Razgatlioglu Tops Warm-Up Session as Bulega Crashes at Misano
In a dramatic turn of events, Toprak Razgatlioglu of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team dominated the warm-up session on Sunday morning at Misano, setting a blistering pace of 1’32.619s, a full seven tenths of a second clear of his nearest rival. The session was not without incident, however, as Nicolo Bulega of Aruba.it Racing – Ducati suffered a lowside crash in Turn 15, fortunately walking away unscathed.
According to WorldSBK.com, Razgatlioglu’s impressive lap time made him the only rider to dip into the 1’32s bracket, leaving the rest of the field in his wake. Alvaro Bautista of Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, who had a lacklustre Saturday, bounced back strongly to secure second place, just 0.688s off Razgatlioglu’s pace. Bautista’s time of 1’33.307s was a marked improvement on his previous performances, suggesting he may be a contender for the top step on Sunday.
The WorldSBK.com report also highlighted the strong performance of Alex Lowes on his Bimota KB998 Rimini, who secured third place with a time of 1’33.329s, just two hundredths of a second off Bautista’s pace. The Bimota riders appear to be on a roll, with Axel Bassani finishing fifth, just 0.952s off Razgatlioglu’s pace. As WorldSBK.com noted, "With their Rimini headquarters just a stone’s throw away from Misano, the Bimota riders look to be in the mood this Sunday."
The session also saw a strong performance from Yari Montella of Barni Spark Racing Team, who finished sixth, ahead of Iker Lecuona, who was the top Honda rider. Meanwhile, six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea secured eighth place, just 0.192s off Bulega’s pace. As WorldSBK.com observed, "The #65 earned P8 on the back of his 1’33.811s lap, getting his nose in front of Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in P9."
In a concerning incident, Bulega crashed out of the session around five minutes into the running, but mercifully escaped without injury. As WorldSBK.com reported, "Bulega crashed out around five minutes into the session, and finished with a time of 1’33.817s, just 0.006s slower than Rea." Danilo Petrucci of Barni Spark Racing Team rounded out the top 10, just 0.007s off Bulega’s pace.
The full results from the WorldSBK Warm-Up session are as follows:
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’32.619s
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’33.307s +0.688s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 1’33.329s +0.710s
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 1’33.383 +0.764s
- Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 1’33.571s +0.952s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’33.629s +1.010s
Fans can tune in to the racing action on Sunday with the WorldSBK VideoPass, currently available at a discounted rate of 30% off.
