KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Rahal Ducati Moto’s Josh Herrin won the twice red-flagged Saturday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race at Barber Motorsports Park. Herrin finished just ahead of Celtic Economy Lube + Tire Warhorse’s Darryn Binder and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished fourth, followed by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Joshua Hayes in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SSP_R1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Quarterley Racing’s Nathan Gouker won Saturday’s MotoAmerica Talent Cup race at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of Team Hammer’s Jake Paige and Team Roberts’s Kensei Matsudaira. Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt finished fourth, followed by Phison Pascari-Rocksolid Racing’s Reese Frankenfield in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_TCP_R1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law’s Cameron Beaubier took the MotoAmerica Superbike pole position at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday. Beaubier was 0.558 seconds ahead of Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, with Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen third. Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong finished fourth, followed by OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SBK_Q1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio grabbed the MotoAmerica Mission Super Hooligan pole on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau and OrangeCat Racing’s Josh Herrin. TopPro Motorsports Edge Racing’s Jason Waters finished fourth, followed by Saddlemen Race Development’s Jake Lewis in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_MSH_Q2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov took the MotoAmerica Supersport pole position on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, ahead of teammate Josh Herrin and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott. Celtic Economy Lube + Tire Warhorse’s Darryn Binder finished fourth, followed by Rahal Ducati Moto’s Alessandro Di Mario in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SSP_Q2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz led Saturday’s MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike Practice 2 ahead of Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law’s Cameron Beaubier and Wrench Motorcycles’s Cameron Petersen. OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly finished fourth, followed by Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SBK_P2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Robem Engineering’s Hank Vossberg dominated Saturday’s MotoAmerica Talent Cup qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park, finishing 0.677 seconds clear of Karns TST Industries Racing’s Kevin Olmedo and Karns TST Industries Racing’s Isaac Woodworth. Speed Demon Racing powered by Ready to Ride’s Logan Cunnison finished fourth, followed by M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_TWN_Q2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Quarterley Racing’s Nathan Gouker topped Saturday’s MotoAmerica Talent Cup qualifying session at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane and Team Roberts’s Kensei Matsudaira. Team Hammer’s Jake Paige finished fourth, followed by Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_TCP_Q2_res
Alex Marquez won the MotoGP Tissot Sprint race Saturday afternoon at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain. Riding his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on Michelin control tires, the Spaniard won the 12-lap race by just 0.041 second.
Pedro Acosta was the runner-up on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished third on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26.
Raul Fernandez finished the race fourth on his Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26.
Johann Zarco got fifth on his Castrol Honda LCR RC213V.
Francesco Bagnaia finished the race 6th on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26.
Marco Bezzecchi was 9th on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 and his teammate, Jorge Martin, crashed his bike.
Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship with 129 points, 2 ahead of Jorge Martin who has 127 points. Pedro Acosta is third with 92 points.
motogp spirnt race
motogp world championship
More from a press release issued by MotoGP:
0.041s in it: Alex Marquez fends off Acosta for Barcelona Sprint gold. The closest-ever Tissot Sprint finish sees the #73 and #37 go toe-to-toe on home soil, while drama unfolds for title-chasing Martin.
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) vs Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). 0.041s. The closest Tissot Sprint finish ever. And it was the sky blue of Marquez who edged out the orange of Acosta in an edge-of-your-seat Saturday blockbuster that saw Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) tumble out of contention early doors. The bronze medal went to Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), the Italian was only 0.4s away from the victory in Barcelona.
THE START: ACOSTA HOLESHOT, BINDER & MIR CRASH
On the long run down to Turn 1, it was Acosta vs Alex Marquez for the holeshot, with the polesitter just about keeping his elbows wide enough to keep the Spanish GP winner behind him. Drama unfolded a little further back, involving Acosta’s teammate, Brad Binder. The South African, who got a small nudge on the inside from Di Giannantonio, then collected Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), as both slid out of contention. The Stewards saw it as a racing incident.
Elsewhere, it was a rapid start from Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR), who was getting a wriggle on. The Frenchman briefly held second before Alex Marquez responded, with Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) bullying his way past Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Di Giannantonio on Lap 2.
MARTIN OUT OF THE SPRINT
Then, drama struck for the French GP winner. Martin, at Turn 10 on Lap 3, crashed out of the top-five battle. The #89 was uninjured, but that’s now four crashes this weekend for the 2024 World Champion.
