There Superpole Race of the penultimate round of the Superbike season in Argentina it gave fans strong emotions up to the checkered flag; more than a way of saying, the name of the winner of the race was really in doubt until the final stages, thanks to a thrilling duel between the Yamaha of Toprak Razgatlioglu and the Ducati of Scott Redding, arrived practically paired to the finish line. In the end, the El Villicum circuit rewarded the Turkish driver, who was able to repel the attacks of his British rival not without some difficulties.
In the ten laps scheduled on the South American track, Razgatlioglu took command of the race immediately after the start, outclassing the English rider from Ducati. In view of the fight for the title, the excellent start of Jonathan Rea: The Northern Irishman from Kawasaki, who started from fifth position on the grid, in fact first passed his teammate Alex Lowes – who then finished the race in 9th place after suffering technical problems – and subsequently the other Ducati from Rimini Michael Rinaldi, author of a lackluster start.
However, while Rea has never made himself threatening for the leading couple, Redding has instead worried the leadership of the Turkish driver on several occasions: after making a mistake on the second lap, with a braking that increased the gap between him and the Yamaha rider, the Englishman has subsequently recovered ground also thanks to a series of fast laps, exploiting the power of his own bike that emerged especially in the first sector. Arriving close to Razgatlioglu with two laps to go, Redding sank the overtaking right in the last lap, making a mistake here too that allowed the Turkish rival to immediately regain first place.
“How close do you like it?”
A new answer here👇#ARGWorldSBK 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/nGGSVxrHSW
– WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) October 17, 2021
In the last few meters, the Ducati rider tried to close the gap, joining Yamaha on the finish straight. In a real breathtaking sprint, however, the winner was Razgatlioglu, who guaranteed success in the Superpole Race for only 4 cents of advantage on the British. With the third place for Rea, the leader of the provisional classification increases his gap from the Northern Irishman, with 34 points separating the two. At the same time, the 75 points that divide the Turkish’s Yamaha from Redding allow the latter to still be fighting for the title. The next appointment is scheduled at 20:00 Italian, when the Superbike will be back on track for the Race-2, potentially decisive for the assignment of the 2021 World Cup.
WSBK | Round Argentina, Superpole Race: results