Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista discuss Race 1 strategy

Alvaro Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu expect a fierce and competitive Race 1 at the Assen WorldSBK round.

The two 2023 title rivals finished first and second during Free Practice 2 on Friday.

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But following a wet Superpole session, the pair will start on different rows as Razgatlioglu claimed third behind Jonathan Rea and Nicolo Bulega, while Bautista was only seventh aboard his Panigale V4 R.

Discussing his expectations for Race 1, Bautista said: “From this season, you can expect everything! 

“There are a lot of battles and always the last chicane is a real hot point in races, especially when you have lots of riders in the same lap times.

“I expect some battles and some manoeuvres at the last chicane.”

For Razgatlioglu, starting from the front row should give the BMW rider another chance of contending for victory.

Razgatlioglu stunned Ducati in Catalunya as he won two races, his first at the Barcelona circuit.

The 2021 Superbike champion has never won at Assen, but with confidence flowing and the M 1000 RR being very competitive once again, Razgatlioglu has a clear idea of how he intends to attack Race 1.

“I am ready to attack at the last corner, I like the last and first corner at this track, the last corner especially,” said Razgatlioglu. 

“Everyone is really fast, but I hope I am not passed on the last corner, the last lap.

“My plan, if everything feels good, is to ride alone, but we will see if the feeling is good, and the motivation is very high. I am ready for a fight or to ride alone, we will see.”