Czech WorldSBK, Superpole: Razgatlioglu Takes Third Straight Pole

07/20/2024 05:28 AM

Autodrom Most hosts round six of the 2024 Superbike World Championship, the Czech WorldSBK. Toprak Razgatlioglu arrives to the Czech Round with the championship lead, and off the back of two consecutive trebles, and the Turkish rider was fastrst in Superpole to take his third straight pole position.

Superpole

Toprak Razgatlioglu took a sensational pole position with a new lap record of the Autodrom Most circuit at the Czech WorldSBK.

Razgatlioglu was almost 0.7 seconds clear of the field in Superpole, beating the new lap record he set in Saturday morning's FP3 by a similar amount. Like the WorldSBK UK Round last weekend, the Turkish rider is in formidable form in the Czech Republic.

Andrea Iannone, ambitiously using Razgatlioglu as a marker, was the #54's closest challenger on his first visit to the Czech track. The Italian qualified second, ahead of Alex Lowes who completed the front row.

Nicolo Bulega had his worst qualifying of the season in fourth, and will be joined on row two by Remy Gardner and Danilo Petrucci, the latter feeling as though he'd been blocked by Alvaro Bautista on the final lap of his first run.

As for the reigning champion himself, he missed the front two rows yet again with his seventh-placed qualifying, ahead of Garrett Gerloff, Andrea Locatelli, and Michael Ruben Rinaldi who completed the top 10. Rinaldi will be joined on row four by Scott Redding and Sam Lowes.

FP2

Toprak Razgatlioglu repeated his time-topping performance of Friday morning on Friday afternoon at Most for the Czech WorldSBK, but his advantage shrank.

Despite improving his own time by over 0.4 seconds between FP1 and FP2, Razgatlioglu's advantage was reduced from almost 0.3 seconds in FP1 to only 0.103 seconds in FP2. The Turkish rider's closest rival was now Alvaro Bautista, not Remy Gardner, and the reigning champion was the only rider other than Razgatlioglu to lap in the 1:31s.

Behind Bautista was Jonathan Rea, who completed a nostalgic top three although he missed a sub-1:32, while Alex Lowes and Nicolo Bulega completed the top five.

Danilo Petrucci was sixth, ahead of Remy Gardner, Michael van der Mark, Andrea Locatelli, and Andrea Iannone who rounded out the top 10.

Technical issues for Michael Ruben Rinaldi's #21 Motocorsa Ducati meant the Italian did not set a time.

FP1

Toprak Razgatlioglu was fastest in WorldSBK FP1 at the Czech Round, finishing ahead of Remy Gardner.

The Turkish rider laid down his benchmark on just his second flying lap of the session, and was still the only rider in the 1:31s by the end of FP1.

For most of the session, Razgatlioglu was over 0.5 seconds clear of the field, but by the end Gardner had got to within 0.3 seconds of the 2021 champion. Alvaro Bautista, too, was within 0.3 seconds, while Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding in fourth and fifth were the last riders to be withing 0.5 seconds by the end.

Jonathan Rea was briefly second-fastest, but dropped to sixth at the end, ahead of Nicolo Bulega, Iker Lecuona, Alex Lowes, and Michael Ruben Rinaldi who completed the top 10.

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