It’s pole and a “hot” Race 1 win for Razgatlioğlu at Donington

· Race1 at Donington Park was won by Toprak Razgatlioğlu (BMW). The Turkish rider, who started from pole position, relied on the combination of medium SC1 front and supersoft SCX rear tyres to take the victory with more than 6 and a half seconds ahead of Nicolò Bulega (Ducati), who finished second. The latter, like his brand mate Danilo Petrucci who came third, instead adopted the soft SC0 at the rear.

· Almost all the riders on the grid chose the medium SC1 for the front, with the only two exceptions being Garret Gerloff (Kawasaki) and Iker Lecuona (Honda). For the rear, the majority relied on the supersoft SCX, preferred by 17 out of 24 riders compared to the soft SC0.

· WorldSSP Race1 was won from pole position by Stefano Manzi (Yamaha). Behind him, Tom Booth-Amos (Triumph), second, and Lucas Mahias (Yamaha), third. All the riders in this category started with medium SC1 compound tyres at the front and supersoft SCX at the rear.

· Asphalt temperatures were significantly higher than in 2024, averaging around 20 °C more.  The pyrometer at the start of both WorldSSP and WorldSBK races showed 50 °C.

Standard specifications both valid for Donington’s hot asphalt
 
“At Donington we found quite particular conditions, both in terms of the asphalt temperatures, which were unusually high for this circuit and time of year, and the level of grip offered by the track. After the 2023 resurfacing, the track has become quite aggressive with the tyres, but it has improved significantly in these two years, even if the particularly high temperatures recorded both yesterday and today have affected its natural level of grip. On both days we exceeded 50° C on the asphalt and this caused some spin problems at the rear. Razgatlioğlu won Race1 on the supersoft SCX rear, a solution that has already proven its effectiveness in such hot temperatures, but it is also worth noting the excellent performance of the soft SC0, with which Bulega and Petrucci completed the podium. This was further confirmation of how much today’s choice was determined by the personal preferences of the riders, being able to count on both valid standard specifications. Very similar temperatures are expected for tomorrow, so it is likely that the tyre choice will also be similar, although the experience gained in Race1 will offer more elements of evaluation for any changes in strategy.”