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Reigning FIM Motul WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu bounced back from the disappointment of a crash and subsequent 11th place finish in the first feature length race of the weekend, to take wins in both of Sunday’s races at Round 7 of the championship at Magny Cours, France.

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In what was an action-packed and highly controversial weekend, it was the Pata Yamaha with Brixx rider whose light shone the brightest. The Turkish star technically qualified in pole position, setting exactly the same time as title rival and eventual Superpole winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) but he was demoted to second position on the grid due to Rea having the next quickest lap on countback.

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This didn’t stop Toprak from blasting off the line to lead the field in the early stages, but it was on Lap 3 when the real drama began. It started when Rea lost the rear of his Kawasaki ZX-10RR; the back end broke traction and came round on him as he took too much curb through the left flick leading onto the Start/Finish straight, which in turn sent the six-time champion sliding along the grass.

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No sooner had the crowd had time to process what they’d just seen than Toprak suffered a fall when the rear of his Yamaha YZF-R1 snapped violently sideways under braking on the approach into Chateaux d'Eau, causing the bike to go into a massive tank-slapper. In an unbelievable display of skill, Toprak managed to stay on but even he couldn’t retain control once in the deep gravel.

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What followed was a painfully slow and harmless fall. ‘Stoprak’ remounted his No.1 Yamaha and set about clawing back whatever points he could. Meanwhile, Rea also re-joined the race although he then pitted for impromptu repair work before heading back out a lap down.

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Razgatlıoğlu rode like a man possessed, scything through the field decisively with seemingly little to no effort. It was a truly superlative display from the 25-year-old who eventually went on to cross the line in a sensational 11th, picking up a valuable five points.

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Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Arubi.it Racing - Ducati) was victorious and extended his lead in the points standings.

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Spurred on by his error in Race 1, Toprak sought to make amends in Sunday’s races and that’s exactly what he did. In the Superpole race he tussled with title rivals Bautista and Rea briefly before making a break at the halfway point as the Spaniard and Ulsterman squabbled over second.

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But it was Race 2 that provided one of the major flashpoints of the season…

Having witnessed Toprak dive underneath Bautista for the lead on Lap 2 at ‘180’ corner, ‘JR’ lined up a pass just a few corners later at Chateaux d’Eau. However, he mis-judged his braking point, lifted the bike up and rammed into the side of the No.19 Ducati, sending the diminutive Spaniard sprawling unceremoniously through the same gravel that Toprak found himself in just a day earlier.

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Rea was given a long lap penalty for taking Bautista out of the race. With two of the main three championship protagonists out of the picture, it was down to the Italian duo of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Arubi.it Racing - Ducati) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) to take up the mantle for Ducati.

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Both took their turns to lead in the opening stages, and although Rinaldi held the top spot until past the halfway point, Toprak bided his time and didn’t make his move until lap 13. He took a commanding victory ahead of RInadli and Bassani who finished in second and third place respectively. Meanwhile, Rea came home in fifth following his penalty.

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Bautista’s lead over Toprak in second is now 30 points (332 vs 302) as they head to the Catalan Round.

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For full race results please visit the WorldSBK/WorldWSS Results page: