Sunday WorldSBK/SSP/WCR/R3 round ups from Donington

WorldSBK 2024 – Round Five
Donington – Sunday

The final race of the weekend for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was packed with drama, as Toprak Razgatlioglu stormed to a perfect weekend, wrapping up all three races – his ninth win for the German manufacturer and matching Syke’s record at the circuit.

Nicolo Bulega was a distant runner-up, 8.062s off Toprak, Alex Lowes completing his 300th race start with a third-place finish.

Reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista crashed at Goddards on his sighting lap, but would get his machine repaired on the grid, in time for the race start. But, once the lights went out nobody could match Razgatlioglu who rocketed off the line, maintaining a lead from Bulega and Scott Redding.

Redding had a strong start to Race 2 but was soon caught and demoted to fourth by Lowes. Toprak extended his advantage to over two seconds at the front – dipping inside the 1’25 bracket.

Front row starter, Jonathan Rea had a tougher start to Race 2, losing touch with the front four before getting overtaken by Bautista and Danilo Petrucci with 14 laps remaining. After overtaking Rea, the #1 set his sights on Andrea Locatelli – and soon entered the top five.

At the front, Razgatlioglu put together a sensational performance, consistently lapping inside the 1’26 bracket in the late stages, crossing the line to storm to that 8.062s victory from Bulega, Lowes two-seconds in arrears for third.

Redding held onto fourth position in the closing stages of Race 2, keeping a 1.201s margin to Bautista, who rounded out the top five positions, finishing ahead of Petrucci who in turn finished in front of compatriot Locatelli. The Italian had an exciting end to the weekend after battling with teammate Rea, for seventh on the final lap.

The final spots inside the top 10 went the way of Dominique Aegerter, taking ninth ahead of Axel Bassani, who completed a fantastic recovery ride after starting from 16th on the grid.

Australia’s Remy Gardner finished 11th, improving on his Superpole result of 13th.

It was a disappointing end to the weekend for Adam Norrodin, who crashed at Turn 8 early on. Andrea Iannone would also have an early end to Race 2, entering pitlane and retiring from the race with six laps remaining.

WorldSBK riders reflect on Donington

Toprak Razgatlioglu – P1

“This is my favourite track, and the bike works unbelievably here, especially the engine brake and turning! I need just this, easy stopping and good acceleration. The grip isn’t fantastic, but the bike is working really well. Like this, it’s easy to show my potential. With BMW, we are coming step by step for the title. I’m just focused race by race and getting more wins.It’s good… but I need more! We have many races, but we don’t check this. At the end of the season, we will see. My target every race weekend is to try for three race wins, but this isn’t easy. I love Most and it’s almost my favourite circuit, if it wasn’t for Turn 2. I remember last year, I crashed there. I hope we are not crashing like this with BMW, but I’m fully concentrated on Most. I’m feeling positive about it. I hope we immediately find a good setup and that we’re fighting for the win again.”

Nicolò Bulega – P2

“I am very satisfied especially because the weekend did not start in the best way. We worked very well with the team that I want to thank. We grew session after session and today I felt comfortable on the bike. Being with Toprak was impossible so I can say that we got the best possible results.”

Alex Lowes – P3

“In the Superpole Race this morning, with less fuel on board and some riders going with the ‘X’ rear tyre, everybody was fast. From third or fourth to 15th, almost everybody had the same speed. So, it is quite stressful. If you did not attack you got attacked! It was quite difficult because I was tenth on the first lap and it was hard to make passes. But, I was fifth at the end and that helped me to move up one grid row for Race Two. In the final race I got stuck behind Scott Redding, who was trying to go away, but was probably sliding a bit more than me. I tried to make the move and passed him, but up ahead Nicolo Bulega did a great job in second place. He was so consistent. Every time I gained a bit he had enough in his pocket to pull away. It was a little bit of a boring race in terms of action but we were on the limit all the same – doing 1’26s lap times. I am happy with the second podium and I think we had a good strong weekend, despite starting back a bit on the grid. I am happy enough with the weekend.”

Scott Redding – P4

“It has been good. I am a little bit upset with my start in the Superpole race because I cost myself a podium. I had the pace to be there but the Superpole race is quick and the start is important but it was like it was and I managed to come through which was good. Then in race two I knew it was going to be hard, I was also using the SC-0 tyre that didn’t feel so good yesterday. I felt better with the tyre so I was able to ride in a better way and this was good for me mentally to gain confidence with the package and to feel comfortable and relaxed on the bike more. This weekend has been good for me and for the team. Everyone has been working really hard, from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, from BMW Motorrad Motorsport, and it’s nice when you can put something together and give back a little bit. I wanted it too hard to have the podium but a step at the time and I hope next time we can make two steps more. For Most, if I have the feeling like this weekend as a start, I would like to be fighting again in the top five there. It’s a track that I like and a track I go well so a podium, without being greedy, is something I want to achieve. We just need to perfect the bike a little bit and it will allow me to do that.”

