MAGNY-COURS, France – The 800th all-time race for the World Superbike Championship was historic in more ways than one on Saturday at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
Toprak Razgatlioglu became the first Turkish rider to win a points-paying race in the history of the two-wheeled series, thanks to a stunning last-lap pass of Jonathan Rea in a race that featured five different leaders and four official lead changes when all was said and done.
To make the feat more impressive, Razgatlioglu started 16th on the grid and raced his way through the field during the 21-lap affair, making for a nail-biting show of skill.
Rea came under immediate pressure from Michael van der Mark off the start, with the two almost colliding into the Adelaide hairpin on lap one. Their duel allowed Tom Sykes to storm through from sixth on the grid to second by the end of lap one.
Sykes’ progress continued on lap two as he used the corner speed of the BMW to overtake Rea at Estoril, although the leading group was growing, with Chaz Davies joining the action from 11th on the grid.
On lap three, Davies became the third different leader in as many laps, but the Welshman’s challenge came to a dramatic end moments later with a crash in turn 15. Davies lost the front end of his machine, while Razgatlioglu was fortunate to stay upright despite slight contact from the errant Ducati.
The chaos allowed Sykes a moment of breathing room, but the BMW rider was quickly reeled in, losing the lead to van der Mark on lap six.
With the battle continuing to rage in the leading group, van der Mark was able to open up a slight advantage, while Rea came under pressure after a moment at the Nurburgring chicane.
Razgatlioglu was able to edge ahead of Rea, setting the fastest lap in the process, but Rea ultimately regained second from the Turkish rider shortly after halfway, allowing him to give chase after van der Mark and attempt to erase a 1.2 second deficit.
With clear track in front, Rea began his relentless chase of van der Mark, wiping out his advantage heading into the closing stages. With three laps remaining, the leading pair had found one another, but van der Mark’s hopes of a second victory this year were extinguished when the front end of his Yamaha folded into the Adelaide hairpin.
Rea seemed on course for a 12th victory of the season, beginning the final lap one second clear of Razgatlioglu, but a stunning final lap from the Turkish rider brought him right onto the Ulsterman’s tail entering the last sector.
Under braking for turn 15, Razgatlioglu dove up the inside on Rea to take the point for good. Keen to avoid a costly collision, Rea opted to settle for second.
The fight for the final podium spot also went down to the wire, with Sykes rallying in the latter stages to overhaul Loris Baz, securing BMW’s fourth podium of the season.
Baz held on to fourth, while Alvaro Bautista finished fifth.
Alex Lowes faded to a distant sixth, ahead of Leon Camier, Marco Melandri, Eugene Laverty and Sandro Cortese.