Unchallenged domination by Toprak who wins ahead of Lowes. Battle for third place with Bautista who recovers and precedes Bulega, Rea, Locatelli and Petrucci, first of the Independet
July 13, 2024
It was a one-off race, which confirmed what we saw in Superpole: no one can compete with Toprak Razgatlioglu, especially at Donington Park, which is his favourite track.
Launched like a rocket from the front row, the BMW rider has always ridden at a pace that is unsustainable for his rivals. Now that the M1000RR is supporting him in everything, thanks to the work of his team and the German manufacturer, the gap to his rivals is becoming embarrassing, and goes beyond the eleven seconds inflicted on the second-placed Alex Lowes.
The Englishman never ceases to amaze and is a completely different rider compared to the one of the past seasons. In the first of the three home races, the Kawasaki rider was able to come back from the sixth position he occupied on the first lap until he was behind the Turk during the thirteenth lap. His pace was superior to that of the other pursuers and this allowed him to maintain second place until the checkered flag. But if we talk about comebacks, the best was undoubtedly that of Alvaro Bautista. After the eleventh position in Superpole, few thought that the Spaniard could get on the podium. With a lot of effort and a lot of experience, Alvaro recovered positions until he finished in third place. His maneuvers at the entrance to the S were as correct as they were cunning, with which he overtook and “accompanied” off the track first Scott Redding and then Nicolò Bulega. The Ducati rookie had a great race and took home an excellent fourth place.
Maybe he still lacks a little grit and “cunning”, but he is certainly one of the protagonists of this 2024 season. Fifth place for Jonathan Rea who precedes his teammate Andrea Locatelli. The two Yamaha riders had to deal with the usual stoic Danilo Petrucci who despite the well-known pain in his shoulder fought like a lion until the end and took home the first place among the Independent riders. Anonymous race for Andrea Iannone who finished eleventh just ahead of another Italian Axel Bassani. One point for the fifteenth place of Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Scott Redding’s unfortunate race deserves a special mention. Cheered on by his supporters, the Englishman from BMW rode a great race, finally at the level he had accustomed us to when he was in Ducati. He was in the top three for a long time, but in the final stages he first had to give way to Bautista and then was betrayed by his rear tyre, which went flat, forcing him to retire.
