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The Superbike World Championship was already interesting, but now it has turned red hot. Toprak Razgatlioglu has also won the second long race at Donington Park after a duel with Jonathan Rea that ended in the fall of the champion. An unusual error that speaks to the limit that Razgatlioglu is taking him to the limit.
The Turk is the new world leader with two points of advantage over Rea. He has saved a weekend that started with a bad classification, and now he is the leader in the category. Full party for Yamaha thanks to second place Garrett Gerloff, while the BMW M 1000 RR leaves Donington Park with three podiums.
The BMW M 1000 RR makes its debut on the Superbike podium and triple
In the Superpole Race there was no miracle of Razgatlioglu. The Turk did not start as well as on Saturday, so he could only go back to sixth position while Rea won alone, feeling only the pressure of Alex Lowes until it fell. First podium, and twice, for the BMW M 1000 RR in the Superbike World Championship.
At the start of the second race, Rea kept the first position, but Razgatlioglu's start was formidable again until he took second. Although an aggressive Tom Sykes was lending a hand to his intimate enemy by clashing with the Yamaha in the first few corners. But Rea did not take the opportunity to open too much hole.
In fact again Razgatlioglu was faster than Rea, and on the fourth lap he put the bike into him being quite aggressive. The Turk came at a fast lap pace, ready to break the race, and now it was interesting to see what attitude the champion took, who on Saturday took a risk and was close to falling more than once.
Scott Redding was getting closer to Garrett Gerloff and Sykes, who were fighting for the podium, while Rea was not letting go of Razgatlioglu. On the contrary, fourteen laps from the end he regained the lead in a strange maneuver after a small mistake by the Turk. The battle between the two applicants promised to be long.
But then came the theatrical blow of the race and perhaps the World Cup. Jonathan Rea's downfall, who was pushing himself too far. Razgatlioglu was alone in position to become world leader. Rea rejoined the race, but in last position and a long way from the points.
In the battle for the podium Gerloff was second, ready to complete the one-two for Yamaha, while Sykes was established in third position, ready to add the third podium of the BMW M 1000 RR this weekend. Only Redding aspired to save Ducati weekend by catching up with Sykes.
Redding was already half a second behind Sykes, albeit at a considerable risk. Behind, Álvaro Bautista was eleventh, with Tito Rabat fourteenth and Isaac Viñales out of the points. Redding was stalking Sykes, but he was too far away as to get it. The BMW M 1000 achieves its third podium of the day.
Victory for Toprak Razgatlioglu, the second of the weekend, both in the long races, which leave him as world leader. Gerloff completed the double for Yamaha and finally the third position of the podium went to Sykes. Bautista was only able to finish tenth, with Tito Rabat adding two points.
