MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

First match point is now. A podium by Toprak Razgatlioglu will secure him his second title and BMW's first. There are many other permutations, he has to finish today thirty seven points ahead of Nicolo Bulega, but Razgatlioglu will be trying to win the race. Teams championships and manufacturer's titles could also be decided today, with Ducati in the favourite spot for both.

Nicolo Bulega held a commanding pole position ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alex Lowes and he turned that into the lead into turn one, with Andrea Locatelli and Danilo Petrucci passing Lowes before crashing out. Tommy Bridewell and Taz Mackenzie crashed out at the end of the lap.

Bulega led Razgatlioglu at the start of lap two with Locatelli, Locatelli and Iker Lecuona further back from the leaders. Alvaro Bautista crashed out at turn six and rejoined in twenty fourth place of lap two.

Nicolo Bulega set a 1'39.371 fastest lap with Razgatlioglu half a second behind him. Locatelli, Lecuona and Lowes were over a second off the leaders. Bulega stretched his lead out to seven tenths over Razgatlioglu at the start of lap four with the fight for third almost two seconds further back. Alex Lowes took fourth place off Lecuona into turn nine, behind Locatelli.

Razgatlioglu closed up in lap five of twenty, starting lap six under half a second off Bulega. The gap behind them grew to almost three seconds, the leading pair, the championship contenders, were the only riders lapping under 1'40, their lead over the third place battle extended to three and a half seconds at the start of lap six. A lap later, the gap at the front was under half a second and closing. Bulega responded with another three tenths of a second.

At the start of lap eight, Razgatlioglu was eight tenths off Bulega with Locatelli almost five seconds behind them. Razgatlioglu's pace wasn't as good as Bulega's, and second place was enough for the title. By lap ten, the gap stretched to almost two seconds between the leaders with Locatelli leading the battle for the last step of the podium over five seconds behind them.

At half race distance, ten of twenty laps completed, Nicolo Bulega remained the fastest man on track, extending his lead to two seconds over a settled Toprak Razgatlioglu. Andrea Locatelli, Alex Lowes, Iker Lecuona and Michael van der Mark contested the last podium spot over five seconds off Razgatlioglu and almost eight seconds off Bulega in the lead.

In spite of the fact Razgatlioglu dropped his pace, he remained quicker than everyone behind him, only Bulega ahed of him was lapping quicker.

Returning from injury, Dominique Aegerter in ninth place had the best pace of everyone around him as he fought Axel Bassani for eighth place.

Two thirds of the race distance was completed by lap fourteen and Bulega had the victory secured over three seconds off Razgatlioglu, but the BMW rider in second place was five seconds clear of Locatelli et al behind him, with the title in his sight.

Fifteen laps of twenty completed, Bulega led Razgatlioglu by an inconsequential four seconds. The BMW team, with the CEO having kittens, were silent in the box, sending Razgatlioglu a pit box message of P2, over five seconds to Locatelli and five laps left, exactly the sort of message you'd give someone who was settling for the title.

Lap seventeen, Bulega got a "L4 P1 +3.8" pitboard. Lap eighteen, Bulega led by almost four seconds. The clock was ticking down, the laps were being ticked off. To hammer it home, Alvaro Bautista crashed again, this time in turn two, out of nineteenth place.

Two laps to go, Bulega led Razgatlioglu by four and a half seconds with Andrea Locatelli five more back. Alex Lowes was over a second off Locatelli, the podium places settled.

Last lap, a tense nothing happening, the podium and title decided. Razgatlioglu looked out for his pals preparing his celebration and his team got his pitboard ready with Toprak World Champion in gold text. Ducati won the manufacturer's title and Arubatook the team title with Nicolo Bulega's decisive victory, but BMW and Toprak Razgatlioglu made us look like fools with his second title and BMW's first, crossing the finish line in second place on his rear wheel.

Outgoing champion Alvaro Bautista had enough bike left after his second crash to catch up with Razgatlioglu to congratulate him. Razgatlioglu pulled a big stoppie in front of a bunch of Turkish flag wavers. Razgatlioglu jumped into a silver makeshift UFO in the gravel trap, no really, and he eventually, after quite some time, emerged past men in hazmat suits as an alien in full gold leathers and helmet. As he entered the pitlane he made a few changes to his electronic settings to allow him to go the full length of the pitlane with the rear tyre smoking the whole way. Finally, he made it back to Park Fermé, the German team's tears almost dried up, with a gold number one on the front of his bike.

At the beginning of the year, we pundits were hoping Razgatlioglu had a big payday as we assumed he wouldn't be picking up his usual win bonuses. He proved us all wrong in such a decisive way. He took his helmet off and put on an alien mask to underline what we doubted he could do. BMW knew they were getting a PR dream with Razgatlioglu, but I doubt even they thought they were getting a title.

Oh, and there's more racing tomorrow.

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