The first World Superbike sprint race seems like the third after a race split by a pit stop gave us two sprints yesterday. The weather is 21ºC and the track is cooler than yesterday. A headwind into turn one replaces yesterday's tailwind. Perfect conditions make beating Bulega tricky, but everyone has ten laps to try. The top nine grid positions for the last race of the weekend are determined by the results of this race.
Nicolo Bulega, Andrea Iannone and Alvaro Bautista led Toprak Razgatlioglu into turn one but into turn four, Bautista and Razgatlioglu ran straight on, recovering eight seconds off the lead. Razgatlioglu ran on threading the needle between Bulega and Iannone while Bautista was on the outside. Bulega and Iannone escaped from the field as Garrett Gerloff and Tetsuta Nagashima crashed out. A lap later, Bautista crashed out of last place.
Nicolo Bulega set a 1'29.097 fastest lap with Andrea Iannone for company. Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding two seconds further back had Michael van der Mark, Andrea Locatelli, Alex Lowes and Sam Lowes chasing them.
At half race distance, Nicolo Bulega led Andreas Iannone by over a second with the fight for third place three seconds further back between Petrucci and Redding. A second further back, Sam Lowes led Andrea Locatelli, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. Xavi Vierge got a penalty for irresponsible riding in ninth place.
Six laps in, Razgatlioglu had recovered up to fourteenth place but not lapping at a significantly quicker pace than the riders ahead of him. He had two seconds to catch the riders ahead of him. With two laps left, Iannone was two seconds off Bulega but three seconds clear of Petrucci, Redding and Sam Lowes, putting five Ducatis in the top five places. On the last lap, the podium looked settled, but Redding and Sam Lowes were only half a second off third-placed Petrucci.
Nicolo Bulega win the race decisively, claiming pole position for race two, two seconds ahead of Andrea Iannone. Danilo Petrucci held on to third place and takes the last step of the podium and the last spot on the front row. Scott Redding will head the second row, alongside Sam Lowes and the top non-Ducati, Andrea Locatelli. Alex Lowes, Yari Montella and Axel Bassani will make up the third row. Razgatlioglu and Bautista will start from the fourth row.
Razgatlioglu's off-track excursion handed Nicolo Bulega a seventeen point lead over both Toprak Razgatlioglu and Danilo Petrucci.
Results:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Gap |
| 1 | 11 | N. BULEGA | Ducati Panigale V4R | |
| 2 | 29 | A. IANNONE | Ducati Panigale V4R | 2.324 |
| 3 | 9 | D. PETRUCCI | Ducati Panigale V4R | 4.923 |
| 4 | 45 | S. REDDING | Ducati Panigale V4R | 5.312 |
| 5 | 14 | S. LOWES | Ducati Panigale V4R | 5.452 |
| 6 | 55 | A. LOCATELLI | Yamaha YZF R1 | 6.891 |
| 7 | 22 | A. LOWES | bimota KB998 Rimini | 7.267 |
| 8 | 5 | Y. MONTELLA | Ducati Panigale V4R | 9.748 |
| 9 | 47 | A. BASSANI | bimota KB998 Rimini | 10.585 |
| 10 | 87 | R. GARDNER | Yamaha YZF R1 | 10.924 |
| 11 | 97 | X. VIERGE | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | 11.260 |
| 12 | 77 | D. AEGERTER | Yamaha YZF R1 | 11.260 |
| 13 | 1 | T. RAZGATLIOGLU | BMW M1000RR | 14.186 |
| 14 | 60 | M. VAN DER MARK | BMW M1000RR | 14.330 |
| 15 | 17 | R. VICKERS | Ducati Panigale V4R | 16.968 |
| 16 | 53 | T. RABAT | Yamaha YZF R1 | 21.796 |
| 17 | 99 | B. SOFUOGLU | Yamaha YZF R1 | 27.062 |
| 18 | 95 | T. MACKENZIE | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | 42.505 |
| 19 | 19 | A. BAUTISTA | Ducati Panigale V4R | 1'06.284 |
| RET | 49 | T. NAGASHIMA | Honda CBR1000 RR-R | 5 Laps |
| RET | 31 | G. GERLOFF | Kawasaki ZX-10RR |
Comments
Windy with clouds
Good race but not as exciting as some.
Toprak did a fine stoppie arriving at the grid. But couldn't get it stopped for Miller corner, turn 4.
Alvaro Bautista sent his Ducati spinning up the track at the exit of Siberia. Ran to the bike and got going again. Completed the race in 20th and zero points.
Staying cool this afternoon.
WSS soon and Steve English. R9 shrink?