Toprak Razgatlioglu showcased his dominance once again in the first race of the World Superbike Championship at Most. Securing his eighth consecutive victory, the championship leader not only set the fastest lap but also led the race from start to finish in a commanding fashion.
Starting from pole position, Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW) had an excellent start, keeping his lead and quickly distancing himself from Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven/Ducati). Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) held third, while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati) moved up to fourth, and Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) to fifth.
⚔️ @nbulega overtakes @iannone for the second position 👀🥈#CzechWorldSBK 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/EUcQTbHWlH
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) July 20, 2024
The two-time world champion Bautista was overtaken by Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) on the third lap, though he soon regained his position from Lowes.
At the front, Razgatlioglu widened the gap from his pursuers. Iannone and Bulega were locked in a battle for second place, with Bulega overtaking in turn 15 with 17 laps to go, but the former MotoGP rider kept up the pressure. Petrucci joined the battle, eventually climbing to third by overtaking Iannone, and then moved up to second. However, Petrucci couldn’t shake off his rivals, allowing Gardner to close in on the trio.
This time @petrux9 succeeds, he overtakes @andreaiannone29 and moves into P3 🚀🚀🚀#CzechWorldSBK 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/3eBbzHwkdX
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) July 20, 2024
By the tenth lap, Bulega made a mistake, losing third place to Iannone. At this point, Razgatlioglu had an impressive five-second lead. Nine laps from the end, Gardner attacked Bulega and made the pass. The World Supersport Champion continued to lose positions, eventually being overtaken by Bautista. Four laps before the end, Bautista overtook Gardner for fourth place.
With Razgatlioglu unstoppable and sealing his victory, the most exciting battle towards the end was for second place. Despite a last-lap mistake, Petrucci managed to hold on to second, finishing 5.740s behind Razgatlioglu. Iannone took third, Bautista finished fourth, and Gardner completed the top five.
