Superbike Donnington: Dobrak Raskatlioglu wins first race – Alvaro Bautista comes empty-handed after crash

Rhea started the first race from the pole. The Kawasaki rider topped the grid with a new lap record at Superpole and started the first race as favourite.

Teammate Alex Lowes and world champion Raskatlioglu completed the front row. All 26 riders chose the SCX rear tire.

Razgatlioglu won the sprint at the first corner. The Turk led the field through the first corners. The two factory Kawasakis of Rhea and Lowe followed. Bautista advanced to fourth. Scott Redding lost a few positions and was seventh after the start.

Later in the race, Rea benefited from his race pace and launched two aggressive maneuvers in a fight with Bautista, who had meanwhile passed him. Razgatlioglu was a smiling third and continued to increase his lead as his followers battled for position.

Batista makes a serious mistake – Rhea closes the gap

Nine laps into the race, Bautista made his first mistake of the season. In the last corner, the Ducati rider fell on the front wheel. Due to this, Rhea returned to the second position.

Bautista managed to restart his Ducati, but was already out of points. The championship leader returned to the pits.

Raskatlioglu cruised to an unchallenged victory. The Turk crossed the finish line with a stoppage. “I’m very happy,” says the Yamaha rider. Rhea collected 20 important points in second place. The World Cup deficit was reduced from 36 to 16 points.