WSBK

Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu finished the opening World Superbike practice at Jerez fastest from Michael Rinaldi. Jonathan Rea led the way early on before Alex Lowes then bettered his British team-mate. Razgatlioglu was less than a tenth behind the two Kawasaki riders in P3. Lowes remained top until Rea regained top spot with 18 minutes left. However, Razgatlioglu soon improved on Rea’s time by a further three tenths. Winner of race two in Catalunya, Rinaldi jumped into third ahead of Lowes late on, before turning that into second. Rea finished P3 – +0.337 down on his title rival Razgatlioglu. Andrea Locatelli suffered an early crash at turn one after running through the gravel and losing the front end at slow speed. FIM World Endurance rider Marvin Fritz was back in WorldSBK action for the second time this year after making a wildcard appearance in Most, Czech Republic, while Loris Baz and Eugene Laverty replaced the injured Chaz Davies and Tom Sykes. WORLD SUPERBIKE JEREZ, SPAIN – FREE PRACTICE 1 RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha 1:40.074s 2 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.it Ducati +0.086s 3 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +0.337s 4 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +0.439s 5 Leon Haslam GBR Team HRC +0.675s 6 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +0.692s 7 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +0.699s 8 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +0.764s 9 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +0.855s 10 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +0.856s 11 Loris Baz FRA GoEleven Ducati +1.017s 12 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +1.099s 13 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +1.192s 14 Leandro Mercado ARG MIE Honda Racing +1.228s 15 Jonas Folger GER Benovo BMW +1.243s 16 Lucas Mahias FRA Kawasaki Puccetti +1.438s 17 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +1.517s 18 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +1.779s 19 Marvin Fritz GER IXS-YART Yamaha +1.881s 20 Eugene Laverty IRL Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +2.214s 21 Samuele Cavalieri SPA Barni Ducati +2.429s 22 Andrea Mantovani ITA Vince64 Racing Kawasaki +2.444s 23 Loris Cresson BEL Pedercini Kawasaki +3.409s 24 Lachlan Epis AUS Pedercini Kawasaki +5.524s

Chaz Davies has announced that he’ll retire from the World Superbike Championship at the end of the 2021 season. The Welshman revealed his decision in a special conference held on the eve of the Spanish round at Jerez, a meeting which Davis will miss after breaking two ribs in a crash in Barcelona last weekend. Davies is one of the most successful riders in WorldSBK history, finishing runner-up in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The Team GoEleven Ducati rider also finished third in 2016 and 2020. On the 2021 grid, only Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes have more race wins than Davies, who currently sits on 32 victories – seventh on the all-time list of winners, one behind Troy Corser. “I just wanted to say that unfortunately in some ways, and fortunately in others, this will be my last season in WorldSBK,” Davies said in his press conference. “It’s obviously a decision that has not come easily, it’s taken a lot of thought because I’m a strong believer in when you’re done, you’re done. To me, the timing seemed right to make this decision. “Like I said, very difficult and a lot of deliberation especially being here at the circuit again! It even felt different walking in a couple of hours ago to make this announcement. You need to change something in your head. Here we are. There’s a lot of reasons behind it and like I said, a lot of deliberation and wondering whether it’s the right move but I’m very confident and I’m both happy and sad at the same time that it is the right decision. Ready to turn the page and open up the next chapter.” Of his 32 victories, 28 were taken as a Ducati rider. 89 of his 99 podiums also came with the Bologna-based manufacturer, with Davies writing himself into the illustrious Ducati history books. Davies has taken the record for most starts for Ducati with 211, whilst only Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss have more victories and podiums for the Italian manufacturer. “I’ve had so many good times and I think, for me, one of the most special things I’ve experienced in all these years was winning races on Italian soil,” Davies added. “Especially at Imola, just down the road from Bologna, and I can genuinely say there’s no feeling like it. It’s just pinch yourself city. All the Ducatisti are there in force. It really does feel like something special. “I can reflect on it now, but in the moment, I was like ‘you’ve got to remember this because these are the days that are beyond sweet’. A lot of good times, a lot of good people.” Alongside his illustrious Superbike career, Davies was also crowned World Supersport champion in 2011 with the Yamaha ParkinGo team – taking the crown with a 50-point advantage over David Salom. Davies is also a Supersport race winner in the AMA Championship, and became the youngest-ever rider to compete in a full Grand Prix season, aged 15, in 2002. Davies rode in the 125cc and 250cc classes – becoming the youngest rider to score points in the 250cc class in 2003 by finishing 15th at the Phakisa Speedway, South Africa. Over the next couple of seasons Davies would take multiple top 10 results. Chaz Davies also made three MotoGP appearances with the Pramac Racing Ducati team. He replaced the injured Alex Hofmann at Laguna Seca in 2007, before returning again with the team at Phillip Island and Sepang. Davies was supposed to race again at Valencia but injured his hand and wrist during practice. In a statement released by Davies on his official social media pages, the Ducati rider hinted that his racing career may not be over just yet. “Although I’m stepping away from a full-time WorldSBK seat, I don’t want to call this ‘retirement’ and will remain actively training and riding motorcycles,” the statement reads. “I love this sport and inside I think I’ll always be the same fan I was at 10 years old.”

