Toprak Razgatlioglu: This is racing, I’m not talking like Scott Redding
This time battling for second place, Razgatlioglu was behind Redding as the two riders began the final lap.
With Alvaro Bautista comfortably out front and Jonathan Rea a second behind in fourth, Razgatlioglu and Redding had enough margin for another last lap thriller, which is precisely what happened.
Unable to stay close heading into turn one (his favourite overtaking spot) due to the BMW’s greater top speed, Razgatlioglu instead lined-up a move heading into turn 15, however, the Pata Yamaha rider came from a very long way back, leaving Redding with nowhere to go but off the track.
Annoyed by his actions, Redding stated Razgatlioglu ‘put me completely off the track’ and that the Turkish star needs to understand where the limit is.
But after another close call in the Superpole race, this time with Rea, Razgatlioglu called the intense battles ‘part of racing’.
"I had a big drop in the rear tyre and I knew Jonny [Rea] was coming, so I said, ‘OK, I’m ready to fight!’ and I saw Jonny had much better rear grip than me," said Razgatlioglu.
"On the last lap, at turn 15, he was stronger than me and I tried to go in the middle of the track, but he also tried to pass me anyway, because I’m not strong there and that’s his chance. I also tried to open my leg, but he touched me!
"It wasn’t good but after he went wide; anyway, I’m not talking like Scott Redding because this is racing. Sometimes, we crash together, sometimes not; Jonny went wide but after the race, we have the same respect.
"It’s the last lap, everyone is fighting for a good position and it’s part of racing. Two wins, one second place and good motivation before the break."
‘Both are very difficult to beat’ - Bautista shares his thoughts on his two WorldSBK rivals
Managing to avoid a last lap battle with Razgatlioglu throughout the three races, Bautista enjoyed another brilliant weekend after winning race one before claiming a double podium on Sunday.
While Razgatlioglu and Rea appear to be as aggressive as each other when battling at the front, Bautista claims there are differences between the two.
Bautista added: "The difference between both is that maybe battling with Toprak, if he can go faster than you, he will try to pass you. At least with me; I can’t speak about the situation for Jonathan because they try every corner to pass each other.
"When he tries to pass me, it’s because he has something left and he thinks he can go faster. Also, he tries to pass you without mistakes.
"Jonathan is more, ‘I want to pass you to stay in front of you, not because I have more’ because he might not have more but if he’s in front of me then he’s thinking ‘at least you’re not in front of me’. Both are very difficult to beat."
