Gordon Ritchie | October 20, 2024
Sunday WorldSBK Race Two
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) scrapped for the winner’s trophy in the final race of the 2024 season, as they had done in the previous two Jerez races.
This time around a red flag halted the action with only 17 of the planned 20 laps completed.
It looked like the half second advantage of Razgatlioglu could have been kept this time, as he had rebuffed Bulega’s mid race push, but we will never know if the rookie of the year could have pounced to win a triple at the final round.
Razgatlioglu held off Bulega to round out the year on top of the box.
Razgatlioglu ended his astounding season with 18 race wins, despite missing two whole rounds worth of points after his horrible Magny-Cours crash.
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) and eventual third place finisher Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a collision at half race distance, into the final left hand hairpin, with Bulega almost falling and losing two places at that stage.
VDM would go on to take third place and send the BMW crew into ever greater heights of delirium.
Iannone was fourth, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) fifth and one place ahead of the season’s best privateer Ducati rider, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati).
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was seventh in his final BMW ride, Locatelli was eighth, Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) ninth and Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team) tenth.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had another tough race, running wide after trying to pass Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) and eventually retiring.
In the final Championship points, Razgatlioglu has 527, Bulega 484, Bautista 357, Lowes 315 and Petrucci with 307.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Race Two
| 1 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
|
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.545s |
| 3 |
Michael van der Mark |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+10.938s |
| 4 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+12.399s |
| 5 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+13.522s |
Sunday WorldSSP Race Two
The final WorldSSP round at Jerez could have provided another new 2024 race winner had the hefty first lap push of Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) not ended up in the gravel after a fall at T9 in Race Two.
The rest of the pack streamed past the luckless Turkish rider with a few of them involved in a close fight at the front, one which late season force Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) would win by just 0.0275 seconds from the determined Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha).
Manzi gave the R6 a fitting send off in its last-ever race with a double win.
Yet another fast refugee from the Moto2 paddock, Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) put himself on the podium in the final race of 2024, in third place – all the time closing in on Debise from behind and ending up only 0.810 seconds from the win.
Fourth, and easing out of the paddock with the championship trophy already secured, was the Spanish sensation, Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati), with Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) just behind.
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) placed seventh and eventual championship third place rider, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) eighth.
Now a Yamaha Thailand rider, Bahattin Sofuoglu was ninth and newly-crowned 2024 ‘WorldSSP Challenge’ champion, Simoni Corsi (Renzi Corse Ducati) was tenth on the overall WorldSSP ranking at the final race of the final round.
In the overall championship, Huertas finished 24 points ahead of Manzi, 439 to 415. Montella placed third with 382 points and Debise was fourth with 238.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—WorldSSP Race Two
| 1 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
|
| 2 |
Valentin Debise |
(Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) |
+0.275s |
| 3 |
Bo Bendsneyder |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+0.810s |
| 4 |
Adrián Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
+3.504s |
| 5 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+5.137s |
Sunday WorldWCR Race Two
An unbelievably dramatic 11-lap finale to the all-new WorldWCR championship at Jerez saw potential champion Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) fall in the final corner after a contact with eventual race winner, Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team).
Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) in finishing third, took the championship win after her rival had fallen just seconds after being in a literally championship winning race lead.
It was drama right up to the final corner but Sanchez took the win, Carrasco (in third) the title.
When Sanchez passed Herrera into T13, the final corner entry, her inside line scrubbed off her apex speed, but Herrera’s wider line let her run in faster – and as they came together her front tyre touched Sanchez’s rear tyre, causing Herrera to lose the front – and her last chance of the championship win.
An epic end to an epic first year in this class.
Second in the race was Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and third Carrasco, who won the title by 20 points, adding it to her WorldSSP300 championship she famously won a few years ago.
Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) placed fourth, Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) fifth – with the eventual top five (not six, sadly for Herrera) covered by just 1.039 seconds.
Wildcard Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) was a potential podium rider but had to take two long lap penalties for jump starting, finishing a still-strong sixth.
Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) was a battling but lonely eventual seventh, while Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno), Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) and Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM LatinoAmerica by Team GP3) completed the top ten.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—WorldWCR Race Two
| 1 |
Sara Sánchez |
(511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) |
|
| 2 |
Beatriz Neila |
(Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+0.368s |
| 3 |
Ana Carrasco |
(Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) |
+0.639s |
| 4 |
Roberta Ponziani |
(Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) |
+0.722s |
| 5 |
Pakita Ruiz |
(PS Racing Team 46+1) |
+1.039s |
Sunday WorldSBK Superpole Race
New WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) said he would try and enjoy the Sunday races after confirming his new champion status on Saturday, but it was eventual race winner Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who had the most fun in the first race of the final day of 2024.