BMW Motorrad WorldSBK have confirmed that Scott Redding will make the switch from Ducati to the German manufacturer for the 2022 WorldSBK season. The announcement comes off the back of Redding claiming his third WorldSBK win of the season at Most. Redding has spent the last two WorldSBK seasons with Ducati, while also competing for the Italian manufacturer in BSB (2019). Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director said: “We are very pleased to welcome Scott to our WorldSBK family. In the last years, he has proven to make a great transition from GP through BSB into WorldSBK, to become one of the strongest riders in the field. “We are therefore convinced that Scott, with his fighting spirit and absolute will to win, is the perfect new addition for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and another reinforcement for our entire WorldSBK project. “A warm welcome to Scott, we are looking forward to a strong collaboration.” Redding will partner Dutch rider Michael Van Der Mark, while the German outfit remains in talks with Tom Sykes regarding a contract extension – meaning three factory BMW’s could line-up on the grid next season. The signing of Redding is perhaps BMW’s biggest coup since returning to WorldSBK, and one that Team Principal Shaun Muir is excited about. “We have been following Scott’s career for a number of years and are delighted that he will now become a part of our team,” added Muir. “His successes speak for themselves and it is great that he will bring his skills and his experience to the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in the future. “With getting him on board, BMW Motorrad Motorsport once more underlines the huge importance of the WorldSBK project and the aim of establishing themselves at the very top.”

Jayson Uribe has joined the OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki team for the remainder of the 2021 World Superbike season. The American joins Belgian rider Loris Cresson at the team following the departure of Samuele Cavalieri prior to the British round at Donington Park. British Superstock rider Luke Mossey replaced Cavalieri at Donington. Uribe has a vast range of experience across multiple disciplines. Before entering the MotoAmerica Superbike class in 2018, Uribe raced in the British Motostar 125 and British Moto3 championships, finishing third overall in the Moto3 class with six podiums in 2014. Uribe moved on to the French Superstock 600 series in 2015, becoming the first American race winner at Ledenon. In 2016 and 2017 Uribe competed in the CEV European Moto2 Championship, finishing 11th in both campaigns with a best race result of seventh. In the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, Uribe is 13th overall after the opening 10 races, securing a best result of eighth on five occasions. “I’m super excited to be given the opportunity to ride with OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini at Most, Uribe said. “I think it will be a lot of fun to be able to work with such a great and well-established team. I am also excited to reconnect with a few people who are already in the team that I know (the Gimbert family) from 2015, when I raced in the French Superbike series in Superstock. “It will be good to get back on a Kawasaki. I don’t have so much experience on the green machine and it is a new track so for sure there will be a big learning curve, especially with the Pirelli tyres which I also don’t know but I am ready for the challenge. Everybody so far has been very supportive and to be finally in the World Superbike paddock, which is somewhere that I have wanted to be for a long time is great. I am doing everything I can to be ready, both physically and mentally and I can’t thank Lucio and OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini for the opportunity.” Uribe’s arrival means that American fans now have two riders to support in WSB. Garrett Gerloff has represented the country since the beginning of 2020, taking five podiums so far for the GRT Yamaha team. Gerloff signed a new one-year extension with Yamaha earlier this month. The WSB paddock visits Autodrom Most, Czech Republic, for round six of the 2021 season next weekend (August 6-8). This will be followed by a visit to Navarro in northern Spain on August 20-22.

