MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Sam Lowes was declared unfit for the final day of the World Superbike weekend after his crash in yesterday's race. His crash that brought out the red flags was not caused by fluid on his rear tyre, as initially thought, as it was caused by his picking up Jonathan Rea's front wing with his rear tyre after contact at the start of the race. The ten lap sprint race was colder than yesterday's race, at just 16ºC.

Nicolo Bulega led Andrea Iannone and Alvaro Bautista into turn one with Danilo Petrucci behind. Toprak Razgatlioglu had a bad start but he climbed to fifth in the first few turns and passed Petrucci into turn fourteen for fourth place. Razgatlioglu looked for ways past Bautista on lap two and found a path in turn seven to take third place. In turn twelve, he passed Iannone and Bautista followed him into turn fifteen. Nicolo Bulega set a 1'48.256 fastest lap.

Alex Lowes crashed out in the exit of turn one as his bike twitched and highsided him. Razgatlioglu and Bulega swapped the lead at the end of the lap but Bulega held onto the lead in spite of Razgatlioglu setting a 1'48.199 fastest lap and hounding Bulega for the whole of lap four. Razgatlioglu passed Bulega into turn sixteen but Bulega switched under him to take the lead back by the start of lap five. Into turn one, however, Razgatlioglu made a pass stick on the brakes, lifting and twitching the rear, and hold it through the first two turns.

At half race distance, Toprak Razgatliolgu led Nicolo Bulega with Alvaro Bautista setting a fastest lap of 1'48.177 to close up to the leading pair. Into turn one, Bulega took the lead back off Razgatlioglu with Bautista a quarter of a second behind. Andrea Iannone, Garrett Gerloff and Danilo Petrucci were spread out behind the podium places with Iker Lecuona, Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge close behind.

With three laps remaining. Bulega and Razgatlioglu set lap records, with Razgatlioglu setting a 1'47.935. With the pace at the front, Bautista was half a second off the hard fight at the front, with Razgatlioglu probing for a pass, slipping a front wheel under Bulega's rear and he made his pass at turn fourteen, giving Razgatlioglu clean drive onto there back straight. Bulega tried to pass back into turn one, but Razgatlioglu held the lead on the brakes.

With two laps left, Bautista closed on Bulega and passed into turn fifteen, powering down the straight ahead of his teammate. Razgatlioglu led the start of the last lap, bouncing his rear into turn one to hold off Bautista. The leading trio were covered by a quarter of a second.

Bautista took the lead into turn fifteen and led down the straight, covering the inside line into turn sixteen and holding off Razgatlioglu's charge.

Alvaro Bautista won his first race since round three earlier this year, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega with the podium covered by under two tenths of a second. Four and a half seconds off the podium, Andrea Iannone took fourth place with Garrett Gerloff on his tail and Danilo Petrucci a second further back.

Toprak Razgatlioglu extends his championship lead over Nicolo Bulega to thirty five points with Alvaro Bautista remaining in third place. Bautista's purple mohawk, done for his daughter's benefit with a matching helmet, brought him back to winning ways at his home track. 

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