
Sunday
Superpole Race
The final day at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” and the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round got off to a jaw-dropping start as MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) crashed out from the first two positions. Seizing the opportunity, the #1 topped the podium, followed by Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who notched his first podium since the Tissot Superpole Race at Jerez 2024, and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), who earned his first-ever podium at Misano.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) found themselves in the gravel just moments after lights out as Bulega surged up for the holeshot. Bassani lost control of his bike as he lost the front on the inside, and his KB998 Rimini slid into Bulega, ending the race for both of them, and ending a 50-race streak of at least one Ducati on the podium. The incident was investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards, and Bassani was given a double Long Lap Penalty for Race 2 for irresponsible riding at Turn 1.
Toprak cut inside of Bassani as his bike slid out from under him to avoid the danger and cruised home for P1 to give BMW its fifth consecutive podium at Misano, the best streak for a manufacturer since Kawasaki and Rea’s seven-race streak from 2014 to 2017. Joining Razgatllioglu on the podium was Alex Lowes and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) for Bimota’s first podium in 25 years and Locatelli’s 22nd career WorldSBK podium, respectively.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) did well to climb positions as he started in P9, but he was unable to keep up with a strong jump off the line from Alex Lowes and Locatelli, finishing in P4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) gained positions up from his P11 starting position, battling with Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) for stretches of the race reminiscent of the pair’s duels from seasons past to finish in P5.
Superpole Race Results
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +4.281s
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +6.122s
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +7.542s
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.855s
WorldSBK Race 2
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) landed his ninth season win as he cruised to a Race 2 win by nearly a 10-second margin. Bulega glided up the grid from his P10 grid start for his 15th podium of the season, limiting the damage to his Riders’ Championship lead. His lead now stands at a tenuous nine points ahead of the #1. In third place, Bautista earned his 10th podium of the year; however, his race win drought continues, as he last topped the podium at Aragon Race 2 in 2024.
Toprak flew off the line to claim the holeshot, followed into the first corner by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), and that was the closest any other rider got to home in the race. While Locatelli, Alex Lowes and Danilo Petrucci battled in the early running for P2 until Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) shuffled them aside as they tried in vain to catch ‘El Turco’. Toprak held a strong pace all race to cruise to an uncontested race win to complete his second Misano hat-trick in back-to-back years. Bulega and Bautista finished in a lonely P2 and P3, as they had the pace to separate themselves from the riders behind them but lacked the speed to catch the streaking #1.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) won a protracted battle with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) (Barni Spark Racing Team) to claim P4. ‘Petrux’ and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) gave a sequel to their Race 1 battle for P3, a struggle which Petrucci won, but not without Locatelli, Bulega and Bautista passing the pair, shuffling the #9 to P5.
“I’m really happy because I was pushing really hard this weekend, and I hit my target of winning all three races. In the last race especially, the bike felt much better; we have improved the bike step by step, and it allowed me to settle into my rhythm and have a very strong pace. I’m very happy, last year I had three wins here – and this year I did it again – now I’m looking forward to Donington,” explained Razgatlioglu.
WorldSBK Race 2 Results
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +9.685s
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +14.438s
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +16.752s
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +19.273s
Championship Points
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 292 points
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 283
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 179
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 172
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 157
WorldSSP Race 2
Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) closed out the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” with a race win over Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) in P2 and P3. Race 2 was the 30th race hosted at the Emilia-Romagna venue. Championship Leader Stefano Manzi crashed out on Turn 16 from P1, as another opportunity to solidify his championship lead was spoilt for the #62, as his lead over Oncu is now cut to 47 points.
Can Oncu and Stefano Manzi brought their Yamaha R1 machines to bear on each other as they battled from lights out. Manzi had established himself in front of Oncu by a slim margin, until a sudden Turn 16 lowside crash saw Oncu sail past him into P1. Several laps later, Japanese rider Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team #27) had a big highside tumble over his handlebars on Turn 14, prompting a red flag and ending the race as it had run more than two-thirds of the distance. Disappointed as they had begun to show pace and looked like they could have given Oncu a run for his money, Jaume Masia and Valentin Debise settled for the second and third spots on the podium.
Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team #65) was in the mood in Race 2, battling with Jaume Masia, Valentin Debise and Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team #52) at different points in the race. He finished in P4 for his second-best finish of the season so far. Alcoba finished in P5, tying his best result of the season, which was earned at Phillip Island Race 2.
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
- Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team)
- Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.291s
- Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.424s
- Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.846s
- Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +4.924s
Championship Points
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 210 points
- Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) 163
- Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 156
- Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 146
- Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) 142
WorldSSP300 Race 1
Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki #50) topped the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship podium for the first time in his career at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round Race 1. He was followed across the line by Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse #43), who earned his first podium since Portimao 2023, and rounding out the podium was new championship leader Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing #48).
Torres protected his P1 grid start as he claimed the holeshot, with Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300 #91) in P2 all over the Spaniard as he badgered the #47 for P1 in the early running. The pair sparred throughout the first laps, contending with David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI #38), Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) and Carter Thompson, as the pack of Kawasaki Ninja 400s set their sights on the race win. Thompson’s podium hopes looked to be in dire straits as the Australian had fallen to P7 with just a few laps remaining, but, picking his moment well, the Australian slotted into P1 midway through the last lap, and didn’t leave enough time for any of his competitors to steal it from him for his first WorldSSP300 win of his career. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) chased him across the line for his fourth podium in the category. In P3, Garcia made it 16 races in the points in a row, one point-scoring race shy of the record set by Dorren Loureiro from 2017 to 2018.
Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove #7) had his hopes of a fourth podium snubbed by Championship leader Garcia, shuffling the Kove rider to P4. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) fell to P5 after his P4 grid start, battling for the podium spots throughout the race.
WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results
- Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki)
- Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) +0.338s
- Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport) +0.473s
- Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) +0.494s
- David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) +0.737s
WorldSSP300 Race 2
Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) slipped by the Championship leader, Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) on the final straight of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round to claim the race win. Fernandez’s win raised his tally to two wins and four podiums in his rookie season so far. Garcia earned his 12th podium to tie Ana Carrasco in WorldSSP300 podiums, and David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) notched his fourth rostrum finish in his two years in the Championship.
Seconds after lights out, a crash between Felix Mulya (ProGP NitiRacing #27) and Emanuele Cazzaniga (Racestar Trasimeno #4) caused a red flag as medical attention was being rendered to Cazzaniga, who was taken to the medical centre before the race restarted over a decreased eight-lap distance.
The race saw a host of different leaders across the shortened distance, as Salvador Garcia and Benat Fernandez all led for stretches of the final lap. Garcia made a late move to brush aside Fernandez, riding defensively to hold off moves, corner after corner, by the Kove rider until a desperate dash to the line on the home straight. In a photo finish, the rookie #7 pipped Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) by just 0.009s. Behind him, teammate David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) was just behind the two fellow Spaniards ahead of him after overcoming his long-lap penalty, just 0.035s slower than Fernandez in P1.
Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI #47) was the odd man off the podium; a shame for him as he rode a strong race but couldn’t fight his way through the three riders ahead of him to get on the podium. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) was less than 0.05s behind Torres, and despite having led the race for stretches and starting from P1 on the grid, the Aussie was bundled down to P5 by the end of the race.
WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results
1 Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove)
2 Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) +0.009s
3 David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) +0.026s
4 Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) +0.099s
5 Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) +0.049s
Championship Points
- Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) 134
- Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) 133
- Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) 114
- David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) 104
- Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) 93
How did the Aussies Do?
Despite a strong qualifying to grab sixth and finishing eighth in the Superpole Race, Remy Gardner was frustratingly taken out while showing promising pace early in Race 2 to end his weekend on a low note. Oli Bayliss (#32) had a tough start to round six, dropping from P12 to P18 early in Race 1, as he struggled with the bike throughout the bout, ultimately finishing 19th. Although improvement was evident in Race 2, as he moved from P13 to 11th, a red flag halted his progress to end the race early.
For the full WorldSBK Round 3 results in all classes for all days, click here...
