WorldSBK at Most: Pole position, hat-trick and records again for Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW takes the lead in the manufacturers’ standings [Photo Gallery]
Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) remains unbeatable on the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s BMW M 1000 RR. At the sixth round of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in Most (CZE), ‘El Turco’ claimed pole position, all three race victories, and set new lap records. Following Misano (ITA) and Donington Park (GBR), this was Razgatlioglu’s third consecutive hat-trick. With 12 wins this season, ten of them in a row, he has extended his lead in the riders’ standings to 64 points. Additionally, BMW took first place in the manufacturers’ world championship at the season’s midpoint, leading by seven points.
Razgatlioglu hinted at his dominance in Most with fastest times in the practice sessions. In the 15-minute Superpole qualification on Saturday, he set a new all-time lap record twice and secured his fourth pole position of the season. In the first main race on Saturday afternoon he pulled away from the competition from the start, winning with almost a six-second lead. In the Superpole race on Sunday morning Razgatlioglu made it more exciting, initially dropping to third place. However, by the fourth of ten laps, he was back in the lead and won by almost four seconds. In the second main race on Sunday afternoon he initially settled for second place, before taking the lead again and crossing the finish line over three seconds ahead of his closest pursuers after 22 laps.
Teammate, Michael van der Mark (NED), returned to the podium battle in the second main race. After an excellent start he held third place for a long time and set the fastest race lap. In the second half of the race he dropped back slightly and finished fifth. In the Superpole qualification the Dutchman had to settle for 16th place after a crash. From there he moved up to ninth in the first main race. In the Superpole Race he finished eighth, but was classified ninth due to a penalty.
In the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, Garrett Gerloff (USA) secured eighth position in Superpole. Due to a penalty for a competitor he started the first race from seventh place, finishing in eighth. In the Superpole race and the second main race he finished in 12th place. Teammate, Scott Redding (GBR), qualified in 11th place. However, he had problems in the first race and finished fifteenth. In the Superpole Race Redding went down while trying to avoid a crashing rider ahead of him and retired. In the second main race the Brit briefly held seventh place before dropping back, receiving a long-lap penalty, and finishing in 13th.
The WorldSBK now moves on to Portimão in Portugal. The second half of the season begins there with round seven from 9th to 11th August.
Marc Bongers, Sporting Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was, of course, another highly gratifying weekend. Toprak‘s third consecutive triple, his tenth consecutive win… it’s really starting to become unbelievable. We had already said after Donington that the gap here wouldn‘t be as large and that we couldn’t dominate as much here. Nevertheless, we set another new lap record, achieved pole position, and won the races, even if not by such a huge margin. Basically, we had the pace to go even faster, but a very important factor in Most is tyre-preserving riding. Toprak managed that extremely well. Leaving here with over a 60-point lead in the riders’ standings and leading the manufacturers’ championship is simply fantastic. Additionally, it was very pleasing to see Michael deliver excellent races. This also shows that the base of our bike is solid. It was unfortunate about the inconsistent results in the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team. Garrett was doing quite well on Saturday, and Scott had a lot of bad luck, including today with the unfortunate crash that gave us a scare. But, luckily, he came out of it unscathed. Overall, we’re taking a lot of trophies home again, and it was very nice to have many BMW employees visiting here. Along with the many fans, and you always get goosebumps when the Turkish fans sing the national anthem. It was a great weekend, and now we’re preparing for Portimão.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 1 / R01: 1 / SP Race: 1 / R02: 1): “First I did not believe it, but now we have ten wins in a row. I am very happy that we again achieved three wins here. Especially on this track where I am really strong. Thanks to my team, they did an incredibly good job this weekend. We improved the bike with every session. In the second main race, with the hot temperatures, I was not pushing because in this race the gap was not important, it was important to win and that was what I focused on. I just checked the pit board, the gap and that everything is under control. On lap 22 I did a 1:32.6, a very good time. I just tried on one lap if I can give more. Everything was fine and there was no problem with the tyre. I really enjoyed the race. Now I am really happy because we have a big margin in the championship. But I am not thinking about this, I just think from race to race because it is important for me to get many wins. I need just two more victories for the record, and this is my target. We will see in Portimão where I am also strong. But now I am just happy with this weekend, no mistakes, three wins, we are always getting better and stronger.”
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