Razgatlıoğlu Does the “Donington Double” to Take the WorldSBK Championship Lead

This morning the Superpole Race was not so good, I tried my best but it was a sixth position finish with the intermediate tyres. I hoped that we would see dry conditions for Race 2 because this is the important race and I need to be at the front. The race was not easy because every lap I was pushing for the win. I followed Jonathan and the race track grip was not like yesterday, because three times I almost lose the front tyre! And I say, “okay, now I follow Jonny and we see near the end” but he made a big mistake and crashed, so after that I try for a consistent lap time and bring the bike back to the team. I think my favourite track is Donington Park, because in 2018 and 2019 I was on the podium two times in second position. This year, two victories, so I am really happy and I want again to thank Yamaha and my team. In Assen, I like the track but it will be the first time I ride the R1 there – but I think no problem, I am looking forward to it!

In the Superpole Race, I lost the front group at the start and the conditions were little bit crazy like yesterday. I was in the middle group and I lost too much time but in the end we were able to take P9 to start on the third row of the grid for Race 2. But, in Race 2, there was just one point on the circuit where I lost too much time with the rear grip, especially in the last sector – I don’t understand why. But from the first to the last lap, I found it so difficult to ride and to stay with the group in front. In the end, it was not so easy. But we can be happy with this weekend after the crash in Race 1. I want to thank my crew because they worked a lot yesterday to give me a new bike. Now, we go to Assen and for sure we will try to start faster and push a little bit more for the next race. I know the track from Moto3 and Moto2 which is one nice point, so we will stay focused just on the setup and to try and go as fast as possible!

I’m a little bit surprised to be honest because, with the weather forecast as it was and Jonathan’s history of winning in wet conditions, the expectation was maybe more to manage the losses this weekend than it was to take the championship lead for the first time! Toprak was simply stunning today. Even the Superpole Race on a really difficult circuit, keeping it on two wheels and improving his pace throughout to secure a great starting position for the important Race 2 – and then of course, the battle at the front was only between him and Jonathan from the first corner onwards. It looked like it was going to be a fair bit of cat and mouse, but Toprak managed to pressure Jonathan into a mistake and from then on, he used his head superbly, managed the gap and brought it home for a famous double victory and lead in the WorldSBK Championship. A great moment for the team, Yamaha and Toprak, but we’ll keep our feet on the ground. We’re only four rounds into a 13 round series and we look forward to re-joining the fight in Assen. Andrea’s day was positive in terms of the Superpole Race and improvement into the top nine, showing good strong pace to get there. But Race 2 was a disappointment for him, he suffered a lot of rear wheel spin which hadn’t been the case earlier in the day and the team will be checking from a setup point of view to see if anything more could have been done to improve this point as Andrea picks up more valuable WorldSBK experience.