World Superbike king Jonathan Rea rewrote the history books yet again as the Northern Ireland star moved back into the lead of the title race with a landmark victory at Assen yesterday. The 32-year-old became the first rider ever to win 13 races at a single circuit in the championship, surpassing England’s Carl Fogarty, who was a 12-time winner at the iconic Dutch TT circuit. More significantly, Rea knocked Turkish rival Toprak Razgatlioglu off the top spot after the Yamaha rider capitalised on Rea’s crash in race three at Donington Park open a slender two-point lead at the top of the standings before this weekend’s fifth round. Razgatlioglu finished third in yesterday’s opener behind Scott Redding (Aruba.it Ducati), who was 3.3s down on Rea when the race was stopped after 19 of 21 laps following German rider Jonas Folger crashing out. It was Rea’s 90th win in World Superbikes for Kawasaki since he joined the Japanese manufacturer in 2015, and his 105th career win in the series. It’s little wonder, then, that the Northern Ireland man has once again been linked with a move to the MotoGP World Championship next year with the Petronas Yamaha team. Last week, Rea said he was as ‘surprised as anyone’ by the renewed speculation, but he later refused to rule out a switch to the premier Grand Prix class when pressed on the rumours, telling a media debriefing on Friday that he would ‘never say never’. However, Rea’s only concern right now is winning an incredible seventh title in World Superbikes. His sixth win of the season, which came after he maintained his unbroken run of five pole position starts this year, has set him seven points clear of Razgatlioglu ahead of today’s two races at Assen. “Those guys had a great pace as well,” said Rea of Redding and Razgatlioglu, “so let’s see tomorrow – probably a different story, different conditions from the weather forecast says, so let’s see. “I know when you’re in that battle and you go through and get clear track, you have to try and go away because it’s almost attack or be attacked, you can’t just settle into a rhythm. “That got me away from that battle, which is what won me the race eventually.” On his record 13th win at Assen – back on the calendar this year after missing out in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – Rea added: “I wasn’t thinking about it during the race, the gap was very close and then I see on the big screen coming into the last sector that they [Redding and Razgatlioglu] were battling and that’s where the gap was yo-yoing. “I was taking chunks out of them sometimes and then I was keeping the gap consistent, but huge thanks to my guys because we made a tyre choice today with new tyres on the front and rear.” After battling with Razgatlioglu on the opening laps and then holding off Redding later in the race, Rea managed to pull a gap, which he stretched to more than three seconds by the time the race was red-flagged. Behind Redding and Razgatlioglu, Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad), Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT) finalised the top six. Eugene Laverty is not competing at Assen this weekend after his RC Squadra Corse BMW team opted to sit out round five to focus on making personnel changes within the team. In the first World Supersport 300 race, Randalstown teenager James McManus finished 21st on the Team 109 Kawasaki.

Jonas Folger and Lucas Mahias have both been ruled out of Sunday’s World Superbike races at Assen following their crashes during Saturday’s opening race at the Dutch circuit. MGM BMW rider Folger was on course for his best finish in WSBK so far on Saturday as he ran sixth for most of the race, only to suffer a high-speed crash at the Turn 6-7 complex on lap 19 of 21. The crash was severe enough to bring out the red flags, after which the race was not restarted. Folger was subsequently taken to the medical centre and then to hospital for checks, which revealed he had escaped any serious injury, only suffering contusions to his back and concussion. The German was discharged on Saturday night but was not granted permission to take part in Sunday’s action by doctors. “This was really a great weekend until the crash,” said Folger, who was running seventh at the time of the accident. “I’m really pleased that we were able to show again that we have the speed and can race super. That was very good for all of us. “I actually wanted to start today, even though I’m in pain and walking a bit stiff, but I felt ready. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the ok from the track doctors. I still want to thank the team for the great work and that we found our way back.” Puccetti Kawasaki rider Mahias meanwhile crashed out of Saturday’s opening race on lap 13, suffering a fracture left scaphoid. The French rider will return to his home country to have surgery on the injury.