THE RUN TO THE FLAG
Back at the front, Alex Marquez pounced on Acosta into Turn 1 to lead the Sprint for the first time. Third place was now Fernandez’s, and that soon became P2 on Lap 5 when the lead Aprilia carved up the inside of Acosta at Turn 5.
With five laps to go, Marquez led Fernandez, Acosta, and Di Giannantonio by 0.4s. The winner would be coming from one of these four, but who? Well, Acosta made his move with four laps to go to snatch P2 back from Fernandez. Could the #37 reel in Marquez, who was now 0.6s up the road?
On Lap 11 of 12, Di Giannantonio then demoted Fernandez to P4 with a classic move at Turn 1, as Acosta clawed back a couple of tenths on Marquez.
Last lap time, and over the line, the margin was down to 0.2s. Acosta swarming, Marquez defending, Di Giannantonio lurking. It was all pointing towards a Turn 10 lunge from the polesitter, but Acosta wasn’t quite close enough. And a Rossi-esque lunge at the final corner wasn’t possible either, as Alex Marquez just clung onto a Sprint win on home soil, with less than a tenth of a second splitting the Spaniards.
Less than half a second adrift was Di Giannantonio, as Fernandez faded in the closing stages to finish P4. Zarco’s good start and subsequent decent pace handed the #5 P5 on Saturday, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) produced a fine comeback from a disappointing P13 in qualifying to P6 in the Sprint.
From the front row, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) ended the Sprint in P7, 0.6s clear of Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team). The Japanese rider clawed his way back from 18th on the grid to bag two points in P8, as championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) struggled to really get going on Saturday afternoon. The Italian’s title chase lead over teammate Martin grows, but only by a single point ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The closest ever Tissot Sprint finish. That sets us up very nicely for Grand Prix Sunday in Barcelona, so make sure you don’t miss a beat.
Nicolo Bulega won FIM Superbike World Championship Race One Saturday afternoon at Autodrom Most, in Czech Republic. Bulega started from pole position and rode his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4R to a 1.330- second margin of victory in the 21-lap race.
His teammate, Iker Lecuona was the runner-up, and Yari Montella rode his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R to third.
American Garrett Gerloff went from 6th on the grid to 4th at the finish on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
Axel Bassani got fifth on his bimota by Kawasaki KB998 Rimini.
Danilo Petrucci crashed his ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team M1000RR in turn 13.
Nicolo Bulega leads the championship with 273 points, 87 ahead of Iker Lecuona who has 186 points. Sam Lowes is third with 99 points.
wsbk race 1
wsbk championship standings
More from a press release issued by WorldSBK:
Ducati Duel: Bulega beats Lecuona in epic Most battle to take his winning run to 17 races. The #11 was made to work hard for his latest victory after engaging in an epic scrap with his teammate.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made it 17 consecutive MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship wins with Race 1 victory at the Autodrom Most – but it was the most difficult win of this season so far, after engaging in an unmissable battle with teammate Iker Lecuona as they scrapped it out for victory in the latter stages of the race in the Czech Round. The rostrum was completed by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
EARLY RED FLAG
At the start, Bulega converted his pole position into P1 through Turn 1 ahead of Montella and Lecuona, while Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) moved up to an early P4. The race was red flagged after a big crash for Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at Turn 13 on the opening lap, with the red flags shown at the start of Lap 2. The #9 was taken to the medical centre following the incident and diagnosed with lower back and left hip contusions, plus bruising to the first, fourth and fifth fingers on his left hand and a pelvic injury. He was taken to hospital for further assessments. The race was restarted over a 21-lap distance, with the grid based on the original starting positions.
AN EPIC BATTLE FOR FIRST
It was a similar story for Bulega when the lights went out as he maintained P1 through the opening lap, with Montella and Lecuona settling in for P2 and P3 while Surra again jumped into fourth. The #5 was able to keep the #7 at bay over the first few laps, but Lecuona made his move at the start of Lap 4 at Turn 1 to move into second place. Lecuona wasted no time in closing down his teammate, bringing the gap down to just a couple of tenths by Lap 7. Nothing could separate the Ducati duo throughout the race, and on Lap 14, Bulega ran wide into Turn 1, but he was just able to hold Lecuona off. A lap later, the #7 made his move for P1 under braking, and held position despite running wide through the opening corner of the lap. On Lap 18, the battle ignited once again, as Bulega tried to make a move but was unable to do so, but he got ahead at Turn 1 at the start of Lap 19. That move proved to be decisive as Bulega extended his winning run to 17 races, and his 33rd win overall, putting him level with Troy Corser. Lecuona made it 10 consecutive P2 finishes. Montella came home in a relatively lonely P3, finishing ten seconds behind Lecuona and three seconds clear of Gerloff.
