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and the incident also ensured that Iannone would be pushed onto the gravel. All these top riders being out gave other top riders a final podium chance. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Ya - maha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) finished third, for his first podium since his two top-three rides in Australia way back in round one. Gardner was a strong fourth, yet disappointed to not have a podium. VDM was fifth, and that saw Jonathan Rea ride at an almost steady pace throughout to take sixth. A very odd race, in many ways, except for the triple mega- winner and his latest shadow, Bulega. American Hayden Gillim made his WorldSBK debut on the Petronas MIE Racing Honda CBR1000 RR-R. With very little notice—less than a week—the defending MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Champion, Gillim, was given the opportunity to fill in for the team's Tarran Mackenzie. Gillim jumped on it and headed to Europe. He finished down in the field in all three races but got some valuable experience. "I've really enjoyed riding a WorldSBK-spec bike for the first time, working with the team, and learning the Most track," Gillim said. "It's a tough one, where it's important to get your lines right, but we've made big improve - ments every time we have gone out. I have some things to work on to ride the bike better and the crew is working hard to make me more comfortable. Saturday no-score. Fourth was Petrucci, and fifth was Gardner, having another top independent Yamaha ride. In race two, the final World- SBK 22-lapper of the weekend, you-know-who went off away and ahead, with only the shad - owing Bulega able to stay in the same section of corners at times as Razgatlioglu. Surprisingly, Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) set the fastest lap and placed fifth in the final results. The race started with an ac- cidental jump start from Lowes (Kawasaki), and his double long-lap penalty dropped him from a potential podium rider to a battling ninth. A first-corner incident behind the leading few overshadowed all, as Remy Gardner's corner- entry line caused Petrucci to move left and hit the back of Bautista's works Ducati. Both went down, neither got back on, His crashing bike collected the following Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW), and they both DNF'd. A red flag was possible, but the track workers got them off the circuit, and the race continued. Toprak regained the lead and kept it all the way through to the end of the 10-lap sprint. Behind, Bautista tried to go inside the tenacious and fast Bulega at T1 on the final lap. He had to pull out of the maneuver and cross into Bulega's potential path. Bulega had seen it com- ing and ran straight across the gravel, rejoining in second place. Bautista, running in too deep, had tried to regain the track but clipped too much gravel and fell on the rumble strip on the outside of T1 as it entered T2. Bulega calmly took second, Bautista would no-score, and Alex Lowes would be a close shadow for Bulega on the final lap, eventually taking the final podium place to make up for his ROUND 6 / JULY 19-21, 2024 AUTODROM MOST / CZECH REPUBLIC ROAD RACE I FIM MOTUL WORLDSBK CHAMPIONSHIP P72 Danilo Petrucci was second in the first race.