The early leader, Bulega was relegated to second for a while but when he wanted to he passed Razgatlioglu and upped the pace to win by 2.375 seconds. A new lap record of 1’38.528, set on lap six, helped Bulega’s cause.
Bulega charged clear to take the Superpole race win.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was 1.8 seconds behind second placed Razgatlioglu, with Lowes’ final rival for overall fourth in the championship, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati), in fourth place in the ‘sprint.’
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) placed fifth and the second official BMW of Michael van der Mark was sixth.
Andrea Iannone was the second Independent rider home, in seventh position, after Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) got pinged to drop one place after exceeding track limits on the final lap.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was ninth and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha) tenth.
One race left at Jerez and then the season will be complete.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—WorldSBK Superpole Race
| 1 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
|
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+2.375s |
| 3 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+4.182s |
| 4 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+5.511s |
| 5 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+6.202s |
Saturday WorldSBK Race One
after Bulega’s most assured win of the year Toprak Razgatlioglu only needed his second place race finish to take the championship win.
This was BMW’s first ever championship victory, after a season of seemingly endless mid-season domination for Razgatlioglu – then an awful crash at Magny-Cours that could have ended it all prematurely. He lost two whole rounds worth of potential points to his injury but it came good in the end and second was enough in this race, with two rounds left in 2024. This is Toprak’s second world championship success, after taking the title with Yamaha in 2021.
Bulega (11) took race one but Razgatlioglu (54) took the title, his second and BMW’s first.
The final podium place was taken in determined fashion by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team), in a race which Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed in – twice.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) piled in a close fourth place behind Locatelli, as he caught and passed the fallen Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) for overall fourth in the championship fight. Two rounds still to run for this battle to be decided.
Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) placed fifth, 2.3 seconds behind Lowes but importantly just ahead of a rolling maul of five riders, with Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda), Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team), Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) finishing within less than two seconds of each other.
In the points, and with two races still to go, Razgatlioglu has an unattainable 493, Bulega has 452 and Bautista 356.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—Saturday WorldSBK Race One
| 1 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
|
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+6.067s |
| 3 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+9.361s |
| 4 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+11.249s |
| 5 |
Iker Lecuona |
(Team HRC) |
+13.597s |
Saturday WorldSSP Race One
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) won the opening WorldSSP race of the season finale at Jerez, with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) runner up by almost two seconds. New World Champion Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) was a comfortable third, and took the title win as a result.
Huertas is now 36 points ahead of Manzi in the points table, with only 25 points left to play for in Race Two on Sunday.
In the Yamaha YZF-R6’s last WorldSSP race meeting, Manzi gave it a fitting send off with the race one win.
The 17-lap race was, like all others on Saturday, blessed with warm autumnal sunshine.
Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) placed fourth, resisting the constant pressure from behind being generated by former World Champion, Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha).
Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) was taken out by a crashing Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) on lap three, while both were in the loose leading group.
Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) placed six and relatively new WorldSSP rider Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) seventh.
Cleared fit to ride after missing some action at Estoril, John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) was eighth.
Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Ducati) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) rounded out the top ten.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—Saturday WorldSSP Race One
| 1 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
|
| 2 |
Yari Montella |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+1.971s |
| 3 |
Adrián Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
+3.793s |
| 4 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+6.288s |
| 5 |
Lucas Mahias |
(GMT94 Yamaha) |
+6.581s |
Saturday WorldWCR Race One
The WorldWCR championship will be decided on the final day of action at Jerez after a dramatic finish to the 11-lap Saturday race. When long-time leader Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) fell on the last lap at T6, Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) was in the best position to pounce. She finally took a half second race win from her championship rival Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team).
Herrera took race one and is in the box seat for the WorldWCR title.
Carrasco had been in third place approaching the final sector but won a straight drag race to the line out of the last corner, putting the rapid Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) into third place. The top three were covered by just 0.606 seconds at the flag.
Fourth was Italian rider Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team), albeit 14-seconds down on the winner, with Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) fifth, just ahead of wildcard rider Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) in sixth.