RC Squadra Corse withdraw from this weekend’s Dutch WorldSBK, lamenting ‘internal reasons’ for the absence. Eugene Laverty will be out of action for round five of the 2021 WorldSBK championship this weekend as his RC Squadra Corse BMW team have withdrawn. The unfortunate news adds to what’s been an already disappointing opening four rounds for the Irishman. The reason for the team’s absence has been cited as ‘internal reasons’ as they aim to provide a more competitive package upon their return – yet to be confirmed whether that will be at the new Autodrom Most, Czech Republic – round six. Team Manager, Roberto Perego added: “We are so sorry, and it was a hard decision, but we decided not to attend the Assen round due to internal reasons. “We are at the beginning of our project, and we are working hard on a restructure internally. We are very disappointed about this absence since it would have been an Important opportunity with BMW Motorrad and Eugene. “We will use the break to be better organised, to be competitive, as we deserve, in WorldSBK.” It means BMW are down from four riders to three with Tom Sykes, Michael Van Der Mark and Jonas Folger all set for action. BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, Marc Bongers, also spoke about the decision by saying: “We are looking forward to the Assen weekend and also to the enthusiastic Dutch fans, who are sure to generate a great atmosphere once again at the TT Circuit. “We deeply regret that RC Squadra Corse is unable to participate at Assen and we hope to see them back on the track again soon.”

Yamaha rider Toprak Razgatlioglu moved to the top of the World Superbike championship standings with victory in the final race of the weekend at Donington Park, as Jonathan Rea crashed out of the lead. Razgatlioglu and Kawasaki rival Rea were engaged in an entertaining dogfight for the lead, both riders having each won a race each so far this weekend, until the reigning champion made a rare error and suffered a low-side fall at Coppice on lap 11 of 23. That paved the way for Razgatlioglu to score his third win in four races and turn a 23-point deficit to Rea into a narrow two-point advantage. Following the damp Superpole race earlier in the day, conditions had dried out entirely by the start of the second full-length encounter of the weekend. Rea maintained his lead heading into the first corner, but Razgatlioglu shot up the inside from his grid slot of sixth into second and was soon challenging the Kawasaki rider for the lead. The Turkish rider made his move at Coppice on lap four, but could never make a break from Rea, only managing to pull around seven tenths clear before being reeled in once again. On lap 10, Rea took advantage of Razgatlioglu running slightly wide through Coppice to retake the lead – but at the same place the following lap he made the error that would cost him the championship lead. From that point on, Razgatlioglu was unchallenged, leading home a Yamaha 1-2 by 2.2s ahead of the GRT machine of Garrett Gerloff. American rider Gerloff had earlier made a pass on BMW man Tom Sykes to move into what had been third place prior to Rea’s crash, matching his personal best WSBK result in second. Sykes held off a recovering Scott Redding to score a second consecutive podium finish, while fourth for Redding marked the first points of a miserable weekend for the Ducati rider. Michael van der Mark (BMW) came out on top in a battle against former teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) to score fifth place, while Chaz Davies concluded a difficult weekend aboard the Go Eleven Ducati in seventh. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Ducati) was eighth, ahead of Honda pair Leon Haslam – who dropped from fourth on the grid – and Alvaro Bautista. Following his crash, Rea was able to remount his battered Kawasaki and finish 20th, marking his first non-score since last year’s opening race of the season at Phillip Island. WORLDSBK DONINGTON PARK, GREAT BRITAIN – RACE RESULTS (2) POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha 24 Laps 2 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +2.243s 3 Tom Sykes GBR Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +4.522s 4 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +5.151s 5 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +13.315s 6 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +14.444s 7 Chaz Davies GBR GoEleven Ducati +16.684s 8 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Ducati +18.757s 9 Leon Haslam GBR Team HRC +20.783s 10 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +22.938s 11 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +23.194s 12 Lucas Mahias FRA Kawasaki Puccetti +25.442s 13 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +32.898s 14 Tito Rabat SPA Barni Ducati +38.370s 15 Eugene Laverty IRL RC Squadra Corse BMW +39.776s 16 Luke Mossey GBR Pedercini Kawasaki +43.182s 17 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +56.811s 18 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +57.073s 19 Loris Cresson BEL Pedercini Kawasaki >1 Lap 20 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team >1 Lap 21 Jonas Folger GER Benovo BMW DNF

GRT Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff topped the WorldSBK timesheets on Friday at Donington Park despite seeing the track for the first time this morning. The Texan – fresh from a stand-in ride at MotoGP Assen – finished three-tenths ahead of six-time champ Jonathan Rea with Toprak Razgatlioglu in third. Gerloff, on the SCX tyre, topped every single sector and hopes to continue his form into Saturday and Sunday. On the other side of the garage, it was a nightmare for Kohta Nozane, who was ruled unfit following his Navarra testing crash which left him with a fractured middle finger on his right hand. The Kawasaki duo of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes enjoyed a positive session, as both riders hit the ground running right from the start of the session. Both riders were running one-two in the session in the opening 20 minutes as they continued their work at their home round. Rea was super consistent throughout the opening day and ended the day in second place, whilst Lowes was also in fine form in the afternoon to finish fourth, leaving him on the combined. The factory Yamaha charge was led by Razgatlioglu despite a massive moment in the opening moments of the session, he was able to continue on his way and cement his position in the leading positions in third, putting in a long run in his second stint. Teammate Andrea Locatelli was impressive and was as high as fourth in the afternoon session before finishing eleventh overall. Aruba Ducati were also in contention, with home-hero Scott Redding debuting in front of his home fans in WorldSBK, finishing the day in fifth overall as he adapted to WorldSBK machinery at the circuit of which he won his first ever World Championship race at in 2008 in 125cc Grand Prix. Michael Rinaldi finished sixth in the afternoon session but was seventh overall as he also aimed to make a solid start after his double win at Misano last time out. Finishing in sixth overall was Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad), as he endured a busy day at Donington Park. A crash in FP1 at the Melbourne Loop left Sykes unscathed but he suffered a faster crash in the opening five minutes of FP2, leaving him out at McLean’s. He rejoined the session later on but relied on his morning time to put him sixth, whilst teammate Michael van der Mark had a rather unassuming day at Donington Park – the site of his first WorldSBK win – as he completed the day in tenth overall. Over with Leon Haslam (Team HRC) and teammate Alvaro Bautista, it was the ‘Pocket Rocket’ who was on-song as he put the Honda CBR1000RR-R inside the top ten at his local circuit. Across the box and it was Alvaro Bautista who seemingly struggled to get up to speed on Friday, having a very quiet day outside of the top ten. Come the close of business on Friday, it was Haslam who finished eighth with Bautista in 15th. With Gerloff on top, the rest of the Independent riders were further down but after following Jonathan Rea for a few laps, it was once again Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who was the next best in ninth, whilst Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) could only manage 12th, ahead of Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team), with the three Independent Ducatis together. Isaac Viñales (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) was 16th ahead of a solid Luke Mossey (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) and Germany’s Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing). Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) completed 21 few laps in the day as he was blighted by tech issues in 19th ahead of Christophe Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha) and Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing).

Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea topped the opening session of the weekend by just over two tenths from Toprak Razgatlioglu; all five manufacturers in the top seven The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to Donington Park for the Prosecco DOC UK Round and six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) laid down the gauntlet by topping Free Practice 1 by over half-a-second of his nearest rivals as he looks to get back to winning ways. Rea posted a lap time of 1’27.841s during the 45-minute session to go fastest in the morning at Donington Park, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK). The Turkish star missed out on running in the first 15 minutes of the session and ran out of sync with his rivals but was able to move up the order into second place. In third place was Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) with the British rider having a small crash at the Turn 11 Melbourne Hairpin when he lost the front of his BMW M 1000 RR, but he was able to return to the track after having his bike checked over in the garage. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued his recent fine form with fourth in the standings in the morning at Donington Park, finishing ahead of American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) who is learning his second new track in as many weekends following his MotoGP™ last time out. British rider Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was sixth, one second away from Rea’s time, after continually improving his time throughout the session. Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was in seventh as the highest-placed Honda rider with all five manufacturers securing a position in the top seven. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) claimed eighth spot at his local track, just over a second off his teammate’s pace, finishing ahead of Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in ninth; the Dutchman taking an early trip through the gravel at the Melbourne Hairpin, with Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) rounding out the top ten. It was a tough start to the weekend for both Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse). Japanese rookie Nozane came into the weekend with a hairline fracture to his right middle finger following a crash during a test at Navarra and completed only four laps, while Laverty only completed an in-and-out lap without setting a lap time at all.

