Top marks for Toprak in first win

TURKEY’S Toprak Razgatlioglu denied Michael Ruben Rinaldi a home hat-trick yesterday as he took the final World Superbike race win of the weekend at Misano.

And the PATA Yamaha rider has narrowed the gap to Jonathan Rea in the title fight to 20 points as the six-time defending champion had to make do with another third place.

Rinaldi’s Aruba Ducati had been the dominant force all weekend, taking Saturday’s win and banking another victory in yesterday’s Superpole scrap.

A quick start in the final race gave him the lead into ■ turn one but it quickly became a three-man battle as Razgatlioglu ran him wide, allowing Rea to sweep through into the lead.

Rinaldi was back ahead by lap four but Razgatlioglu

(inset) had kept in close contact, clocking the fastest lap before storming past into the lead on lap 14.

He held the spot all the way to the flag to take his first victory of the year.

He said: “Finally I win! We have worked very much for this but in all the races it has been second, second, second. I said to the team, ‘In the next race I need to win’. I am here. I am very happy, this is an incredible job.”

As Rinaldi crossed the line in second, Rea made it a trio of third places after a tough three days.

“I really struggled this weekend,” said the Kawasaki Racing Team rider. “I just didn’t bond with the bike, so I’m looking forward to going away, analysing all the data and trying to work on our weaknesses and come back at Donington Park in a few weeks.”