PHILLIP ISLAND (AUSTRALIA) (ITALPRESS) – Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) simply perfect at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit: in the Australian Round that opens the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship he hits his first hat-trick in WorldSBK also winning Superpole Race – ahead of an excellent Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) – and race 2 with a two second and six tenths margin over Alvaro Bautista. It is a Sunday to forget for world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who struggles in Race 2 from the start. Bulega gives himself another spectacular day and in Race 2 he precedes his pitmate Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who started from the 11th box after the last position in Tissot Superpole Race. Second podium of the weekend for Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven), who started second.
Scott Redding (MGM Bonovo Racing) in Race 2 has his hands full with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), who eventually closes behind the Englishman: the Terni rider puts himself behind Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) by just 88 thousandths.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) takes another seventh place and puts himself behind the Bimota of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and the Independent Ducati of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team). Tenth place for Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team).
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was 11th while boxmate Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) – a replacement for Iker Lecuona, who was injured on Saturday – finished 18th. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finishes 12th 35 thousandths behind Vierge and ahead of Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki Racing Team). 14th place for Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Racing Team); last in the points zone is Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) ahead of Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Tito Rabat and Tetsuta Nagashima.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was pushing on his M 1000 RR bike but struggled from the start and after going off track in a corner on lap 12 he pitted for the second time and retired. Earlier in Turn 6 Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) had crashed while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) ended up on the ground with four laps to go exiting the Gardner Straight, named in honor of his father Wayne.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
