A familiar story to Race 1, with the same outcome but a different opponent for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) as he claimed his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship victory of the day at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Motul Spanish Round after a late-race battle with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
Repeating his start from Race 1, Razgatlioglu got a good start to lead into Turn 1 from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and, while Rea was able to challenge into Turn 6 on Lap 1, the Turkish star was able to hold on to extend his lead over Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who made a great start to move into podium contention and passed Rea in the opening laps of the 20-lap race.
While Razgatlioglu was able to keep his lead and briefly extend his lead, both Rinaldi and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) were closing in. On Lap 6, Rinaldi ran wide at Turn 6 which almost allowed Redding through, but Rinaldi was able to hold on to second place until Turn 13, when Redding made the move for second.
While Redding was putting pressure on, Razgatlioglu held on until Lap 17 when Redding passed Razgatlioglu for the lead but just one lap later Razgatlioglu made a move into Turn 13 to take the lead onto the penultimate lap. Redding kept the pressure on Razgatlioglu throughout the final two laps, but the Turkish star held on to claim his second victory of the day in Jerez, and his tenth of the season while Redding claimed his 30th WorldSBK podium.
P1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
“Today, the afternoon race was not easy. We were fighting with Scott and this weekend I am a little bit sick. I tried my best again; I was fighting for the win. Another win and this year I now have 10 wins. I’m happy but we are not looking at the Championship, we are always focused on the next race. In Portimao, I will try and fight again for the win.”
P2 Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I kind of enjoyed that really. I went into that race with a little bit more confidence than this morning and I knew if I could be there in the start, I would have potential. I think I was the fastest rider but it’s hard to pass Toprak, and racing the Yamaha with the Ducati, we have such different lines in the corners that if I get sucked into riding how he’s riding, I can’t get go fast. When I passed him, I felt like I could go but my reference was gone and then when I passed him, I felt I could go but my reference was gone, I was just focused on him the whole race. I passed and I had to find my rhythm. I just made a small mistake in braking because I know he’s going to try, it’s guaranteed he’s going to try, so you’ve got take a little bit more to try and defend against him. With the Yamaha, you saw how much he could turn back compared to me. I’m happy, I didn’t expect to get two podiums today. I was hoping for a top five. To get that was really good and happy to be battling.”
P3 Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC)
“I’m really happy, especially because I’m getting better and better with the bike. In the morning race I struggled a little bit because when the grip is high, the bike is more aggressive and is quite difficult to use. For sure, you go faster but always struggling and fighting more with the bike. In the afternoon, my energy was not too high, so I tried to keep and conserve some energy for the whole race. I did a good start, I tried to not make mistakes at the beginning and there was a gap to the front riders. About mid-race, I started to feel a bit better physically and with the bike. I saw the gap was staying so I just tried to concentrate. I was catching the other riders. I felt I had a couple of tenths more per lap, so I tried to overtake them. I did it and in the end, another podium two rounds in a row. It’s very positive.”
WorldSBK Results Race 2
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.113s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) +4.247s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +5.172s
5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +6.339s
6. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +7.780s
Championship Standings (after Race 2, Round 10)
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) Yamaha (449 points)
2. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Kawasaki (429 points)
3. Scott Redding (GBR) Ducati (375 points)
WorldSBK Results Race 1
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +1.225s
3. Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.791s
Perfect 10 in the beautiful south: Aegerter wins with Jerez masterclass
Aegerter’s return to WorldSSP came with a dominant victory as Yamaha secured their fifth consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship
Any FIM Supersport World Championship rustiness for Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) after missing the Catalunya Round was soon shaken off as he claimed victory in the sole WorldSSP race for the Motul Spanish Round, finishing almost ten seconds clear of his rivals at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto while Yamaha wrapped up the Manufacturers’ Championship for the fifth consecutive campaign.
As the lights went out, Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) got the jump from second on the grid to take the lead of the race while Italian debutant Stefano Manzi (GMT94 Yamaha) made progress off the line as he moved into the top five for his first WorldSSP start. From there, he was unchallenged for race victory went on to win by over ten seconds, with his winning enough to wrap up the Manufacturers’ Championship for Yamaha for the fifth time in a row. Aegerter joins Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) as the only two riders who have taken ten victories in a single WorldSSP campaign, while he now has 12 podiums and sits just one behind Kenan Sofuoglu for the all-time record.
Aegerter was able to break away from the chasing pack by posting a lap record of 1’45.525s on the second lap before lowering it to 1’42.329s a few laps later, extending his lead to Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) by over a second by the third lap. The win for Aegerter means he extends his Championship lead to 62 points over title rival Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), with the South African rider finishing eighth; Odendaal making a mistake on Lap 2 at Turn 13 and dropping down the order.
