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The iconic circuit of Donington Park is famous for delivering classic WorldSBK battles and for 2019 it made no exceptions! The fascinating British racetrack, situated a few km away from Derby, was the stage of incredible races this year again. Home for many of the riders contesting the series, it was a crucial moment for the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship! Find out the best moments of a unique 2019 Prosecco DOC UK Round.

Mr. Superpole Man Tom Sykes is back

After having taken his first podium of the season and the first since joining the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in Misano, Tom Sykes made a strong return to the tarmac at Donington Park. With his past results at the British track speaking for himself, it wasn’t a surprise to see him back on top already at the end of Day 1! But, as the race weekend continued to unfold, Sykes kept proving his dominance at his home round. And it is not a case that at the British rider was granted the title of Mr. Superpole Man back in 2018. Continuing to impress at UK Round, Sykes went on to take his fifth consecutive pole position, the seventh overall at the iconic racetrack, and his 49^th in WorldSBK!

Bautista down… again!

That the Prosecco DOC UK Round was meant to be another tough weekend for Bautista, it was very clear since the beginning of it. The Spaniard returned to Donington Park after 10 years without having tried a big bike on the 4.023 km of the British racetrack before. Coming from two similar crashes in Race 2 in Jerez and Race 2 in Misano, this time it was crucial for the ARUBA.it Racing - Ducati rider to not miss any points at the UK Round. But again, the unpredictable happened. While the rain continued to fall, Bautista made a decent start in Race 1 from sixth on the grid, where he qualified in a wet Tissot Superpole. As the conditions of the track were unmissably tricky, he was able to catch up one position to sit comfortably in fifth.
Rea was leading the race confidently with a margin of over six seconds on Sykes, while suddenly on the screens appeared the message that Bautista was down! What happened again? With a mixture of incredibility and surprise, this time it was a huge high-side to put an end to Bautista’s race! More than that, with Rea sealing the victory in Race 1, that meant that for the first time this year the Spanish rider was no longer the championship leader.

Rea takes championship lead at his home round

“It’s incredible” said Jonathan Rea at the end of the Prosecco DOC UK Round. After having been 61 points behind Alvaro Bautista, the reigning World Champion is now back at the top of the standings. The Northern Irishman never missed to capitalize on every single mistake that the Spaniard had made till then, and with the triple made at Donington Park, he headed to the U.S. with now 24 points of advantage on the Ducati rider. Who would have been able to predict such an outcome in the 2019 season? With still the second part of the campaign remaining, what can still happen this year?

Rea vs. Toprak - Part 2

After a wet Race 1, the sun shone down again at Donington Park on Sunday. With the asphalt dry for the main race day, Toprak Razgatlioglu found his feet again on a circuit that saw him taking his first WorldSBK podium last year. Second in a dramatic red-flagged Tissot Superpole Race - after that Tom Sykes was considered retired as he crashed out while approaching the pit and failed to return with his bike to the garage within five minutes, Toprak was second again in an action-packed Race 2. Once again it was a head-to-head battle for the victory with reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea, bringing back to memories the first battle they had in Misano Race 2. This time, the Nothern Irishman didn’t wait for too long.  Rea took the lead after 12 laps and put a safe gap between himself and the Turkish rider to secure his third success of the weekend at his home round. For the second time this year, Razgatlioglu went close to his first success in WorldSBK, as he scored his fifth podium of the season. Will he be able to get his first victory in the top class this year?

Loris Baz completes his best weekend of 2019

Loris Baz and team Ten Kate Racing made a late return to WorldSBK this year, joining the field only at the Acerbis Spanish Round. But despite having missed the first part of the year, the Frenchman and the team based in Niewsleusen in The Netherlands have made quick progress since they first 2019 WorldSBK race. Fourth in a wet Race 1 in Misano, Baz put on another strong performance in similar conditions in Race 1 at Donington Park. But it was Sunday’s outcome to confirm that the 25-year-old and his team have been making constant improvement. In dry conditions, Baz was able to achieve strong results and to finish into the top 6 both the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2. Will the French rider and the Dutch squad be able to take another step forward in the upcoming rounds of 2019?

Relive all the best battles, watch the full races or the highlights of the Prosecco DOC UK Round with the WorldSBK VideoPass.