World Superbike arrived in the Emilio Estevez region of Italy for the Misano round of the championship. Like the movie where Emilio and his brother Charlie Sheen play garbage men, it wasn’t a vintage performance but it was still pretty entertaining.
Toprak gets off the mark
The World Champ had a winless start to the season, but at Misano the man from Turkey broke his duck and got the monkey off his back. (If there had been any more animals involved then Brad Binder would’ve appeared with a rifle and a barbecue).
In Race One, Toprak’s Yamaha conked out with an electrical problem (a genuine electrical problem, not the old con-rod through the wiring loom “electrical problem”). But in the Superpole Race he roared back with a stunning victory, his first in 11 attempts this season. He had to settle for 2nd place in Race Two, but it looks like Toprak has found his mojo.
Alvaro Bautista had a great weekend, extending his title lead with victory in Race One and Two along with 2nd position in the Superpole Race.
Johnny Rea had a solid weekend with podiums in the first two races, but was frustrated at being kept off the podium in Race Two by Michael Rinaldi. The young Ducati rider is trying to keep his Ducati ride for next year but is likely to be replaced by loveable galoot Danilo Petrucci.
MotoGP glamour trackside
There were a host of MotoGP stars visiting to remind themselves what overtaking looks like.
All eyes were on Valentino Rossi and his Rossi Posse. The Misano track is just down the road from Rossi’s house and the Neverland Ranch where he grooms young MotoGP stars, so Vale popped over on a comically oversized scooter. He brought the VR46 Academy out for a field trip, so we got to see the yellow peril chilling with his skinny brother Noodles Marini and other youngsters like Marco Bezzucchini. They were soaking up the electric atmosphere, as unlike the sparsely attended buzz-kill of the Mugello MotoGP race, Misano was absolutely rammed with fans.
Andrea Dovizioso also showed up and was amazed by Toprak’s ability to brake so late on the Yamaha. (It has to be said that Dovi is also amazed by how late Darryn Binder brakes on a Yamaha this year).
World Superbike is loads more fun than MotoGP right now, because in World Supers it’s all about the fun. The wings on Superbikes are mostly just a marketing scam and pole-squat devices are nowhere to be seen. The fans are allowed really close to the riders. And if one manufacturer is dominating too much, the WSBK series brazenly changes the rules to screw them over and keep the racing close.
World Superbike Aliens
In MotoGP some years ago there was the Alien Era, where all races were won by four extraterrestrial talents: sour-faced Aussie Casey Stoner, sour-faced Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, sour-faced Spaniard Dani Pedrosa and charismatic Italian Valentino Rossi.
World Supers is going through a similar phase, but with 3 riders who have a better range of personalities.
Alvaro Bautista is leading the championship. The Spanish Ducati star is a ridiculously cheerful and bubbly little bloke. He was ridiculously cheerful and bubbly when he was riding the awful Honda Fireblade last year and he’s no different on the Ducati missile this year. As Rudyard Kipling famously wrote, “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same; you’ll be a tiny little man with blonde pigtails.”
Johnny Rea is 2nd in the title race on his Kawasaki. He’s a very normal Northern Irishman, so he’s a nice guy until you spill his pint or start beating him in races, at which point World War 3 breaks out. He even managed to have a feud with his former rival Chas Davies, who’s as nice a guy as you’ll find within 100 miles of a racetrack.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is in 3rd place in the title race. He’s the strong, silent type. Who just happens to be a Marc Marquez-level lunatic on a motorcycle. Even when there’s no overtaking, you’re on the edge of your seat just watching Toprak tip into a corner because he’s almost certainly going sideways with the back wheel about a foot off the ground and looks like he’s about to lose control and come flying out through your TV screen.
Next Race
The World Supers paddock moves on to Donington Park in a month’s time.