The top ten was rounded out by a lonely Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) in seventh, Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) eighth, Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) ninth and Isis Carreno (AD78 FIM LatinoAmerica by Team GP3).
In the championship, Carrasco now leads Herrera by 13 points, with one race left to run on Sunday 20 October.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—Saturday WorldWCR Race One
| 1 |
María Herrera |
(Klint Forward Factory Team) |
|
| 2 |
Ana Carrasco |
(Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) |
+0.585s |
| 3 |
Beatriz Neila |
(Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+0.606s |
| 4 |
Roberta Ponziani |
(Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) |
+14.322s |
| 5 |
Pakita Ruiz |
(PS Racing Team 46+1) |
+19.733s |
Friday WorldSBK
On his last weekend with his current team Michael Ruben Rinaldi (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati), surprised all comers with the fastest time after combined Friday qualifying, setting a 1’39.591 that was just 0.150 seconds faster than championship chaser, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
During a generally close day on the timesheets, finally no fewer than 16 riders lapped Jerez within 0.811 seconds of the leading time.
Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was third, and just 0.025 seconds behind his rival Bulega. He, as one of only four riders to do so, relied on his FP1 time for his best time of the day.
Rinaldi’s going out with a bang and topped Friday at Jerez.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) ended his day fourth, with the improving consistency at pace of the R1 under Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) putting him fifth.
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) placed sixth.
Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team) was top Kawasaki rider, somewhat unusually, as Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) ended up playing catch up after losing some time to an early tech issue, and was only 12th.
Bassani was seventh, but had posted an identical lap time to Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati), who was ranked eighth.
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) rounded out the Friday top ten, with everything to play for on Saturday in Superpole to determined final Race One grid positions.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldSBK
| 1 |
Michael Ruben Rinaldi |
(Team Motocorsa Racing) |
1:39.591s |
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.150s |
| 3 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+0.175s |
| 4 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(Barni Spark Racing Team) |
+0.229s |
| 5 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+0.283s |
Friday WorldSSP
Madrid native that he is, Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) does not have a ‘real’ home race to compete in, but in Andalusia he had at least a very Spanish day one success, taking the last Superpole trophy of the 2024 season – shortly before he heads off to Moto2 for 2025.
The champion elect has some degree of work to do on Saturday to win the title, despite being 45 points ahead of the next challengers, but he started his final WorldSSP campaign in a perfect fashion with the fastest lap of 1’42.115.
Huertas just has to keep it upright to take the title this weekend.
Another Iberian rider, Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) placed second on the Race One grid, with the first MV Agusta, belonging to Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) taking third place.
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was fourth, and the first R6 rider, while Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) was fifth and recent but now former championship contender, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) sixth.
Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) placed seventh and Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) eighth.
Both John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) in ninth and Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in tenth place had to be checked and cleared fit to ride before Superpole began (after illnesses and injuries picked up in Estoril last week). Öncü was fastest rider in FP1 in the morning, and the top ten were covered by only 0.596 seconds.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldSSP
| 1 |
Adrián Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
1:42.115s |
| 2 |
Jorge Navarro |
(Orelac Racing Verdnatura) |
+0.219s |
| 3 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+0.249s |
| 4 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
+0.270s |
| 5 |
Federico Caricasulo |
(Motozoo ME AIR Racing) |
+0.274s |
Friday WorldWCR
Superpole on Friday at Jerez was headed up by local rider Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team), who was just 0.047 seconds ahead of championship leader, Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team).
The only realistic championship challenger to Carrasco, Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) placed third at a sunny Jerez.
Sara Sanchez has really come into her own in the second half of the year and took a maiden pole at Jerez.
Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) was the first non-Spanish rider on the grid in fourth place, with two more Spanish competitors, Beatriz Neila (Ampito/Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) completing the top six.
Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno) and American rider Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) placed seventh and eighth, with wildcard runner Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) ninth and Aussie rider Tayla Relph (TAYCO Motorsport) tenth.
2024 Spanish WorldSBK Results—Friday WorldWCR
| 1 |
Sara Sanchez |
(511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) |
1:51.671s |
| 2 |
Ana Carrasco |
(Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) |
+0.047s |
| 3 |
Maria Herrera |
(Klint Forward Factory Team) |
+0.362s |
| 4 |
Roberta Ponziani |
(Yamaha Motoxracing WCR Team) |
+0.663s |
| 5 |
Beatriz Neila |
(Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+1.041s |
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