A CLASH AND A BEST RESULT SINCE 2024
The fight for fourth was igniting between Surra, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) but that came to a head on Lap 4. Sam Lowes made his move for P4 on the #67 at Turn 15 and Surra fought back through Turn 16, with the #14 crashing out. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards, with Surra given a Long Lap Penalty. Shortly after, Gerloff made his move for P4, passing Surra at Turn 20 as he claimed his best result for Kawasaki – and his first top four finish since he was on the podium at Aragon in 2024 for BMW. He had to resist Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) but ‘El Bocia’ finished in fifth with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) completing the top six.
COMPLETING THE TOP TEN
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) battled his way up the order from 14th on the grid to finish in seventh, with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) finishing as the lead Yamaha in eighth place. Surra was classified in ninth after taking his Long Lap Penalty, with Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finishing inside the top ten.
SCORING POINTS IN RACE 1
Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) finished less than a second away from Manzi as he came home in P11, while Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was 12th. The #97 finished just 0.029s from Mackenzie after they scrapped it out, while Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) was also involved in that battle. The #46 finished just 0.009s behind Vierge. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) scored points on his WorldSBK return with 14th, after starting from 20th, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) just 0.006s behind the Dutchman. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) and Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) were the final classified riders, with Yuki Kunii (Honda HRC) and Sam Lowes listed as retirements.
The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.330s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +11.222s
4. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +14.094s
5. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +14.568s
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +15.168s
Fastest lap: Iker Lecuona (Ducati), 1’30.562s
Don’t miss any of Sunday’s action beginning at 09:15 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 30% off!
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Rahal Ducati Moto’s Josh Herrin won the twice red-flagged Saturday’s MotoAmerica Supersport race at Barber Motorsports Park. Herrin finished just ahead of Celtic Economy Lube + Tire Warhorse’s Darryn Binder and Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov. M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott finished fourth, followed by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Joshua Hayes in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SSP_R1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Quarterley Racing’s Nathan Gouker won Saturday’s MotoAmerica Talent Cup race at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of Team Hammer’s Jake Paige and Team Roberts’s Kensei Matsudaira. Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt finished fourth, followed by Phison Pascari-Rocksolid Racing’s Reese Frankenfield in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_TCP_R1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law’s Cameron Beaubier took the MotoAmerica Superbike pole position at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday. Beaubier was 0.558 seconds ahead of Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz, with Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen third. Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha Racing’s Bobby Fong finished fourth, followed by OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SBK_Q1_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio grabbed the MotoAmerica Mission Super Hooligan pole on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau and OrangeCat Racing’s Josh Herrin. TopPro Motorsports Edge Racing’s Jason Waters finished fourth, followed by Saddlemen Race Development’s Jake Lewis in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_MSH_Q2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov took the MotoAmerica Supersport pole position on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, ahead of teammate Josh Herrin and M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott. Celtic Economy Lube + Tire Warhorse’s Darryn Binder finished fourth, followed by Rahal Ducati Moto’s Alessandro Di Mario in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SSP_Q2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz led Saturday’s MotoAmerica Quad Lock Superbike Practice 2 ahead of Warhorse HSBK Ducati FLo4Law’s Cameron Beaubier and Wrench Motorcycles’s Cameron Petersen. OrangeCat Racing’s Sean Dylan Kelly finished fourth, followed by Real Steel Honda’s Hayden Gillim in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_SBK_P2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Robem Engineering’s Hank Vossberg dominated Saturday’s MotoAmerica Talent Cup qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park, finishing 0.677 seconds clear of Karns TST Industries Racing’s Kevin Olmedo and Karns TST Industries Racing’s Isaac Woodworth. Speed Demon Racing powered by Ready to Ride’s Logan Cunnison finished fourth, followed by M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Matthew Chapin in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_TWN_Q2_res
KurveyGirl.com brings you the results of this weekend’s events.
