Gordon Ritchie | March 24, 2024
WorldSBK Race Two
Reigning and double WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took an assured win in Race Two after starting on the front row of the grid – thanks to his Superpole Race performance in the morning.
His own team-mate Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) looked like he would be able to hold onto the lead and win himself but Bautista was too strong in a race where the two official Ducati riders were running at a pace of their own.
There would be no fairytale triple win for Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) but he still scored the final podium place on offer, albeit seven seconds from Bautista after 20 laps.
Alvaro Bautista finally got back to winning ways with the race two win.
Fourth, in a far more spread out and predictable race than the opener on Saturday (or the remarkably tough sprint race on Sunday morning) was Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). He was over five seconds adrift of his team-mate Razgatlioglu.
After Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) crashed out of a top five position, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) ended up the top Independent Rider, in fifth place.
After Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) was penalised to drop one position for exceeding track limits on the final lap, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) took over sixth place.
With Gardner seventh, Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) finally scored his first points of 2024 in eighth place.
Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) was ninth and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) tenth.
In the championship itself, Bulega leads with 87 points, with Bautista second, and on the same 75 points total as third place Alex Lowes. Fourth is double Catalunya race winner, Toprak Razgatlioglu, with 71 points.
2024 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Race Two
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
|
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+2.041s |
| 3 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+7.005s |
| 4 |
Michael van der Mark |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+12.452s |
| 5 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+15.076s |
WorldSSP Race Two
A red flag stoppage led to what would be a quick race restart and a short six-lap race on Sunday at Catalunya. With full points up for grabs despite the race’s brevity the action was frenetic – and too much so at times – as Race One winner Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) crashed out and then finished in 32nd and last place.
A great finale between eventual winner Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) saw Manzi triumph by just 0.086 seconds.
The final podium place went to Race One faller on Saturday, Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha).
Stefano Manzi holds on by the skin of his teeth for the second WorldSSP win.
Championship leader still, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was fourth and the final rider in the leading group at the end was Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha).
Sixth place was taken by the second MV of Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) and the top RS765 in Race Two belonged to local rider Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph), in seventh.
Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) was eighth, Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was ninth despite suffering from arm-pump and the top ten was completed by the second Ten Kate machine of Glenn van Straalen (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) was 11th, his team-mate Tom Edwards (D34G Racing Ducati) 12th and Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) 20th.
2024 Catalunya WorldSSP Results—WorldSSP Race Two
| 1 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
|
| 2 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+0.086s |
| 3 |
Lucas Mahias |
(GMT94 Yamaha) |
+0.201s |
| 4 |
Yari Montella |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+0.681s |
| 5 |
Valentin Debise |
(Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) |
+0.714s |
WorldSBK Superpole Race
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) made a last corner pass to not only overtake Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) for the sprint race win but also leave a hole on the racing line big enough for Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) to take second. Bautista was a close third, with the podium riders covered by 0.260 seconds. Bautista had started 11th on the grid, making his podium place another top performance after a tough Superpole Qualifying session.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) placed fourth, 0.411 seconds down and still inside the leading group.
Toprak Razgatlioglu “pulled a Rossi” on the last corner to pass Bautista for a spectacular Superpole race win.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) rode a controlled race to fifth after an early podium challenge. His brother Sam (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) had made an early attempt to run away out front with Iannone but dropped to 11th at the flag.
Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) ended up sixth, 2.6 seconds from his team-mate and with a grandstand view of some epically competitive racing up front.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) was seventh, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) the top R1 rider in eighth, with Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) and Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) completing the top ten. Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was 13th and again scored no points.
2024 Catalunya WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Superpole Race
| 1 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
|
| 2 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+0.075s |
| 3 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.260s |
| 4 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.411s |
| 5 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+1.611s |
WorldSBK Race One
It took Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) four races in BMW colours to secure a first race win, and not only that, but the first full-distance ‘feature race’ for the German manufacturer since 2013.
It was also a first full feature race win for the SMR team that runs the logistical and pitbox side of the BMW team in general (and used to be privateer BMW and official Aprilia entrants).
Razgatlioglu had clear pace, even when the remarkable rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had headed off into a clear race lead, by over four seconds at one stage.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is a winner in BMW colors.
At this low grip track almost everyone expected the BMW riders to fade and the Ducati riders to shine over the final few laps, as it had happened so often in recent history. But it was the other way around for Bulega and Razgatlioglu – even if Bulega would move into the championship lead.
The Turkish rider had enough guile and tricks inside his BMW’s big front wing to overcome his dropping tyre gap better than Bulega’s eventual tyre grip plummet. He caught and one past Bulega, he eased out to win by a narrow but assured 0.102 seconds.
I was another small piece of history for the unique talent that is Toprak.
Catalunya should have been one of Toprak and BMW’s worst track but it proved to be the chance for Toprak to win his first ever race at this classic venue.
