Toprak Razgatlioglu continues to make history and just got his second win of the year with BMW, now in race 2 of the Superbikes at Assen. The #54 was on top form and once he got to the front he never gave up the position, giving the German manufacturer its first win at the mythical circuit, on a day that was certainly unforgettable for Remy Garnder, who finished on the podium for the first time in the category!
So began the race in Assen, with Álvaro Bautista making the most of his pole position:
Here's #WorldSBK RACE 2! 🤩
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) April 21, 2024
Alvaro Bautista starts from POLE, followed by Nicolo Bulega and Alex Lowes 🏁#DutchWorldSBK 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/Fq2U7UNF7y
The Spaniard, who won the Superpole race in the morning, was leading the race in the Netherlands with Andrea Locatelli and Nicolò Bulega as the main pursuers. Further back was Scott Redding, who crashed at turn 17.
With three laps to go, Remy Gardner continued to show the good signs he had shown so far and was second, ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu, who was determined to “save” his Sunday after a Superpole in which he didn’t get any further than ninth place.
It didn’t take long for Razgatlioglu to beat the Australian and, a lap later, he didn’t stop there: he set his sights on Bautista’s first place and beat the world champion!
EL TURCO LEAAADS!!!🔥#DutchWorldSBK 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/JYb55ks22b
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) April 21, 2024
Gardner’s problems weren’t “just” there, but temporarily, as the #87 was beaten soon after by Andrea Locatelli, but would eventually respond further ahead and regain third place.
The two continued to battle lap after lap and overtake each other while another rivalry emerged on the track: Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes, former team-mates, collided and both went down. Rea, however, got up and re-entered the track.
Andrea Iannone was joining the battle for the podium places and was getting closer and closer to Locatelli.
The race was fast approaching its end and the winner was uncertain, with Razgatlioglu and Bautista very close with two laps to go:
ONE lap and Bautista and Toprak are VERY, VERY close⚔️🤏#DutchWorldSBK 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/hwyi1bbwn8
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) April 21, 2024
The battle between the two continued until the end, but there was no beating Razgatlioglu, who made history with BMW by giving the manufacturer its first ever win at Assen. This was the 950th WSBK race, with the Turk continuing to make history on a day that Gardner is unlikely to forget, as he also made his debut on the podium in Superbikes by taking third.
Second VICTORY for EL TURCO with BMW 🤝🏆🏆#DutchWorldSBK 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/Pb9KWlWwQg
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) April 21, 2024