Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea celebrated victory in the Superpole Race at Estoril on Sunday morning with a last minute save in the final lap.
Defending WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu looked to be on course for his first win of the year before a turn nine moment denied him. Aruba.it Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista completing the celebrations for another consistent podium finish, in third.
KRT’s Rea went into the Superpole sprint holding all the cards with both all-time circuit and race lap records under his belt and command of the grid from the pole position, even if Bautista did climb the rostrum’s top step on Saturday afternoon with a last lap move over rival Razgatliolgu. Conditions, however, were greatly changed from race one with the rain having arrived in Portugal ahead Sunday’s action as the trio lined up on the front row, on slicks.
A patchy damp track with a drying line awaited the ten lap contest as the lights released. Razgatlioglu taking the holeshot with Rea and Scott Redding slotting into second and third as Bautista dropped to fourth. Pata Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli holding off the Hondas of Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge as Puccetti’s Lucas Mahias crashed out in the turn one melee. Marvin Fritz doing likewise half a lap later on the Motoxracing Yamaha with Vierge finding the limit at turn seven.
Bautista was through on Redding as lap two began, Alex Lowes recovering two positions, to seventh, with Motocorsa’s Axel Bassani on his wheels and Loris Baz in the all-important final top nine position. The BMW continued to go backwards as Lecuona was the next to capitalise on the Brit for fourth. Locatelli six-tenths back with seven laps to go.
Both Baz and Bonovo teammate Eugene Laverty were through on Bassani as lap three concluded. Michael Rinaldi continuing to struggle in the second Aruba Ducati from 11th with GRT Yamaha’s Kohta Nozane and replacement rider Xavi Fores just behind.
Rea was in charge from his long-term rival as the race bedded in, the Yamaha champion just a tenth off his wheels as the pace picked up with Bautista well over a second adrift of the battling duo once again.
Baz crashed out of eighth as lap four concluded. Bautista saving his own moment at turn two next time around with Laverty suffering a similar fate to his teammate with a high speed crash at turn six as the race approached the halfway stage.
Razgatlioglu was in the lead as lap seven began and immediately pulling away from the Kawasaki. Eight-tenths the gap as the next lap began with Bautista a further three seconds adrift in the final podium position.
Lowes began to reel in the Redding as the race neared its conclusion and the battle for sixth heated up. Rinaldi through on Bassani for eighth with Fores threatening behind. Lowes made the move stick on the penultimate lap, Locatelli capitalising on the battle to edge to safety in fifth with a second’s breather from the battling Brits. Fores claiming ninth and the final grid deciding position as the lap concluded.
Razgatlioglu looked to be a sure thing to claim his maiden victory of the season with an eight-tenth lead as the chequered flag prepared before a turn nine moment denied him once again. Rea claiming the spoils in the final moments despite a determined fight back from the Turk, with Bautista joining them for the Parc Fermé celebrations, albeit four seconds adrift of the battle.
Lecuona secured fourth from Locatelli and Lowes with Redding, Rinaldi and Fores claiming seventh to ninth to round out the front three rows of Sunday afternoon’s final grid.
