The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship enjoyed two enthralling races at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto during the Motul Spanish Round. Sunday action at Jerez saw the Championship lead extend for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the Turkish rider starting from his first pole position of the year and the second of his career before winning both races.

Razgatlioglu had to fight hard in both races; the first race, held in cooler conditions, saw him battle hard with Jonathan Rea, hitting the front on Lap 14 and pulling away from Rea. Once again in Race 2, Razgatlioglu had to battle but this time it was with Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Redding pushed Razgatlioglu all the way and on Lap 17 at Turn 9, edging ahead. However, a lap later at Turn 13, Razgatlioglu came back through and took the victory, his tenth of the season.

Reviewing his Sunday races, Razgatlioglu commented on the battles with his Championship rivals: “This day is a good day because we improve the bike and also, we have a good battle with Jonny, and I won. In Race 2, we battled with Scott, and we have a high temperatures, so the front end is sliding. Scott was very strong in the last laps.”

It’s the biggest Championship lead in WorldSBK since Jonathan Rea led by 37 points following Razgatlioglu’s Assen Race 2 DNF. At 20 points, Razgatlioglu also has the biggest Championship he has sported in the premier class, heading to Portimao, a circuit where Jonathan Rea has won at 12 times. However, with the kind of form he’s showing, he could well be a favourite for success at a track where Rea has dominated at in WorldSBK.

Continuing to shed light on his weekend, Razgatlioglu commented: “I say every time that I am not looking in the Championship side of things; now, I learn that it is 20 points. I am just focused in every race and I try to win. I will try for the win in Portimao, and maybe in the last weekend, I will start to think about the Championship. I know that Jonny is very strong, and he will be coming back very strong at Portimao, but we will keep fighting for the win.”

Looking ahead further to Portimao, Razgatlioglu hailed an improvement in his package this year and hopes to continue to shine and crucially, he’ll be aiming to get his Championship lead extended to over a race win’s worth of points at 25 or more: “Normally I like Portimao! Also, especially with the new asphalt. The bike this year is much better, and I think that we will be fighting again for the win this season.”

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