How Toprak Razgatlioglu can become 2024 World Superbike Champion this weekend
Ahead of the final round of the 2024 World Superbike Championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu lead Nicolo Bulega by 46 points.
With a 46-point championship leading coming into this weekend’s final WorldSBK round at Jerez, Toprak Razgatlioglu is the clear favourite to be crowned champion.
Only Nicolo Bulega can stop Razgatlioglu from taking the title this weekend, but would most likely have to win all three races to do so — something he is yet to do in his rookie year.
Ultimately, the maths for Razgatlioglu to be crowned champion this weekend are pretty simple: don’t be out-scored by Nicolo Bulega by 47 or more points over the course of this weekend’s three races.
It means that, even if Razgatlioglu scores no points all weekend, Bulega must still finish on the podium in both long races, and no worse than second in at least one of them to become the first rookie champion since Ben Spies.
Razgatlioglul’s Race 1 chance
The points difference for Razgatlioglu is such, coming into this weekend, that he could win the title in Saturday’s Race 1, as he did in the 2021 Indonesian Round.
To do so, Razgatlioglu must enter Sunday’s two races in Jerez with an advantage over Bulega of 37 or more points.
So, the simplest permutation for Razgatlioglu to become 2024 World Superbike Champion on Saturday is to finish ahead of Nicolo Bulega.
On the other hand, if Bulega beats Razgatlioglu, to be crowned champion on Saturday the BMW rider must finish:
- Third, if Bulega wins;
- Fifth, if Bulega finishes second;
- Ninth, if Bulega finishes third;
- 12th, if Bulega finishes fourth;
- 14th, if Bulega finishes fifth, and;
- 15th, if Bulega finishes sixth.
If Bulega finishes seventh or lower in Race 1, then Razgatlioglu is champion regardless of his own finishing position.
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
