Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed victory in Race 1 at the Circuito Estoril to tighten his grip on this year’s Championship, with ‘El Turco’ having the possibility of wrapping it up as soon as tomorrow. Despite dropping to P5 on the opening lap, the #1 battled his way back into the lead after just a handful of laps in the opening race for the EICMA Estoril Round, before controlling the pace to take victory.

THE OPENING LAPS: Fighting back through the field

Razgatlioglu was classified in third at the end of the first lap, although that doesn’t tell the full story. He lost out in the early stages to Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), his teammate Alvaro Bautista, as well as Pata Maxus Yamaha duo Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli. It took him only until Lap 3 to be at the front of the field before he bolted clear of his rivals. It looked like he would walk away with the race, but Bulega was quicker in the middle part of the race as the gap went from two seconds to less than a second. However, in the final quarter, ‘El Turco’ managed his pace to take the 20^th win of his season and extend his lead in the Championship fight to 41 points.

Discussing his Race 1 win, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m very happy but I was pushing so hard in the race, especially in the beginning. I felt like everything was good but, in the middle, Nicolo started catching me. I always accepted that Ducati have more grip in hot conditions. When he started catching me, I said I was ready to fight. He stopped at 0.7s. I was pushing hard again in the last few laps. When I saw 1.2s on the pitboard, I understood he had some grip problems. In the last 2 or 3 laps, I was riding very relaxed and trying not to make a mistake on the bike. Finally, I won the race. I take good points for the Championship and it looks like a hard race tomorrow.”

THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: Race-by-race approach for the reigning Champ

In the Championship fight, Razgatlioglu leads Bulega by 41 points heading into Sunday’s races and has a mathematical opportunity to become a triple World Champion as soon as Race 2 at Estoril. He needs to leave Portugal with a 62-point margin over the #11, meaning the BMW star could win the title in Race 2 if he outscores ‘Bulegas’ by 21 points or more over the course of the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2. Given Bulega’s pace at Estoril, and also throughout the 2025 season, it’s unlikely it will be wrapped up at Estoril barring any misfortune for the Italian.

When asked about the title fight, the #1 said: “I’m just focused on winning the race. Half of the race, I’m riding in P1, but I’m also saying a podium is enough. I made some mistakes because I lost the front and almost crashed. I only had one focus: to win the race. Tomorrow, we have two more hard races. If I’m improve in some corners, we’ll come back stronger tomorrow.”

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