World Superbike: Razgatlioglu's title hopes are "finished"

After being powerless to defend against Ducati’s sheer straightline speed advantage going into Turn 8 on the opening lap, Razgatlioglu mounted an immediate counter attack to seize the lead back from runaway championship leader Alvaro Bautista.

But the Turkish rider simply carried too much speed into Turn 9 and slid into the gravel with an uncharacteristic error, which comes as a severe blow to his hopes of winning the 2022 title.

Remounting his Yamaha to salvage a solitary point in 15th, Razgatlioglu now faces a 80-point deficit in the standings to Bautista, who fully capitalised on the opportunity handed to him by claiming a dominant win.

With just the two races in Argentina and the final two rounds in Indonesia and Australia left on the schedule, Razgatlioglu said he is left with no option but to focus on individual results as his chances of winning the title are all but mathematically over.

“We know that Bautista is very strong this weekend, and also in Australia,” said the 26-year-old.

“In Mandalika, I think he won’t have a big advantage because there are no long straights.

“On Sunday, I will try again and fight for the win. I’m not thinking about the Championship because, for me, everything is finished.

"I’m just focussed race by race and I will try for more wins this season.”

Paul Denning, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Bautista exited Turn 7 in third position but the sheer grunt of the Ducati engine propelled him to the lead before the end of the back straight, as he overtook both Jonathan Rea and Razgatlioglu with incredible ease.

Razgatlioglu did not want to lose the fight so easily and tried to repass him straight after, but his eagerness to snatch the position backfired and he fell off his Yamaha into the following left-hander.

Incredibly, the bike was still in working condition after the crash and the Turkish rider was able to mount a strong recovery from last place, grabbing the final points-scoring position on the last lap.

Razgatlioglu took full responsibility of the incident that allowed Bautista to put one hand on the title and revealed that his Yamaha wasn’t functioning the way he would have wanted it to after his crash.

“It was a big mistake for me,” he admitted. “After two years, I think this is normal. The one time I make a mistake in the race.

“I’m very angry for this because it was the first lap. I tried to pass Bautista because he had a big advantage on the straight.

“For me, the race was very fast to the finish. I tried to come back again. The handlebar was not on the correct line. I take one point and it’s better than nothing. For me, it wasn’t a good day.”