Toprak Razgatlioglu looks set to remain in WorldSBK for another two seasons following MotoGP interest. The Yamaha rider’s manager and former five-time WorldSSP champion Kenan Sofuoglu confirmed the news to Speedweek.com. Razgatlioglu had been seen as a major possibility for one of the 2022 MotoGP seats at Yamaha. In fact, the Turkish superstar was involved in talks to replace Franco Morbidelli at Petronas Yamaha for the Dutch MotoGP, before the team ultimately chose fellow WorldSBK rider Garrett Gerloff after Razgatlioglu declined the offer. This wasn’t seen as a huge surprise though, as Razgatlioglu has reiterated his desire on numerous occasions to remain in the Superbike world championship. Sofuoglu told Speedweek.com: “Our goal is to stay in the Superbike World Championship. Almost every brand has made Toprak an offer for next season, I talk to everyone, not just Yamaha. What I can already say: We are not going to the MotoGP World Championship, Toprak will compete in the Superbike World Championship for the next two years.” It should be noted that Razgatlioglu is tipped to remain with Yamaha in World Superbikes. The Japanese manufacturer is also said to be keen on retaining Andrea Locatelli at Pata Yamaha, which could make the decision for Gerloff to move to MotoGP a lot easier should he be offered a contract. Razgatlioglu is currently second in the championship – 20 points back from six-time world champion Jonathan Rea. The 24 year-old took his first victory of this season at Misano last time out, while round four gets underway tomorrow at Donington Park.

Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed Yamaha’s first win of the 2021 World Superbike season in the final race at Misano, denying Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi a clean sweep of the weekend. Starting second on the grid, Razgatlioglu first attempted to pass polesitter Rinaldi at Turn 4 on the opening lap, only to run wide and allow an opportunistic Jonathan Rea to pass both of them in one move. However, six-time champion Rea didn’t have the pace to head the pack on his factory Kawasaki, with first Rinaldi dispatching him at Turn 8 on lap 3 and Razgatlioglu then following the Italian on the next tour at the same corner. From there on Razgatlioglu kept the pressure up on Rinaldi as the two engaged in a straight duel for victory, finally making the decisive move on lap 9 going into Turn 14, the slowest corner on the track. Rinaldi tried to fight back with seven laps to run in the race, but the Turkish rider upped his own pace to bring the gap back up to one second and prevent any chances of a late attack. This marked Razgatlioglu’s first WSBK win since his pair of successes in the Portimao finale last year, ending the duopoly of Kawasaki and Ducati in 2021. Rea finished third on the lead Kawasaki behind Rinaldi, missing out on a win for the first time in any round this season, but he actually extended his points advantage as his chief rival Scott Redding (Ducati) again finished outside the podium in fourth. GRT Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff earned the honour of the top independent rider after passing the factory Kawasaki of Alex Lowes with less than a handful of laps to run, with Axel Bassani also impressing on the Motocorsa Ducati to bag a seventh place finish. Alvaro Bautista could only manage eighth on the Honda, with Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli and BMW rider Michael van der Mark completing the top 10. Van der Mark’s teammate Tom Sykes slipped from seventh at the start to finish a disappointing 12th, behind the Puccetti Kawasaki of Lucas Mahias. Kohta Nozane (GRT), Tito Rabat (Barni Ducati) and Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corsa BMW) were the last of the points scorers. Chaz Davies’ miserable weekend continued as he was forced to pull into the pits with a reported mechanical problem on his GoEleven Ducati, having crashed out of the previous two races at Misano. WORLDSBK MISANO, ITALY – RACE RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha 21 Laps 2 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Ducati +1.286s 3 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +2.987s 4 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +9.102s 5 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +10.695s 6 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +13.117s 7 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +17.621s 8 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +17.893s 9 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +22.458s 10 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +25.118s 11 Lucas Mahias FRA Kawasaki Puccetti +27.107s 12 Tom Sykes GBR Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +28.353s 13 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +33.391s 14 Tito Rabat SPA Barni Ducati +38.817s 15 Eugene Laverty IRL RC Squadra Corse BMW +41.262s 16 Jonas Folger GER Benovo BMW +43.046s 17 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +53.844s 18 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +1’00.109s 19 Samuele Cavalieri ITA Pedercini Kawasaki +1’11.934s 20 Loris Cresson BEL Pedercini Kawasaki +1’23.648s 21 Chaz Davies GBR GoEleven Ducati DNF 22 Leon Haslam GBR Team HRC DNF

