Alvaro wins again in the long run, beating Razgatlioglu in a race marked by a terrifying accident at the start between Sykes, Rinaldi and Baz. Third place for Petrux, followed by Redding and the Kawasakis
Written by Daniela Piazza – Sun, 02/07/2023 – 18:22
Closes the weekend at Donington Park with two wins Alvaro Bautista, undisputed king of the long distance. After the setback this morning in the Superpole Race, the defending champion regained the victory in the 22 laps of a Race 2 restarted after the red flag caused by a massive accident on the first laptriggered by a violent highside from Tom Sykes, which also involved Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Loris Baz.
In command before the restart, poleman Toprak Razgatlioglu took the lead on the second lap after the restart, conducting operations for more than half the race, before having to surrender to the overbearing return of the Spaniard who climbed into second position after a duel with Rhea. Once again the Ducati rider prevailed, taking first position after a good battle with the Turkish rider, thus scoring his 16th success of the season.
Bronze medal for a wild Danilo Petrucci, who recovered from seventh position after losing ground at the start. Uncontainable in the final race, the Barni Racing standard bearer gave the first podium to his team principal, Marco Barnabò, helped by the crisis of the Kawasakis of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes, which also allowed the return of Scott Redding, who reached the finish line in fourth position. Seventh place for Axel Bassani, followed by Andrea Locatelli, Garrett Gerloff and Phillip Oettl, in tenth position ahead of the Yamahas of Dominique Aegerter, Remy Gardner and Bradley Ray.
Checkered flag – Bautista triumphs ahead of Razgatlioglu and a super Petrucci. Redding gets the better of Rea and finishes fourth. Meanwhile, the first news on Sykes’ condition arrives, who has been diagnosed with an ankle and chest injury, with fractured ribs on the right side. The British pilot will be transferred to the hospital for further tests.
Last lap – Redding attacks Rea and climbs up to fourth, with the Northern Irishman continuing to guard him closely.
Giro 20 – Petrucci consolidates third place, while the tussle reignites between Rea and Redding, with the Northern Irishman taking back fourth place.
Giro 19 – Petrucci was very fast in this final race, as was Redding, battling with Rea for fourth position.
Giro 18 – Petrucci overtakes Rea and takes the lowest step of the podium, with Redding who in turn climbs 5th, slipping through Lowes. The Kawasakis are in clear difficulty in this final race, while Bautista takes a 1″ margin over Razgatlioglu.
Giro 17 – Petrucci overtakes Lowes and starts chasing Rea.
Giro 16 – Only 6 tenths between Petrucci and Lowes: Danilo dreams of the podium!
Giro 15 – Petrucci comeback: the Barni team standard bearer slips Locatelli and throws himself in pursuit of the fourth position occupied by Lowes.
Giro 14 – Razgatlioglu tries to stay close to Alvaro, who holds the lead by 3 tenths despite a small mistake. Meanwhile, Xavi Vierge retires, returning to the pits with his Honda.
Giro 13 – Bautista manages to finalize the overtaking and tries to escape, immediately gaining a small margin on Razgatlioglu.
Giro 12 – Bautista tries to lunge, but Razgatlioglu’s response is not long in coming, as he recovers his position in the compression of Turn 4. Great fight for the win!
Giro 11 – The first two run away, with Bautista preparing to overtake Razgatlioglu. Here is the situation in the middle of the race:
Giro 10 – Bautista slips Rea under braking between Turns 9 and 10, setting off in pursuit of Razgatlioglu.ro 9 – A track limits warning arrives for an unleashed Lowes, who eats tenths off the leading trio with a lap in 1’26″5.
Giro 8 – Largo Bautista in Turn 4. The Spaniard loses a few metres, but is immediately back under Rea’s Kawasaki.
Giro 7 – Razgatlioglu takes a few meters of margin, who puts 3 tenths between himself and Rea. Lowes takes fourth position with a nice overtaking on Locatelli.
Giro 6 – Thrill for Bautista, who risks hitting Rea.
Giro 5 – The three are getting closer and closer, but no one seems willing to attack their rivals. Meanwhile, Lowes climbs fifth, taking advantage of a clear from Gerloff.
Giro 4 – While the first three seem to be studying each other in these early stages of the race, Bassani slips Oettl and takes tenth place.
Giro 3 – Rea shows up, but fails to attempt an attack on Toprak, firmly in command of the race. Bautista approaches him, followed by Locatelli, Gerloff, Lowes, Peturcci, Redding and Aegerter. Oettl tenth ahead of Bassani.
Giro 2 – Slightly wide Bautista, which opens the door to Razgatlioglu and Rea. The leading duo gains meters, while Locatelli follows Aalvaro in the slipstream.
Go! Excellent starting point from Bautista, leading the race ahead of Rea and Razgatlioglu. Fourth place for Locatelli, followed by Lowes and Gerloff. Largo Rea, which is overtaken by Razgatlioglu. Straight ahead of Baldassarri at the chicane, who returns to the track in 21st.
17:22 – The sighting lap has begun, while comforting updates on Rinaldi are arriving from the press officer of the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team, who reports that he has been told by the medical center that there are no reasons to worry about Michael’s condition .
17:21 – All the drivers are ready on the grid for the restart of Race 2, which we remember will take place over 22 laps.
17:19 – Reopens the pit lane, while Rinaldi’s Panigale V4 returns to the pits.
17:16 – The pit lane will reopen at 17:19 Italian time, for a race over a distance of 22 laps, with the starting grid determined by the results of the Superpole Race. Razgatlioglu will therefore start from pole position, with Bautista and Rea completing the front row.
17:10 – Communications regarding the restart time of the race are awaited, but good news is starting to arrive from Donington: all pilots are conscious. Rinaldi and Syke were loaded into the ambulance and taken to the medical center for tests.
Red flag! The race was stopped after a bad accident in Turn 8, which involved Tom Sykes, Loris Baz and Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Early images show Baz seemingly unharmed and Sykes in pain but alert. The Ducati rider, assisted by doctors, seems to be worse off. The dynamics of the accident are yet to be understood.
17:00 – Go! Razgatlioglu holds the lead ahead of Bautista and Rea, with the latter managing to hold on to Locatelli. Fifth Petrucci in front of Bassani.
16:58 – Off to the reconnaissance lap, the start is less and less.
16:55 – The starting grid at Donington begins to empty, with only 5 minutes left until the start of Race 2, which will see Razgatlioglu sprint from pole position after this morning’s victory. The second affirmation of the season of the Turkish driver, already winner of the Mandalika sprint race.
The last race of the Superbike weekend at Donington Park promises a show. After interrupting Alvaro Bautista’s dominance in the Superpole Race, Toprak Razgatlioglu is ready to go in search of the one-two in Race 2, which starts at 5pm Italian time. Together with him, from the front row, the reigning champion and Jonathan Rea will start, looking for the third consecutive podium on his home track.
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