Although he has yet to claim his second consecutive Superbike crown in the results of Portimao and with just two points he will have to wait until October 28-29 at Jerez Pumirma Álvaro Bautista a historic triple at the Portuguese round, the his fifty-sixth victory in a race behind a Ducati, surpassing the absolute record of 55 at the wheel of a motorcycle from the Italian brand in World Superbikes that he shared with the historic Carl Fogarty.
Bautista, current champion and leader of the event, won the second race of the Portuguese event of the World Championship after another tight battle with the Turkish Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) which was decided at the same finish line and after the same exchange of position 35 times.
After constantly changing positions, on the penultimate lap Bautista came first at turn 5, but his rival went wide and took the lead again. Razgatlioglu took the lead into the final corner, but Bautista overtook him on the home straight by 126 thousandths of a second. Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati) completed the podium, third in 1.764 seconds.
His hat trick in Portimao gave him and Ducati immense joy. Thanks to his victory in Race 1, he gave the Italian brand its 19th Constructors’ Championship. In addition, Ducati won its first Constructors’ Championship in the WorldSSP thanks to Nicolò Bulega’s victory in Race 1 on Saturday, which also secured the Riders’ Championship for Bautista’s next official team-mate.
After the Portuguese event, Bautista continues to lead the overall drivers’ standings, now with 566 points, 60 more than Razgatlioglu.
This Sunday, Bautista is the driver with the most wins in the Italian brand. Razgatlioglu reached his 113th podium and 31st of the season, while Rinaldi achieved his 23rd podium. The absolute record for Superbikes wins is 118 and is held by Northern Ireland’s Jonathan Rea.
“It has been a really exciting weekend. I didn’t expect to score a hat-trick and what makes me especially proud is that I won by fighting every corner with Toprak, who I congratulate because he was a really tough opponent but always fair . I admit that I enjoyed it a lot: he didn’t allow me to match my speed, he attacked me every lap. I stayed focused, trying not to make mistakes. The championship? I’ll tell you the truth: the title is fair won in Jerez and I hope that many fans come to this round”.
The last stop of the World Championship will be from October 27 to 29 at the Ángel Nieto circuit in Jerez de La Frontera.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
