WorldSBK Indonesia: Razgatlioglu doubles up in Superpole sprint

Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu won his second WorldSBK race of the Indonesia weekend with victory in the Superpole race on Sunday morning.

The Turkish rider held off advances from Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea across the ten lap sprint with teammate Andrea Locatelli celebrating his first podium since Assen, in third.

The Superpole sprint prepared with Razgatlioglu suffering from illness as he lined up on pole. The fastest man in warm-up, Rea and Locatelli completed the front row with the second Kawasaki of Alex Lowes heading Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista and Axel Bassani behind.

Razgatlioglu grabbed the holeshot from his Pata Yamaha teammate as the lights released the pack. Rea running third from Bassani, Lowes, Bautista and Honda’s Xavi Vierge as Scott Redding placed the BMW in eighth. Rea advanced to second as the lap unfolded with Lowes doing likewise two places behind. Michael van der Mark improved to tail his teammate in the all-important top nine positions with Michael Rinaldi losing out in tenth.

Rea was hard on the R1’s wheels as lap two played out. Bassani continuing to keep Bautista behind him in the inter-Ducati battle for fifth with Lowes collecting the fastest lap with eight to go.

The Northern Irishman took charge on lap three as Bautista jumped the duo in front of him for fourth. Vierge drooping to the back of the top ten as Redding, van der Mark and Rinaldi all advanced.

Lap five kicked off with Razgatlioglu making the move for the lead before Rea hit back. Bautista now less than a tenth behind Locatelli as out front the defending champion was back in charge through turn ten.

The top four pulled a near-second advantage on the pack behind as the race counted down. Razgatlioglu holding his own four tenth lead on