Alvaro Bautista – P5

“I thank the team for the extraordinary work done on the grid. However, we still have problem with the feeling with the bike. We are doing our best but it is clear that this is not enough. We still need to work.”

Andrea Locatelli – P7

“Another difficult race for us, but we tried to get the maximum result and we always push hard. This was the maximum we could get today unfortunately. I would like to finish the race more in front, my feeling was to try to finish on the podium but we need to understand why it was not possible to make it today. We need just to continue to work hard, try to improve and keep looking forward. Fortunately, next week we have another race in Most at a different style of track. We have some days to rest and to understand what we need, and there we can try again. In the end, we didn’t do everything well this weekend but we got good points for the championship and we didn’t make any mistakes. So this is a good point and I am looking forward to making another step forward.”

Jonathan Rea – P8

“It’s amazing. I know the podium was a little bit ahead of where we targeted, especially in such a short race. I nailed my start! My start was amazing. Yesterday, ‘Loka’ went inside but I was blocked from going there. I thought I’d send it around the outside and see what happens. I came out fourth. I thought, ‘ahh, just do Sam into the Old Hairpin’ and suddenly it was like I’d never ridden a bike, I was all nervous in third thinking how I’d manage that! I got my head down and was pretty strong. I want to thank my team for their constant hard work. We’re still not really scratching the surface of what our full potential is but we’re not giving up. The confidence in that race was pretty good. Didn’t have that little bit to go with Bulega and Toprak in the end, so congrats to them. I get to start on the front row now, I can see the lights!”

Dominique Aegerter – P9

“It was a challenging Sunday, we tried our best. In the sprint race I tried to stay inside the top nine and following a difficult start I was able to make my way through the field, but unfortunately I got pushed wide in the final lap and dropped a couple of places. That made us start from P10 for the final feature race of the weekend. In Race 2 the start was good, I tried to stay close to the guys in front, managing to have decent pace, bringing home some valuable points. To finish ninth is not where we want to be, but we can build good things for the next rounds. Thankfully we’ll have another race immediately and I cannot wait to be in Most to come back stronger.”

Axel Bassani – P10

“In the Superpole Race we had some technical problems and we only completed the first lap. Race Two was better but it was difficult to start from the back. I think we had quite good pace but I lost a little bit of time in the last five or six laps. The earlier pace was around the same as the riders in sixth or seventh position. I had a better feeling with the bike, for sure, in Race Two but we need to improve in some places. We will stay positive and I want to say thank you to the team for continuing to work and for the good job they did this weekend. We will race again together soon in Most.”

Remy Gardner – P11

“It wasn’t our weekend at all, to be honest. We struggled during the races, trying our best. In the sprint, I tried to stay close to the group in front of me, but unfortunately some contact forced me to drop some places and I couldn’t reach a top nine spot in the end. In Race 2 things seemed to be a bit better, but in the final part of the race I was struggling with grip, still trying to recover as many places as I could. Luckily there’s immediately another weekend ahead of us, so let’s stay positive for Most, I’m confident we could have a good weekend there.”

Michael van der Mark – P12

“For today, we changed quite a lot on the bike compared to yesterday and this morning, I was feeling alright so we were ready for the race. In the Superpole race, I had an okay start but I just did not have the right pace to fight with the other guys. It was a shame to lose the sixth position on the grid for race two, but anyway, starting from 11th, I had a good start but on the first laps I was a bit in trouble with the other riders. Then I had an okay pace but I wasn’t fast enough. It was hard to fight with other riders, I could not really catch the group in front of me. In the end, I had a nice battle but fighting for P11 is not where we want to be. We need to find out why I don’t have the right speed at the moment. Let’s analyse and be ready for the next weekend at Most.”

Garrett Gerloff – P13

“For sure, this weekend has been a tough one. I came here with high expectations and the results we have seen here have shown what the bike is capable of. Congrats to Toprak to his wins and to Scott on his strong results, but for whatever reason we could not bring it together for me. We worked hard and tried a lot but the field is so close that even with a really strong pace and good feeling in qualifying I had to settle with 12th on the grid. From there, it is not easy to get strong race results. I am disappointed because more would have been possible. But we keep our heads down, regroup and get ready for Most, where the goal is to turn the page.”