He has now scored 40 WorldSBK race wins in all.
Normally the best rider in Catalunya is Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Not this time, but he had a stirring Race One Ride all the same. He was dropped two places on the grid for a pitlane entry infraction that he still doesn’t understand, but he was still able to claw his way back to a podium finish in third place from 14th position on the grid.
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) provided a stunning early push and was in the lead when he fell on lap four, while easing away from the following pack.
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) turned third on the grid into fourth in the race after finding a weird rear tyre grip throughout.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) secured fifth place, 11 seconds down on the winner.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was in tyre management mode from the beginning and because of this he had enough tyre to pass Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) and take sixth place from him on the final lap.
Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) was eighth and the one-time top runner Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) fought off mid-race tyre drop to go from fourth to ninth.
Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team) was tenth, having only qualified 15th and being in tyre saving mode all race.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) fried his clutch off the start and had to pull out of the race on lap one, no scoring once again.
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) placed 12th and Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) was 15th.
Tarran Mackenzie (MIE Racing Honda Team) was a stronger 16th with a new crew chief at the helm.
2024 Catalunya WorldSBK—Race One
| 1 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
|
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.868s |
| 3 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+5.338s |
| 4 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+8.543s |
| 5 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+9.818s |
WorldSSP Race One
Pole-sitter Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) survived some early scuffles with second place qualifier Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) to then go on and take his first ever WorldSSP race win.
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) would take a strong second place after early force Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) fell out of contention.
Win number one for Adrian Huertas in WorldSSP.
Manzi got to within 1.277 seconds of Huertas but in third place Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was over five seconds from the win.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) placed fourth, catching Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha), who in his turn put Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) into sixth place.
Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) was seventh on the fastest Triumph, with Öncü dropping to an eventual eighth place after a massive drop in rear grip.
Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Ducati) was ninth and Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) tenth.
Tom Edwards (D34G Racing Ducati) fell out of contention; Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) was 18th and Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) 21st.
Raffaele De Rosa (QJ Motor Factory Racing) gave the new Chinese manufacturer its first competitive outing but experienced tech difficulties and retired at half race distance.
2024 Catalunya WorldSSP—Race One
| 1 |
Adrian Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
|
| 2 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
+1.277s |
| 3 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+5.840s |
| 4 |
Yari Montella |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+8.653s |
| 5 |
Valentin Debise |
(Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) |
+9.798s |
Friday WorldSBK
After two days of WorldSBK Catalunya testing last week, PI Race One winner and WorldSBK ‘rookie’ Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) pushed his way to the top of the Friday timesheets in race weekend itself. His best lap was fully 0.247 seconds faster than his team-mate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
In third place, after leading the FP1 session in the morning, was Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Also relying on his morning session lap time, Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was fourth quickest on aggregate times.
“Bulegas” Bulega blew them all away on Friday in WorldSBK.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) took another step towards obliterating the bad memories of a strange opening round in Australia with fifth place On Friday in Catalunya.
His team-mate Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) placed sixth as he continues his recovery from a PI knee injury.
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) underlined his strong early form after his enforced career hiatus with seventh best time. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) was eighth and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) ninth, putting five Ducatis inside the top ten – alongside two BMWs and two Yamahas.
In tenth place ex-MotoGP rider and recent Moto2 champion Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) added another R1 into the top level mix. The fastest Kawasaki was Axel Bassani’s KRT official bike in 13th place and the best Honda rider was Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) in 16th place.
2024 Catalunya WorldSBK—Friday
| 1 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
1:40.907s |
| 2 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.247s |
| 3 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+0.292s |
| 4 |
Michael van der Mark |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+0.338 |
| 5 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+0.493s |
Friday WorldSSP
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) had never secured a pole position until he jumped on the most official (but not quite factory) Ducati Panigale V2 this year. He has now won two Superpole contests in two attempts, and this time by a sizeable 0.274 seconds from his nearest rival.
Two WorldSSP poles in a row for Adrian Huertas.
Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was that second placed rider, ahead of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Returning former champion Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) was fourth as he continues to find top pace. Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was fifth, making him top MV (and three-cylinder) rider.
Fast championship starter,Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was sixth, earning a second row starting position for Saturday’s 18-lap race.
Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) placed seventh, Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Ducati) eighth and early fast starter, Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) was ninth, with Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) tenth.
Day One was a relatively strong one for Triumph riders in general, with Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) 11th and John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph). Navarro had been sixth in the morning Free Practice session.
Now the WorldSSP riders face a ten minute warm-up session on Saturday morning before attacking Race One, which will round out the first day of racing, as opposed to qualifying.
2024 Catalunya WorldSSP—Friday
| 1 |
Adrian Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
1:44.197s |
| 2 |
Can Oncu |
(Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) |
+0.274s |
| 3 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
+0.333s |
| 4 |
Lucas Mahias |
(GMT94 Yamaha) |
+0.609s |
| 5 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+0.631s |
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