Razgatlioglu extends lead with eighth win in a row
Toprak Razgatlioglu is chasing a second World Superbike title
- Published
Toprak Razgatlioglu made it eight World Superbike race wins in a row as he extended his lead over nearest challenger Nicolo Bulega at the top of the championship standings to 56 points by taking victory in the first race of the weekend in the Czech Republic.
The Turkish rider produced a commanding performance to lead from start to finish in the 22-lap race at the Most circuit on Saturday after securing pole position for the third straight event.
BMW-mounted Razgatlioglu had 5.7 seconds to spare over runner-up Danilo Petrucci at the chequered flag, with another Italian, Andrea Iannone, completing the podium.
Defending champion Alvaro Bautista worked his way up from 10th place on the grid to finish fourth, with Remy Gardner and Bulega rounding out the top six.
Six-time world champion Jonathan Rea was 10th on his Pata Yamaha and occupies 11th spot in the championship.
England's Alex Lowes crashed out while lying seventh.
Razgatlioglu, the 2021 champion, won the final race at Assen in April and followed that up with triple successes in the Italian and UK rounds.
The 27-year-old will have the opportunity to continue his winning sequence in Sunday's Superpole race and second feature race.
His triumph on Saturday was his sixth at the Czech circuit and 10th with BMW since switching from the Pata Yamaha outfit at the end of last season.
He pulled clear of the chasing pack in the early stages, leaving his pursuers to battle it out for the remaining top-six spots, Petrucci getting the better of his fellow Ducati rider Iannone in the latter stages to claim the runner-up berth.
Championship standings
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Tur), BMW, 266 points
2 Nicolo Bulega (Ita), Ducati, 210
3 Alvaro Bautista (Spa), Ducati, 199
4 Alex Lowes (GB), Kawasaki, 165
5 Andrea Locatelli (Ita), Yamaha, 125
6 Danilo Petrucci (Ita), Ducati, 105