Ducati riders respond to Toprak's harsh statements

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu could not reach the points in the first leg of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island on Sunday. Toprak finished the race in 12th place after going off the track in the first lap of the Superpole Race and retired in the second race due to a technical problem. With these results, Razgatlıoğlu fell 42 points behind Nicolo Bulega

Bulega, on the other hand, won all three races held at Phillip Island, marking a first in his career. Ducati managed to close the top five in both races held on Sunday. In the first race held on Saturday, there were also five Ducatis in the top six, and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu managed to get between the Ducatis and finish in second place.

This Ducati dominance has led Razgatlioglu to say that WorldSBK has become “almost a Ducati Cup” and that the Italian manufacturer could leave the series if its dominance continues.

But Bulega believes Ducati’s dominance in Australia is more about the track.

“If you have seen in the past, Ducati has always been very good on this track, I don't know why,” Bulega said.

“I am always fast here because it is my favourite track. So, this weekend was a good combination for Ducati and for me.”

“But to be honest, I don’t think we will be this strong on every track because it’s almost impossible. But we will definitely work hard to stay competitive,” he said.

Nicolo Bulega, Aruba.It Racing - Ducati, Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, Andrea Iannone, Team Pata Go Eleven

Photo: Gold and Goose

Bulega's teammate Alvaro Bautista also expressed a similar opinion and said he expects Toprak to be stronger in the upcoming races.

“It’s too early to say anything about the championship, especially this track is a bit special, very different from the others,” the two-time WorldSBK champion said.

“We tested at the beginning of the week, it’s different from other tracks. Especially Nicolo is really fast here and he will be fast everywhere. But I think Toprak has a hard time on this track. He will be much stronger in the next race in Portimao.”

“We don't know the truth of this championship yet, we have to wait a few more races to see the real performance of each driver,” he said.

The closest to Bulega throughout the week was Go Eleven Ducati rider Andrea Iannone, but Bautista accelerated in Race 2 to take second place, relegating Iannone to third.

Iannone emphasized that Phillip Island is a suitable track for the Panigale V4 R, and stated that the Ducati rider roster was also effective in the brand's success:

“Phillip Island is a good track for us.”

“Ducati is definitely a good bike but the level of Ducati riders is also really high because in the past everyone fought for the top positions and also competed in MotoGP.”

“I think that’s not a point of view, it’s a reality.”

“Our package is good but I don't think every race will be like this.”

Danilo Petrucci, who races for one of Ducati's satellite teams, said the following about Ducati's dominance at Phillip Island:

“Certainly Phillip Island is a special track, where Ducati does very well. But I would like to see this kind of performance every weekend.”

“I would like to get on the podium, maybe with a slightly better result, and get another victory.”

Finally, Scott Redding, who left BMW to join Ducati this year, said he believed Ducati’s success at Phillip Island was due to the nature of the track. However, he added that factors such as weather conditions and mandatory pit stops also worked to Ducati’s advantage:

“I think this track is a bit special, it is inherently more suited to Ducati.”

“Many factors come into play here, such as temperatures, wind and pit stops.”

“When we come back to Europe, things will be a little bit different. I think we will see more of Bimota and Yamaha then.”

“There will definitely be interesting races ahead.”

Danilo Petrucci, Barni Spark Racing Team, Scott Redding, MGM BONOVO Racing

Photo: Gold and Goose