There have been so many tech-
nical rule interventions, new bal-
ancing regulations, and the gain
and loss of super-concessions al-
ready this year that the landscape
has been changing almost race
to race. But in the opening race at
least, tire performance told all.
Hence, Danilo Petrucci (Barni
Spark Racing Team Ducati) had
some serious front-tire issues
even as he passed Razgatlioglu
for the final podium spot.
Razgatlioglu had two real tire
issues. Three if you count the fact
that he had to run the hard SC2
front when most others could go
one softer in their tire choices.
His front grip went, and then
after the halfway point of the
21-lap opener, his rear tire was
gone, too.
Race two would, amazingly,
be even worse.
After all the summertime sun
of Thursday, Friday and all-day
Saturday, rain coated the track
early on Sunday, and then a stiff
breeze was evident even after
the track dried out and the sun
made another appearance.
The wet Superpole race was
an opportunity for Razgatlioglu to
make a push for a win, and with
fuel-flow rules and slick tires out
of the 10-lap equation, he took a
convincing victory that was made
all the arithmetically better for
BMW's title hopes when Bulega's
bike sputtered and then stopped.
Nicolo was as angry on the
bike as you could imagine, just
as he had been with Bassani in
Superpole.
Sam Lowes, robbed in race
one after being taken out by a
fall from Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.
it Racing – Ducati), richly de
-
served a first WorldSBK podium
in the 10-lap Superpole race for
his big-name Marc VDS team—
and his often-beleaguered self.
Race two, held in the full dry,
will be remembered for many
things, all of them completely off
the expected script.
First, the rapidly advancing
Bulega broke down again while
in the lead in a similar power-
sapping fashion to his Superpole
race DNF.
Razgatlioglu swapped to a
different rear tire and said it
blistered on the right-hand side.
His general lack of front- or
rear-tire grip saw him go from a
WIND
IN THE
P66
If Nicolo Bulega didn't have bad luck,
he'd have no luck at all after a double
mechanical DNF in Holland.