Quarterley Racing’s Nathan Gouker topped Saturday’s MotoAmerica Talent Cup qualifying session at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane and Team Roberts’s Kensei Matsudaira. Team Hammer’s Jake Paige finished fourth, followed by Bettencourt Racing’s Nathan Bettencourt in fifth.
26_5_BARBER_TCP_Q2_res
Alex Marquez won the MotoGP Tissot Sprint race Saturday afternoon at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain. Riding his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on Michelin control tires, the Spaniard won the 12-lap race by just 0.041 second.
Pedro Acosta was the runner-up on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished third on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26.
Raul Fernandez finished the race fourth on his Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26.
Johann Zarco got fifth on his Castrol Honda LCR RC213V.
Francesco Bagnaia finished the race 6th on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26.
Marco Bezzecchi was 9th on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26 and his teammate, Jorge Martin, crashed his bike.
Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship with 129 points, 2 ahead of Jorge Martin who has 127 points. Pedro Acosta is third with 92 points.
motogp spirnt race
motogp world championship
More from a press release issued by MotoGP:
0.041s in it: Alex Marquez fends off Acosta for Barcelona Sprint gold. The closest-ever Tissot Sprint finish sees the #73 and #37 go toe-to-toe on home soil, while drama unfolds for title-chasing Martin.
Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) vs Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). 0.041s. The closest Tissot Sprint finish ever. And it was the sky blue of Marquez who edged out the orange of Acosta in an edge-of-your-seat Saturday blockbuster that saw Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) tumble out of contention early doors. The bronze medal went to Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), the Italian was only 0.4s away from the victory in Barcelona.
THE START: ACOSTA HOLESHOT, BINDER & MIR CRASH
On the long run down to Turn 1, it was Acosta vs Alex Marquez for the holeshot, with the polesitter just about keeping his elbows wide enough to keep the Spanish GP winner behind him. Drama unfolded a little further back, involving Acosta’s teammate, Brad Binder. The South African, who got a small nudge on the inside from Di Giannantonio, then collected Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), as both slid out of contention. The Stewards saw it as a racing incident.
Elsewhere, it was a rapid start from Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR), who was getting a wriggle on. The Frenchman briefly held second before Alex Marquez responded, with Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) bullying his way past Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Di Giannantonio on Lap 2.
MARTIN OUT OF THE SPRINT
Then, drama struck for the French GP winner. Martin, at Turn 10 on Lap 3, crashed out of the top-five battle. The #89 was uninjured, but that’s now four crashes this weekend for the 2024 World Champion.
THE RUN TO THE FLAG
Back at the front, Alex Marquez pounced on Acosta into Turn 1 to lead the Sprint for the first time. Third place was now Fernandez’s, and that soon became P2 on Lap 5 when the lead Aprilia carved up the inside of Acosta at Turn 5.
With five laps to go, Marquez led Fernandez, Acosta, and Di Giannantonio by 0.4s. The winner would be coming from one of these four, but who? Well, Acosta made his move with four laps to go to snatch P2 back from Fernandez. Could the #37 reel in Marquez, who was now 0.6s up the road?
On Lap 11 of 12, Di Giannantonio then demoted Fernandez to P4 with a classic move at Turn 1, as Acosta clawed back a couple of tenths on Marquez.
Last lap time, and over the line, the margin was down to 0.2s. Acosta swarming, Marquez defending, Di Giannantonio lurking. It was all pointing towards a Turn 10 lunge from the polesitter, but Acosta wasn’t quite close enough. And a Rossi-esque lunge at the final corner wasn’t possible either, as Alex Marquez just clung onto a Sprint win on home soil, with less than a tenth of a second splitting the Spaniards.
Less than half a second adrift was Di Giannantonio, as Fernandez faded in the closing stages to finish P4. Zarco’s good start and subsequent decent pace handed the #5 P5 on Saturday, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) produced a fine comeback from a disappointing P13 in qualifying to P6 in the Sprint.
From the front row, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) ended the Sprint in P7, 0.6s clear of Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team). The Japanese rider clawed his way back from 18th on the grid to bag two points in P8, as championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) struggled to really get going on Saturday afternoon. The Italian’s title chase lead over teammate Martin grows, but only by a single point ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The closest ever Tissot Sprint finish. That sets us up very nicely for Grand Prix Sunday in Barcelona, so make sure you don’t miss a beat.
Nicolo Bulega won FIM Superbike World Championship Race One Saturday afternoon at Autodrom Most, in Czech Republic. Bulega started from pole position and rode his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4R to a 1.330- second margin of victory in the 21-lap race.
