Top performances from Toprak Razgatlioglu on his new circuit resulted in a nine-point lead over Nicolo Bulega, the runner-up in both the race and standings. Razgatlioglu is now at 370 points.
“I am delighted that we started with a victory. I am focusing on tomorrow’s race because the weather forecast is uncertain, hopefully everyone enjoys it,” said Razgatlioglu.
The Turkish rider had a good start, while Sam Lowes was overtaken by Andrea Locatelli. A major accident occurred in the second corner involving many riders, prompting the red flag to be raised.
Riders such as Garrett Gerloff, Yari Montella, Ryan Vickers, Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, and Remy Gardner were involved in the incident. Race Direction decided to restart with the positions from the Superpole but reduced to 20 laps from the original 21 laps.
Iannone received a double Long Lap Penalty for riding recklessly. Danilo Petrucci had to return to the garage due to bike issues. Despite starting from the fifth grid, he had a chance to get on the podium. However, the Italian rider eventually resumed racing from the pit lane.
Meanwhile, Ryan Vickers, Gardner, and Lecuona retired. The Australian rider is undergoing medical checks. The Honda motorcycle of the Spanish rider was not ready by the time the pit lane opened again.
Razgatlioglu, who was overtaken by Locatelli before the incident, increased his focus after the race resumed. He immediately accelerated and built a gap from the Yamaha riders. Sam Lowes fought hard to maintain his third position from Alvaro Bautista and his teammate at Aruba.it Ducati, Nicolo Bulega. Jonathan Rea was involved in a battle for P6 with Alex Lowes.
On lap 4, Razgatlioglu’s lead over Locatelli reached 2.2 seconds. El Turco left Locatelli behind while Sam Lowes and Locatelli battled for second position. The Italian rider lost the podium spot when overtaken by his compatriot, Bulega.
Unfortunately, Lowes couldn’t avoid a mishap when the British rider fell in Turn 2. This paved the way for Bulega and Locatelli to secure podium positions. The gap between Razgatlioglu and Bulega reached 3.7 seconds.
On lap 9, Locatelli once again lost third place, this time to Bautista. His teammate, Rea, was thrown out of the top 10 due to a crash in Turn 1 with 6 laps to go. He tried to continue but fell at high speed in Turn 4 on the 16th lap, damaging his bike.
Razgatlioglu claimed victory comfortably, while Bulega and Bautista finished P2 and P3. Locatelli had to settle for fourth place. Applause should be given to Petrucci, who started from the pit lane but managed to finish the race in fifth place. Alex Lowes finished in sixth position, followed by Yari Montella, Xavi Vierge, Garrett Gerloff, and Axel Bassani in the top 10.
