Bulega edges Razgatlioglu by 0.003s to take WorldSBK Estoril Superpole Race Victory
Nicolo Bulega came through to overtake Toprak Razgatlioglu on the run to the line down the straight, to take an extraordinary and crucial victory, the pair separated by just 0.003s as Bulega closes to Razgatlioglu in the championship.
Bulega rode a calm and collected race, managing his Qualifying tyres and drawing ever closer to Razgatlioglu in the dying laps of the race, eventually finding a run out of the final corner, drawing alongside Razgatlioglu’s BMW to eventually take a crucial victory, now closing to 41 points in the championship.
Toprak Razgatlioglu would initially lead the field into Turn 1 on Lap 1, eventually being overtaken in the opening laps by Andrea Locatelli and Jonathan Rea, the Yamaha bikes working well in the early stages of the race. Razgatlioglu fell to third place, sandwiched at one point directly between the Yamaha’s, as Bulega began overtaking several riders.
Alvaro Bautista also started putting his Ducati ahead of the other riders, particularly duelling with Danilo Petrucci for a few laps, before the tyre wear eventually caught up to other riders, with Bautista eventually then overtaking Locatelli, the Spaniard claiming a podium finish.
Bulega would initially hold the gap to the leading Toprak Razgatlioglu at around 0.500s, giving the Italian a potential chance to overtake the Turkish rider towards the end of the race. However, with around five laps remaining, Razgatlioglu managed to extend the lead to nearly a full second, as Bulega’s tyres began to drop off.
Surprisingly, Bulega’s Ducati would be relatively unfazed in the very late stages of the race, the tyre grip seemingly coming back to the Panigale, as Razgatlioglu began struggling for grip.
On the final lap, Bulega had managed to get the gap between the pair down to just 0.300s, giving the rookie an outside chance into Turn 1. With the BMW stronger in the middle section of the circuit, it looked as if Razgatlioglu was set to extend his championship lead. However, after Bulega rode incredibly tight in the closing sector, the Italian gained a further couple of tenths, leaving it all to the exit of the final corner.
Razgatlioglu appeared slow coming out of the final corner, relative to Bulega. The Italian drew alongside Razgatliogliu, the BMW rider pushing the pair of them closer to the pit wall. Nicolo Bulega would come across the line just 0.003s ahead of Razgatlioglu to take a surprising and extraordinary victory, closing in the championship to Razgatlioglu.
Nicolo Bulega will now start on pole position for Race 2, as a straight battle between the two championship contenders now seems more likely than ever, as the WorldSBK championship heads into the final round of the season later this month.
WorldSBK Estoril Superpole Race Results – Race 2 Starting Grid
1st Nicolo Bulega, Ducati
2nd Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW
3rd Alvaro Bautista, Ducati
4th Andrea Locatelli, Yamaha
5th Danilo Petrucci, Ducati
6th Alex Lowes, Kawasaki
7th Xavi Vierge, Honda
8th Iker Lecuona, Honda
9th Andrea Iannone, Ducati
10th Scott Redding, BMW
11th Garrett Gerloff, BMW
12th Axel Bassani, Kawasaki
13th Micheal Van Der Mark, BMW
14th Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Ducati
15th Sam Lowes, Ducati
16th Dominique Aegerter, Yamaha
17th Tito Rabat, Kawasaki
18th Bradley Ray, Yamaha
19th Tarran Mackenzie, Honda
20th Ivo Lopes, Honda
21st Philipp Oettl, Yamaha
22nd Jonathan Rea, Yamaha
23rd Luca Bernadi, Yamaha
Featured Image: Ducati Corse Media
