WorldSBK Donington Park Race 2 Results | Razgatlioglu powers to first treble win

Toprak Razgatlioglu has inched his way back into the 2022 WorldSBK Championship title fight as he completed another commanding victory in Race 2 at Donington Park.

On a weekend that has seen the defending champion waltz clear of his rivals in each of the three races, his success in the UK this week represents his first-ever treble victory over a single round.

He was made to work hard for it though after coming under pressure from Jonathan Rea during the first-half of the race, the Ulsterman determined not to let his rival scamper into an unassailable lead early on as he had in Race 1 and the Superpole Race.

Starting from pole position this time by virtue of his victory this morning, the Turkish rider made no mistake at the lights to get the hole-short into Redgate.

However, Rea - having gotten away better this time - promptly followed in his shadow, repeatedly showing him a wheel on the run to the Esses and the Melbourne Loop but finding himself repelled repeatedly by Razgatlioglu’s signature immensity on the brakes.

While Rea’s efforts were good enough for him to find a way through on a handful of occasions, his stints in the lead would never stretch to more than a few seconds as Razgatlioglu coolly responded to every attack by slipping back by.

As the race reached its half-way stage, however, Rea’s challenge began to fade as he struggled to stay with his rival’s metronomically consistent lap times. Dropping almost two seconds between Lap 14 and Lap 18, once Razgatlioglu had broken the tow, he was never challenged thereafter.

Maintaining his (and Yamaha’s) excellent record at Donington Park - the venue where he achieved his maiden WorldSBK podium in 2018 - Razgatlioglu’s maximum haul of 62 points gives him a timely boost at the end of a weekend he’d started very much on the back foot.

Reducing the margin to championship leader Alvaro Bautista from 79 points to 48 points, Razgatlioglu is now also just 31 points shy of Jonathan Rea in second position.

Behind the winner, Rea’s dip in performance allowed Bautista back into the fray, with the Spaniard completing an indifferent weekend on a strong note with his one and only podium of the event. With Rea coming home third, the margin between the two riders at the top of the table is now 17 points.

With Ducati coming on strong in the final race of the day, Michael Ruben Rinaldi collected a lonely fourth place finish, three seconds clear of Scott Redding, the Briton rounding off his best BMW weekend yet with another top five finish.

Alex Lowes completed the top six, ahead of Axel Bassani, who fought his way back to seventh from 11th on the grid after issues in the Superpole Race. Andrea Locatelli, Loris Baz and top Honda rider Iker Lecuona rounded out the top ten positions.

Garrett Gerloff - a podium winner in 2021 - was 11th, ahead of Philipp Oettl in 12th, with Xavi Vierge, Lucas Mahias and wildcard Tarran Mackenzie picking up the 15th and final point as his maiden WorldSBK appearance came to an end.

2022 WorldSBK Championship | Donington Park, UK | Superpole Race RESULTS