Davide Tardozzi will forever be etched into MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship history. The Italian became the first WorldSBK race winner back at Donington Park in 1988, beating Marco Lucchinelli by just over a second after 30 laps of racing in the UK. 37 years later, the Championship celebrated its 1000^th race at Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary, the newest venue on the calendar, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) going down in World Superbike folklore by winning the race. In a special interview, Tardozzi spoke about winning Race 1 while Razgatlioglu gave their immediate thoughts on winning Race 1000 in Parc Ferme after the Tissot Superpole Race.

TARDOZZI ON RACE 1: “I have WorldSBK in my heart… I have nice and bad memories!”

WorldSBK kicked off in style back in 1988 when Davide Tardozzi, racing on a Bimota, won the first race at Donington Park. Tardozzi started from second on the grid but the Italian, who raced with the #2 in the opening WorldSBK season, was able to get ahead of Roger Burnett’s Honda in the 30-lap race to claim victory in the opening race. However, due to the combined results, the Bimota rider scored 0 points at Donington – a crash on the final lap of Race 2 meant he wasn’t classified and didn’t pick up any points.

Speaking about the historic moment of winning Race 1, Tardozzi said: “I have nice and bad memories! This race was fantastic because I love Donington. In the end, I won the first race, and I lost the second because I crashed on the final lap. Unlucky that, by the rules, this round was combined, and I got zero points. That meant I lost the Championship. I’m very proud to be part of the origins because I love WorldSBK. I have WorldSBK in my heart. I’d just like to be there for Race 1000, to see who will win the 1000^th race. I hope it’s a Ducati but anyway, whoever wins this race is something I will appreciate and shake his hand.”

RAZGATLIOGLU TAKES MILESTONE VICTORY… AGAIN: ‘El Turco’ wins WorldSBK’s 1000^th race

After winning races 800 and 900 for Kawasaki and Yamaha, Razgatlioglu made it another milestone win with a third different manufacturer. He took victory in the 1000^th race for BMW in the Tissot Superpole Race at Balaton Park, mastering mixed conditions despite pressure from Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), who completed the podium.

Speaking in Parc Ferme after winning the 1000^th race, Razgatlioglu said: “For me, it’s very special because, before, I won the 800^th and 900^th races. This one is a very special day for me. Normally, I’m not crazy happy in the Superpole Race but this one is a very special day. I’m happy for that. In general, we worked very hard, and we won again. Now, I’m looking at Race 2, because, if I win again, I will have a hat-trick. This is my target.”

The next 1000 races begin now! Don’t miss WorldSBK Race 2 from 14:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €24.99!