The battle for the podium raged on throughout the 17-lap encounter with Oettl being hounded by Spanish sensation Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) chasing the German down throughout the race. Gonzalez was unable to make his move in the first half of the race which allowed finish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) to close in, applying the pressure to Gonzalez as he chased another podium finish. Tuuli made the move at Turn 13 on Lap 9 to move into third and soon set his sights on Oettl after the battle with Gonzalez allowed the German to break away. Oettl claimed second place ahead of Tuuli in third place, with Gonzalez unable to respond and finished fourth; Oettl’s podium the 150th podium placement in WorldSSP.
P1 Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
“The race was very good. The conditions were very hot so the asphalt was also hot, but the Ten Kate team again did a great job. They made a small change on the bike for the hotter conditions. We didn’t have a drop on the tyre. We started from second position, a good start and I could manage the gap. For sure, I dedicate this victory to Dean who passed away yesterday. It was a sad day yesterday. Today, we could race for him.”
P2 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“For me, the race was over after Turn 8 because I caught something with my front wheel. I had a lot of vibration in that corner. I checked if I had a puncture or whatever and then Domi was gone. It’s sad we did the maximum this weekend and still finished in second place. It just shows how far away we are off even if we´re doing everything right. Disappointing weekend and overall, I think there are more important things than racing. I’m happy to be back on the podium. I’m very disappointed. The team did an amazing job and we couldn’t do more.”
P3 Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti)
“Now I’m happier than in Barcelona because I improved myself so much in the race. All weekend, my feeling was not good. We can push for maybe one lap or two, but we are just too far from the front. We changed completely the bike from this morning’s Warm-Up and the feeling wasn’t good again. We just tried to check which setting was best from the weekend and I say, ‘I don’t care, we just need to put something’. They put something on the bike, and we go and race. I tried to keep my head because at the start we lose a couple of positions and just trying to keep the pace. In the end, I could push a little bit more because I started to feel better. I’m so happy I caught up. In the second last lap, I tried to push more, and I started to lose the front, so I took the third place.”
WorldSSP Results Race 2
1. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
2. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +9.609s
3. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) +10.251s
4. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) +11.861s
5. Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) +13.153s
6. Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +14.592s
Championship Standings (after Race 2, Round 10)
1. Dominique Aegerter (SUI) Yamaha (327 points)
2. Steven Odendaal (RSA) Yamaha (265 points)
3. Philipp Oettl (GER) Kawasaki (217 points)
Sofuoglu claims Race 2 victory in WorldSSP300 as Huertas crashes out in Jerez
The second WorldSSP300 race in Jerez was full of drama as the Championship battle took more twists
The FIM Supersport 300 World Champion race on Sunday at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto with a race that could have huge Championship implications and twists as Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) took a commanding victory for Race 2 of the Motul Spanish Round while Championship leader Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) crashed out and saw his Championship lead cut.
Huertas got the jump at the start to take the lead as he looked to wrap up the Championship in Race 2 but the Spanish rider ran wide at Turn 6 and dropped from the lead group down into around 14th before he started fighting his way back through the field, before the same issue happened again a couple of laps later and dropped him down to 19th, before Huertas was involved in an incident with Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) at Turn 6 which forced the Championship leader out of the race; the incident to be investigated after the race by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards.
The first incident allowed Turkish star Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) to take the lead of the race and at around the halfway stage of the race, he tried to open up the gap at the front of the field so he could claim his second victory of the season, which he duly did so ahead of Iñigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) in second place, who gained who crossed the line in fourth place but gained two positions when Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) and Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) were demoted one place for exceeding track limits on the final lap. Okaya claimed third place ahead of teammate Buis, whose fourth place coupled with Huertas’ non-score means the title battle will continue into the season finale in Portimao in just one week, with the gap just 36 points in favour of Huertas.
P1 Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing)
“Actually, last year we got our first podium in WorldSSP300 and first victory. Now we are in 2021 and again we got a victory here. This was my best race. I will never forget this. We had a good gap, we put a good gap to the other riders and the pace was good so I’m, very happy.”
P2 Iñigo Iglesias (SMW Racing)
“First of all, I have to send my condolences to the Viñales family because they are having a hard moment. I would like to say I’m happy but, in the end, I am not happy, not with the race, but with the weekend. It’s a lot of sentiment, first up and then down. This race is for Dean. We were friends so I think this has to be for him.”
P2 Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki)
“First, I want to say thanks to my family and sponsors and all who have supported me. The race was so hard, like every time in WorldSSP300, but this podium is much better than the Aragon podium. This podium is for Dean Berta Viñales.”
WorldSSP300 Results Race 2
1. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing)
2. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) +3.516s
3. Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) +3.518s
4. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) +3.520s
5. Marc Garcia (Prodina Team WorldSSP300) +3.813s
6. Mirko Gennai (Team BRcorse) +3.820s
Infront Moto Racing