Toprak Razgatlioglu “riding very relaxed” despite Nicolo Bulega Estoril WorldSBK push

Despite a mid-race challenge from Nicolo Bulega, Toprak Razgatlioglu was able to ride “very relaxed” at the end of the 20-lap Race 1 at the Estoril WorldSBK.

Razgatlioglu led from lap four in the opening World Superbike race of the weekend in Estoril, but a gap over Bulega that stood for many laps at two seconds was at one point reduced to as little as 0.7 seconds before stretching back out to 1.9 at the finish.

Razgatlioglu explained that he was expecting a battle with Bulega when he saw him closing in, but was ultimately able to relax into his pace again at the end.

“I’m very happy but I was pushing so hard in the race, especially in the beginning,” Toprak Razgatlioglu told WorldSBK.com after Race 1 in Estoril.

“I felt like everything was good but, in the middle, Nicolo [Bulega] started catching me. I always accepted that Ducati have more grip in hot conditions. 

“When he started catching me, I said I was ready to fight. 

“He stopped at 0.7s. 

“I was pushing hard again in the last few laps. When I saw 1.2 seconds on the pitboard, I understood he had some grip problems. 

“In the last two or three laps I was riding very relaxed and trying not to make a mistake on the bike. 

“Finally, I won the race. I take good points for the championship and it looks like a hard race tomorrow.”

Razgatlioglu’s victory means he is 41 points ahead of Bulega in the standings.

It means he can have a chance to win the championship in Race 2 tomorrow, but first the BMW rider needs to end the Superpole Race at least 37 points clear of Bulega in order to make Race 2 his first ‘match point’ in the 2025 title battle.

However, as he has maintained throughout this season, Razgatlioglu insists his focus for Sunday in Estoril is on winning races, as it was on Saturday.

“I’m just focused on winning the race,” he said.

“Half of the race [Race 1], I’m riding in P1, but I’m also saying a podium is enough. 

“I made some mistakes because I lost the front and almost crashed. 

“I only had one focus: to win the race. 

“Tomorrow, we have two more hard races. If I’m improve in some corners, we’ll come back stronger tomorrow.”