His teammate, Iker Lecuona was the runner-up, and Yari Montella rode his Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4R to third.
American Garrett Gerloff went from 6th on the grid to 4th at the finish on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
Axel Bassani got fifth on his bimota by Kawasaki KB998 Rimini.
Danilo Petrucci crashed his ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team M1000RR in turn 13.
Nicolo Bulega leads the championship with 273 points, 87 ahead of Iker Lecuona who has 186 points. Sam Lowes is third with 99 points.
wsbk race 1
wsbk championship standings
More from a press release issued by WorldSBK:
Ducati Duel: Bulega beats Lecuona in epic Most battle to take his winning run to 17 races. The #11 was made to work hard for his latest victory after engaging in an epic scrap with his teammate.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made it 17 consecutive MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship wins with Race 1 victory at the Autodrom Most – but it was the most difficult win of this season so far, after engaging in an unmissable battle with teammate Iker Lecuona as they scrapped it out for victory in the latter stages of the race in the Czech Round. The rostrum was completed by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
EARLY RED FLAG
At the start, Bulega converted his pole position into P1 through Turn 1 ahead of Montella and Lecuona, while Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) moved up to an early P4. The race was red flagged after a big crash for Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at Turn 13 on the opening lap, with the red flags shown at the start of Lap 2. The #9 was taken to the medical centre following the incident and diagnosed with lower back and left hip contusions, plus bruising to the first, fourth and fifth fingers on his left hand and a pelvic injury. He was taken to hospital for further assessments. The race was restarted over a 21-lap distance, with the grid based on the original starting positions.
AN EPIC BATTLE FOR FIRST
It was a similar story for Bulega when the lights went out as he maintained P1 through the opening lap, with Montella and Lecuona settling in for P2 and P3 while Surra again jumped into fourth. The #5 was able to keep the #7 at bay over the first few laps, but Lecuona made his move at the start of Lap 4 at Turn 1 to move into second place. Lecuona wasted no time in closing down his teammate, bringing the gap down to just a couple of tenths by Lap 7. Nothing could separate the Ducati duo throughout the race, and on Lap 14, Bulega ran wide into Turn 1, but he was just able to hold Lecuona off. A lap later, the #7 made his move for P1 under braking, and held position despite running wide through the opening corner of the lap. On Lap 18, the battle ignited once again, as Bulega tried to make a move but was unable to do so, but he got ahead at Turn 1 at the start of Lap 19. That move proved to be decisive as Bulega extended his winning run to 17 races, and his 33rd win overall, putting him level with Troy Corser. Lecuona made it 10 consecutive P2 finishes. Montella came home in a relatively lonely P3, finishing ten seconds behind Lecuona and three seconds clear of Gerloff.
A CLASH AND A BEST RESULT SINCE 2024
The fight for fourth was igniting between Surra, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) but that came to a head on Lap 4. Sam Lowes made his move for P4 on the #67 at Turn 15 and Surra fought back through Turn 16, with the #14 crashing out. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards, with Surra given a Long Lap Penalty. Shortly after, Gerloff made his move for P4, passing Surra at Turn 20 as he claimed his best result for Kawasaki – and his first top four finish since he was on the podium at Aragon in 2024 for BMW. He had to resist Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) but ‘El Bocia’ finished in fifth with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) completing the top six.
COMPLETING THE TOP TEN
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) battled his way up the order from 14th on the grid to finish in seventh, with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) finishing as the lead Yamaha in eighth place. Surra was classified in ninth after taking his Long Lap Penalty, with Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finishing inside the top ten.
SCORING POINTS IN RACE 1
Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) finished less than a second away from Manzi as he came home in P11, while Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was 12th. The #97 finished just 0.029s from Mackenzie after they scrapped it out, while Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) was also involved in that battle. The #46 finished just 0.009s behind Vierge. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) scored points on his WorldSBK return with 14th, after starting from 20th, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) just 0.006s behind the Dutchman. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) and Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) were the final classified riders, with Yuki Kunii (Honda HRC) and Sam Lowes listed as retirements.
The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.330s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +11.222s
4. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +14.094s
5. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +14.568s
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +15.168s
Fastest lap: Iker Lecuona (Ducati), 1’30.562s
Don’t miss any of Sunday’s action beginning at 09:15 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 30% off!
