VOLUME 58 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 P61
BY GORDON RITCHIE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
E
verything that happened after
the fatal accident suffered by
15-year-old Dean Berta Vinales
on Saturday in the WorldSSP300
class rang hollow compared to any
other WorldSBK weekend.
How could it not?
But despite the cancelation of
Saturday's WorldSBK and WorldSSP
races, the racing continued on
Sunday, for all three classes, with a
modified schedule.
It was not a certainty at one stage
on Saturday that the races would
run, but finally, they went ahead.
Dean Berta Vinales' family had
spoken with the organizers to give
their approval to continue racing and
the organizers had spoken with rid-
ers in each class on Saturday night.
Even the WorldSSP300 riders
would race again on Sunday, which
met with approval and disapproval
from inside and outside the pad-
dock.
The Sunday schedule was
changed, meaning the usual WorldS-
BK 10-lap Tissot-Superpole race was
effectively replaced by Saturday's
race one, at 11:00 am. Hence, two
full distance, full points, WorldSBK
races were held on a Sunday, almost
like the old days.
On Saturday, Tissot Superpole
qualifying had taken place in WorldS-
BK and with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki
Racing Team) looking set to score
his first Kawasaki pole, until Toprak
Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with
Brixx) suddenly swept in to take his
own first pole of 2021 and lead Low-
es and his fellow KRT rider Jonathan
Rea off the front row of the grid.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
(54) is looking every bit
the potential WorldSBK
champion with his first
clean sweep in Jerez.
