There is still the signature of Alvaro Bautista on Superbike Race 2 at MotorLand in Aragon, with a race that represents the worthy conclusion of a spectacular weekend. If the other two races of the weekend featured many overtaking and duels until the last lap, the key to Race 2 was the pace maintained by the Ducati Spaniard and Toprak Razgatlioglu, who tried to resist for as long as possible , until he had to give up with a few steps to go.
After the success achieved in the morning’s Superpole Race, topped off with a last-lap overtaking on the BMW Turk, Bautista repeats himself and doubles, achieving a victory that has been missing for several months now and also giving back something more in terms of confidence. Once again, Razgatlioglu confirmed himself as the most formidable rival who, upon his return after the bad injury, closed the Aragon weekend by pulling away from Bulega, who was third today.
Bautista maintained the lead of the race after starting from pole thanks to victory in the morning during the Superpole Race, with Razgatlioglu immediately behind him, ready to chase the success that had eluded him in the other two races of the weekend. Much more complex, however, was the start for Nicolò Bulega who, after losing third place to Andrea Iannone, came wide at the braking point at turn 12, thus slipping to ninth position, also behind Iker Lecuona.
Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
If Saturday’s long race was characterized by a group race with limited gaps, today’s race showed a much more sustained pace right from the start and, not surprisingly, the gaps immediately widened. Bautista and Razgatlioglu immediately dropped to the ’49 pace, while on Saturday they were even a second slower at times. Clearly both the track and the bikes have taken a step forward compared to Saturday, but it is clear that today the Spaniard and the Turk set up a different race, not one of waiting, but immediately attacking.
A pace that was difficult to sustain for the rivals behind them, who dropped to those times only at the end, when however the two leading riders were actually running at the low ’48, giving a second to the chasing group with an uncatchable pace.
Although Race 2 was not characterized by major overtaking and many duels at the top, so much so that Bautista then closed with an advantage of almost three and a half seconds, it was a race that still offered a great spectacle, especially in terms of the times. To give you an idea, the fastest lap of the race, set by the Spaniard himself, came on the penultimate lap, when the Ducati rider stopped the clock at 1:48.121. A sporting masterpiece, combined with extreme clean driving, without making mistakes, the aspect that had penalized him the most in Saturday’s comeback.
Razgatlioglu gave in only in the final stages, when he was no longer able to keep up with the pace of Bautista who, unlike the Turk, had no drops, but remained constant and concrete until the final crossing of the finish line. For the BMW driver, however, the results obtained in Aragon still represent an excellent haul because, upon his return after the injury that forced him to miss the events in Magny Cours and Cremona, he managed to extend his leadership in the championship to 39 points over Bulega, who above all pays for the zero in Race 1.
Nicolo Bulega, Aruba.It Racing – Ducati
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The Italian closes the podium, third but about 10 seconds from the top. Bulega had to race a comeback given the mistake he made on the second lap, when he slipped to ninth place. Lap after lap, the Ducati rider began to recover positions, remaining in the small group of four riders who fought for the last step of the podium, formed by Bulega, Iannone, Gerloff and Petrucci.
The Emilian driver managed to climb back to third place with eight laps to go but, at that point, the gap from the leading duo had already risen to five seconds, now impossible to recover, which probably also pushed him to keep something in the pocket without taking excessive risks. However, the difference in pace was significant, so much so that Bautista and Razgatlioglu then extended the lead further.
Good fourth place for Iannone, the best independent rider, ahead of the other BMW, Gerloff’s, and Petrucci’s Ducati, who nevertheless had a good weekend. Seventh place for Van der Mark ahead of Lecuona, who confirmed himself as the most effective rider with the Honda, and Locatelli, ninth with the first Yamaha. Redding closes the top ten, while Rea was unable to go beyond thirteenth position after missing the last weekend in Cremona.
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