Iker Lecuona – P14

“Quite a tough weekend, honestly. It was hard for me to manage both the situation and the frustration; overall, it was not easy for me or the team. We tried to find a way to turn the situation around and make progress and after making a final change to the bike’s setup in this morning’s warm-up, I had slightly better feeling. With nothing to lose, we tried the X tyre despite the cold and tricky conditions, and in the end, it was a mistake, but it was worth trying. In Race 2, I was able to stay close to the middle group at the start and lap at a similar pace to the riders ahead. Mid-race, I started to struggle a bit with the front brakes, and Gerloff overtook me. Two laps from the end, I managed to overtake Xavi in a safe area and collect a couple more points. The positive is that the experience we gained from the work done over these three days will be put to good use in Most next week.”

Xavi Vierge – P15

“Another tough weekend from which we have to try and take the positives, in that we never gave up, kept our focus, and continued to work hard to find the best setup possible for our bike at this time. We achieved that, and our pace during the race today was not so bad. Of course, it’s not enough to be able to battle with the others yet, but at least there was some progression. We will continue to analyze the data and provide as much information as possible to the engineers to make real progress as soon as possible.”

Adam Norrodin – DNF

“We’d tried to change something in warm-up but that didn’t work out. I felt that we took a good step in the subsequent Superpole race, but then in race 2, despite my best efforts to keep pace with those ahead of me, I could tell right away that I didn’t have much grip at the rear. I tried to push but kept almost losing the front, and ultimately crashed out of the race.”

WorldSBK Race Two Results

WorldSBK Superpole Race

Nicolo Bulega scored the holeshot to lead Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jonathan Rea and Sam Lowes through Craner Curves for the first time. Further back in the pack were Andrea Locatelli, Scott Redding, Dominique Aegerter and Alex Lowes. Alex Bassani went down on the second lap.

Remy Gardner was up to ninth with eight laps to run behind Alvaro Bautista. It was also at this juncture that Razgatlioglu made his move on Bulega for the race lead. That pair were 1.1-seconds in front of Jonathan Rea, and the Northern Irishman had a similar gap over fourth-placed Sam Lowes.

Alvaro Bautista then came from nowhere to gazump both Alex Lowes and Andrea Locatelli for sixth place in one foul swoop.  Alex Lowes came back at him though and that pair then set about chasing down Scott Redding and Sam Lowes.

With four laps to run Razgatlioglu had more than a second over Bulega, and the gap back to third placed Jonathan Rea had now blown out to more than 2.5-seconds.

Sam Lowes then got dusted up by a number of riders that saw him quickly shuffled from fourth place all the way way back to eighth in a matter of turns. A mistake by Gardner while trying to get the better of Lowes then cost him a couple of positions, as Danilo Petrucci and Dominique Aegerter got the better of the Australian, pushing him back to 11th.

With two laps to run Razgatlioglu led Bulega by almost three seconds. Jonathan Rea was a fairly lonely third place.  Alex Lowes had closed in on Scott Redding and was challenging for that fourth position on the final lap but couldn’t quite get it done.

Toprak Razgatlioglu winning his sixth race in succession with another display of domination.  Nicolo Bulega second and an ecstatic Jonathan Rea rounded out the podium. Remy Gardner would finish 13th.

WorldSBK Superpole Race Results

WorldSBK Standings

WorldSSP Race Two

Adrian Huertas inherited the World Supersport victory at Donington Park in Race 2 after Yari Montella was penalised for exceeding track limits on the final lap, losing a position. Securing the final spot on the podium was Jorge Navarro – a further 3.316s adrift.

Once the lights went out it was a fantastic launch from Huertas but his lead did not last as Redgate Montella was leader by the exit. An early red flag in Race 2 then broguth a halt to track action after an incident involving John McPhee, Krittapat Keankum, TJ Toms and Federico Fuligni at Turn 10.

The race was reduced to 12 laps with original grid positions, allowing Huertas to start on pole. Once the restart got underway it was a carbon copy start from Montella, stealing the lead once again. The #55 was unable to make a gap in the early stages, with Huertas, Navarro and Stefano Manzi on his tail.

Tom Booth-Amos and Valentin Debise duelled for the final spot inside the top five as the end of the race neared.

On the final lap, Huertas closed the gap to the leading Montella, having a look at the entry to Turn 9. The #99 then gave it everything but it would not be enough to match Montella’s incredible pace – settling for second. Montella ran onto the green on the final lap – and was subsequently demoted one position for exceeding track limits, with Jorge Navaro third.

