Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) made it two from two on Sunday at MotorLand Aragon in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as ‘Bulegas’ came out on top after another incredible fight between the #11 and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). The Ducati star came out on top as they both got their elbows out for the third time at the Tissot Aragon Round.

ANOTHER FIERCE FIGHT: Bulega comes out on top again

The opening lap started as the Tissot Superpole Race finished, with Razgatlioglu making a move at Turn 15 before Bulega responded at Turn 16. On Lap 2, ‘El Turco’ made a surprise move at Turn 14 as he claimed the lead, although Bulega responded at Turn 16. The pair traded positions again at Turn 16, before the #1 got ahead at Turn 1 on Lap 4, and then ‘Bulegas’ used Turn 16 to get ahead at the end of that lap. That allowed the Ducati rider to pull out a gap on his rival, but on Lap 6, Razgatlioglu brought it back down until the final sector. The lead changed again on Lap 7 at Turn 15, Razgatlioglu’s favourite overtaking spot, before Bulega re-passed at Turn 16. Turn 7 on Lap 8 was the next corner to feature a change of position, in Razgatlioglu’s favour, but Bulega responded on the run to Turn 12. Two corners later and the #1 was back in front, although the #11 led the field at Turn 16 once again. Turns 15 and 16 on Lap 9 had two changes of position as well, before the Championship leader claimed first at Turn 1 on Lap 10, and then another switch at Turn 16 on Lap 11 as Bulega moved into P1. At Turn 7, the #1 went wide with Bulega as he claimed the lead of the race, looking to build enough of a gap to defend down the back straight, which he was able to do, although a wider line at Turn 16 allowed the #11 through. Turn 7 was a key point on Lap 12, as Bulega went defensive and Razgatlioglu went wide which gave the Ducati rider a lead of around one second heading into the second half of the race. Bulega’s 10^th win of the season means he matches Max Biaggi’s record for an Italian rider, as he took his 50^th podium, while Razgatlioglu made it 21 podiums in a row – a personal record for ‘El Turco’.

BATTLING FOR THE ROSTRUM: P3 for Bautista as Rea makes progress through the field

The fight for the podium raged in the early stages of the race. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) got a poor start when lights went out, while Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) moved up the order into the top five. The #19 soon fought his way back into podium contention, getting ahead of Rea and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) in successive corners, with Rea slotting into P4. The #65 attempted to follow Bautista but eventually the Spaniard pulled out a gap over his rival to cement P3. Iannone was able to respond on Lap 14 through Turn 16 to get ahead of Rea to move into P4, leaving the Yamaha rider vulnerable to Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) behind. The #14 was pushing to challenge Rea but he fell at Turn 14 on the penultimate lap of the 18-lap race. That left Rea to challenge Iannone for P4, but ‘The Maniac’ had enough in hand to hold on, with Rea coming home in fifth; matching his best result of the season.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: Alex Lowes in P6, Bassani puts two Bimotas in the top nine

Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished in sixth place, 2.5 seconds away from his former teammate, but with a second in hand over Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in seventh. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was eighth, allowing Bautista to close the gap in the fight for third in Race 2. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was ninth with Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) resisting Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Action) to round out the top ten.

SCORING POINTS: Finishing in the top 15

Mackenzie was also having to resist a challenge from behind as he fended off Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who in turn was just 0.044s ahead of Dominique Aegerter. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) was in the fight for P10, finishing just 0.004s behind Aegerter, despite running wide at Turn 8 in the early stages of the race. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) completed the points paying positions.

TO NOTE FROM RACE 2: Montella just misses out on points after penalty

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) recovered to P16 after taking a double Long Lap Penalty for causing the Turn 5 pile-up up in the Tissot Superpole Race, finishing ahead of Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team), Tommy Bridewell (Honda HRC) and Sam Lowes after his Turn 14 crash. Michael Rinaldi (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) brought his Yamaha R1 into the pits and lost a couple of laps, but was classified in 20^th.

RACE 2 RETIREMENTS: Three riders don’t see the flag

Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had a crash at Turn 12 on Lap 11 which ended his race early, with the Turk retiring from the race. Zaqhwan Zaidi (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) crashed out of the race at Turn 9. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was another who crashed on the final lap with the Dutchman falling at Turn 16.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’48.459s
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +3.248s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +4.973s
4. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +12.904s
5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +13.521s
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +16.102s
Fastest Lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) - 1’48.427s

Championship Standings:
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 523
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 487
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 284
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 254
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 253
6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 184

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