In Race 2 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) emerged victorious after an intense battle with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). The race took a surprising turn as Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) suffered a crash in Tamburello on the first lap. Razgatlioglu capitalised on Bautista's misfortune to claim the lead, ultimately securing his first feature-length race win of 2023.
Axel Bassani finished in second position whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secured a well-deserved third place. The race also witnessed a strong performance from Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who finished in fourth place, adding valuable points to his Championship campaign. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) secured fifth place as he looks to retain his seat in the team for 2024. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) achieved a career-best sixth-place finish.
After Race 2, Alvaro Bautista maintains his lead in the WorldSBK Championship standings with 391 points, but Toprak Razgatlioglu's victory reduces the gap to 70 points.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK
“I’m very happy that this year, finally, I’ve won! I waited for this moment, so thanks to my team who did an incredible job this weekend. Every session, we improved the bike but I am also sorry for Alvaro but this is racing, and you try and do your best. It’s the first time he’s crashed. After, I made a plan and didn’t want to risk. I followed Axel and in the last three laps I passed him and took a good pace. In general, I’m very happy this weekend! It’s the first time that Yamaha have won at Imola this weekend and I love this track too. It was very hot this weekend and congratulations to everyone because of this. I think it’s been a very good weekend as everybody’s watched real racing! The Championship is not over; I am riding like before, I’m focusing just on winning.”
WorldSBK Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK)
2. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +1.996s
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +2.458s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometon WorldSBK) +6.111s
5. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +11.154s
6. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) +12.210s
WorldSBK Championship standings
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 391 points
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 321 points
3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 208 points
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu | Yamaha
2. Alvaro Bautista | Ducati |+0.244s
3. Andrea Locatelli | Yamaha | +1.720s
Manzi dominates Imola with double win, closing in on Bulega's lead
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) secured a double win at Imola. Starting from the third position on the grid, Manzi closed the gap to early race leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). He eventually overtook Bulega and extended his lead to over seven seconds by the end of the race.
The battle for third place saw Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) claim his fourth podium finish in the WorldSSP class. He held his position comfortably, securing an all-Italian podium alongside Manzi and Bulega.
Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) achieved his best result in WorldSSP, finishing in fourth place, while Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) claimed fifth place, his best result in the 2023 season. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) engaged in a thrilling battle for sixth place, with Navarro ultimately securing the position.
P1 | Stefano Manzi | Ten Kate Racing Yamaha
"It was an amazing weekend starting from Friday morning. To win this race was very important because winning with such a gap, I wasn't able to achieve it yesterday. My first back-to-back win, here in Italy in front of my home crowd. It's amazing! I'm really happy. In the first few laps, I felt more the difference of power between the bikes. The other bikes are more powerful than mine, and when we have the full tank, we're missing a bit compared to Ducati. Then I felt better and I pushed more. The Championship isn't over yet. We'll try our best, and when we're able to have weekends like this, it's always amazing."
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +7.188s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +9.804s
4. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +15.370s
5. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +17.370s
6. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +17.636s
WorldSSP Championship standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 283 points
2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 242 points
3. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 184 points
Geiger takes Race 2 win and Championship lead after Vannucci's demotion
In Race 2, Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) took the flag ahead of Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM - Paligo Racing ) but was ultimately demoted to second place as he went past the track limits on the inside of Turn 13 on the last lap.
Geiger continued his consistent form and eventually claimed the top of the championship standings, with a 17 points lead over Vannucci after being awarded the win in Sunday's race. Humberto Maier claimed a solid third-place finish.
Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) finished in fourth place, closely followed by Lennox Lehmann in fifth, marking a strong presence for the Freudenberg KTM - Paligo Racing team. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) rounded up the top six finishers.
WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results
1. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing)
2. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) +0.213s
3. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) +3.826s
4. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) +8.696s
5. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +9.010s
6. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +9.555s
WorldSSP300 Championship standings
1. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) 116 points
2. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) 99 points
3. Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) 95 points
Dorna World SBK