The Turkish rider confirms his speed once again at Misano, immediately putting his rival and local favorite behind him. Strong performance also from Bimota on its “home” track.
The Italian race weekend at the Misano World Circuit has officially begun. Despite scorching track temperatures reaching 44°C, Razgatlioglu immediately showcased his skills—clearly already looking ahead to his move to MotoGP. The Turkish rider’s goal is to reach the premier class as a three-time World Champion.
Despite the test sessions held two weeks ago, the results on the Romagna track remain unchanged: it’s a Razgatlioglu-Bulega 1-2, followed by Bautista. However, the two frontrunners are significantly faster than the rest of the field, and their race pace is just as impressive — only seven riders manage to stay within one second of the reigning number #1.
It was an excellent first session for Gardner, who finished in fourth place, followed by Italians Petrucci (5th) and Bassani (6th). In the Honda camp, Lecuona reaffirmed his position (7th), while Vierge (19th) struggled due to injury and will soon be re-evaluated by circuit medics.
Turn 1 caught out both Sofuoglu and Van der Mark, while Rea missed more than half of the first free practice session due to bike issues. Additionally, the BMW rider #60 ended the session furious with his mechanics over the bike’s instability.
Photo: Toprak Razgatlioglu