Manzi secured fourth at the, ending the weekend as the top Yamaha ahead of home hero Booth-Amos. The #69 was able to secure a top five finish after Debise ran extremely wide at the final corner – dropping to eighth in the results. Niki Tuuli and Glenn van Straalen were able to benefit from Debise in sixth and seventh.

D34G Racing WorldSSP Team’s Oli Bayliss fell just inside the top-10 in 9th. Fellow Aussies Luke Power finished 18th, with Tom Edwards 24st.

Tom Edwards

“An unlucky day. Another rider took me clean out of race 2, an unfortunate red flag a lap later meant I had time to get my bike back to the box but unfortunately the damage to my bike was extreme. My team worked as quick as possible and did everything they could to get me back out there but with the amount of damage meant we missed the restart and joined the race late from pit lane. Huge thank you to my team for their work this weekend, the best there is. Hope everyone involved in the red flag is okay. Shake this weekend off and full focus on Most next week.”

Bahattin Sofuoglu suffered an early fall at the end of Lap 2, losing the front on the entry to Goddards and was not the only rider to crash at Turn 12 – Gabriele Giannini and Kaito Toba becoming the next fallers, before fellow PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda rider, Khairul Idham Bin Pawi crashed one lap later.

WorldSSP Race Two Results

WorldSSP Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Race Two

Aldi Satya Mahendra took a narrow win in the second World Supersport 300 race, just 0.102s clear of Jeffrey Buis who in turn was only 0.026s ahead of Inigo Bravo, while Galang Pratama missed out on the final podium step by just 0.001s.

WorldSSP300 Race Two Results

WorldSSP 300 Championship Points

World WCR Race Two

The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship returned to action at Donington Park and this time with Maria Herrera secured victory, taking her third win in WorldWCR after a tense last lap battle.

Herrera won by 0.199s from Ana Carrasco, who is now seven-point adrift from the Championship lead. Meanwhile, Sara Sanchez was able to grab another third-place finish.

Claiming the holeshot on the run down to Redgate, Herrera was aiming for redemption after finishing fourth on Saturday. Carrasco stormed to second at the end of Lap 1 and soon came under pressure from Sanchez. The fastest lap changing hands multiple times, with Carrasco clawing back Herrera’s one-second advantage.

Carrasco hit the front at the end of Lap 6 before Herrera responded on the entry to Turn 11. Meanwhile, polesitter Beatriz Neila dropped to third and was in a fierce battle with Sanchez. It was a two-way fight for the final spot on the podium after a crash at Turn 11 involving Ornella Ongaro and Roberta Ponziani put them out of contention.

On the final lap, Herrera led the way, the #22 looking for every opportunity to pounce. Carrasco made an attempt on the entry to Turn 11, running wide and handing Herrera victory after a super ride. Sanchez was able to fend off Neila at the chequered flag after a brilliant final battle for the podium.

Neila missed out on a podium by 0.354s, ahead of Ran Yochay, who rounded out the important top five places. Tayla Relph completed a great weekend in sixth – finishing both races inside the top 10. Lucy Michel battled from P10 on the grid to seventh after a fantastic ride to finish ahead of Pakita Ruizin eighth.

The final positions inside the top 10 went the way of Luna Hirano in ninth and Adela Ourednickova, who after narrowly missing out in Race 1 did finish 10th.

It was an early end to the weekend for Taiwan’s Chun Mei Liu, crashing at Turn 3 on the second lap. There was further drama for Mallory Dobbs, who lost the front in the final corner with six laps remaining after a great start.

World WCR Race Two Results

World WCR Points

R3 bLU cRU World Cup Race Two

Alessandro di Persio won the second R3 bLU cRU World Cup race, 0.038s ahead of Marc Vich, with Gonzalo Sanchez third, with just 0.1s separating the podium-getters.

Alessandro Di Persio

“Donington is a difficult track to learn, I tried hard from free practice onwards to study the more experienced riders and I worked with my team and the bLU cRU staff to understand the best way to ride. Yesterday I was very happy to achieve a podium here, especially with the changing conditions, but today it feels incredible to win. When I started from pole today I told myself ‘this time I’ll win’ and when I saw Marc (Vich) exceed track limits I knew I had it. A huge thanks to my family, my team and everyone at Yamaha.”

Australia’s Cameron Swain missed out on points after retiring.

R3 bLU cRU World Cup Race Two Results

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Points

2024 WorldSBK Calendar