Six-time World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea has won the Superpole Race at Estoril ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Scott Redding. Kawasaki rider Rea took the lead on hap five after a battle with Yamaha’s Razgatlioglu and Ducati’s Redding. Rea extends his championship lead to 13 points over Redding. He dedicated his victory to Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier, who died after a crash at Mugello on Saturday at the age of 19. “It was an incredible race. It was a bit scrappy at the start and everybody wanted to lead,” said Rea. “I got back to parc ferme to hear that Jason Dupasquier has passed away. I’ve no words but I would like to dedicate that to him and his family. I pray that they have strength at this time.” Rea was the only rider on the front two rows to use the SC0 tyre and was under pressure from Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati); the Italian trying to go around the outside at Turn 1. Rea came out of Turn 1 with the lead of the race but soon found himself shuffled down to third when both Redding and Razgatlioglu able to pass him; with Razgatlioglu moving from third to first in one move at Turn 1, although he did have to fight to keep the lead from Redding. Redding found himself moving down the order again when he made a mistake at Turn 6, allowing both Rea and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) through although Redding responded on Gerloff just a few laps later. Meanwhile, heading into Turn 1, Rea was able to make the move on Razgatlioglu to re-take the lead of the race and claim his first victory in Estoril. Razgatlioglu was unable to respond and came home in second place, ahead of Gerloff. Rinaldi was unable to capitalise on his strong start to claim his podium with the factory Ducati outfit, coming home in fifth place after fending off the challenge from Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) by just 0.040s to complete the second row alongside Gerloff and Rinaldi. The third row will feature two BMW machines with Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) coming home in seventh place ahead of his former teammate, Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse) in eighth. Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) will start Race 2 from ninth after fighting through from 15th to finish ninth in the Tissot Superpole Race. WORLDSBK ESTORIL, PORTUGAL – SUPERPOLE RACE RESULTS POS RIDER NAT TEAM TIME 1 Jonathan Rea GBR Kawasaki Racing Team 10 Laps 2 Toprak Razgatlioglu TUR PATA Yamaha +0.690 3 Scott Redding GBR Aruba.It Ducati +1.180 4 Garrett Gerloff USA GRT Yamaha +2.059 5 Michael Rinaldi ITA Aruba.It Ducati +3.583 6 Alex Lowes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team +3.623 7 Tom Sykes GBR Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +7.062 8 Eugene Laverty IRL RC Squadra Corse BMW +7.831 9 Chaz Davies GBR GoEleven Ducati +8.969 10 Andrea Locatelli ITA PATA Yamaha +9.581 11 Alvaro Bautista SPA Team HRC +10.013 12 Tito Rabat SPA Barni Ducati +10.850 13 Michael Van Der Mark NED Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team +11.419 14 Axel Bassani ITA Motocorsa Ducati +15.703 15 Kohta Nozane JPN GRT Yamaha +16.678 16 Leon Haslam GBR Team HRC +16.810 17 Isaac Vinales SPA Orelac Racing Kawasaki +20.194 18 Jonas Folger GER Benovo BMW +22.250 19 Loris Cresson BEL Pedercini Kawasaki +39.192 20 Christophe Ponsson FRA Gil Yamaha +1’01.246 21 Lucas Mahias FRA Kawasaki Puccetti DNF 22 Samuele Cavalieri ITA Pedercini Kawasaki DNF