Pata Yamaha’s Toprak Razgatlioglu claimed his second WorldSBK victory of the Argentina weekend by a mere 0.046s after a late-race battle in Sunday's Superpole sprint.
Aruba.it Ducati’s Scott Redding fought hard in the final laps to deny the Champion-elect but ran just inches short in the closing seconds for a photo-finish across the line. Jonathan Rea completing the podium albeit three seconds adrift of the fight.
Redding had a second attempt from pole as the 10-lap Superpole race fired up on Sunday morning. Saturday’s race one winner Razgatlioglu alongside with the two Kawasakis of Alex Lowes and Rea starting from fourth and fifth respectively and back in their usual livery.
The championship leader took control of the race from the off, Rea immediately firing up to third with Lowes behind as Axel Bassani dropped from third to sixth. Redding looked to challenge the Yamaha for the lead but the R1 held fast, denying the Panigale as he aimed to break free and building a there-tenth gap by the close of the first lap.
Bassani regrouped as he passed Andrea Locatelli for fifth, the pair on the wheels of Lowes as the second lap got underway.
A difficult start found Chaz Davies down in 17th as the race unfolded, Eugene Laverty making progress just outside the top 10, with Leon Haslam and Garett Gerloff ahead.
Lowes lost position to Bassani on lap three, Locatelli now running a second back with Michaels Ruben Rinaldi and van der Mark for company.
Four laps dispatched and the lead was now a full second as Razgatlioglu pulled clear of Redding. Rea a similar distance adrift but with a two-second buffer to the battles behind.
A four-rider-fight for sixth played out at the mid-race distance, as Rinaldi, Locatelli, van der Mark and Gerloff bickered for position. The quartet swapping positions throughout the closing stages as they circulated almost as one while trying to reel in the pair ahead.
Davies began to make progress in the later laps, the Welshman into the points with three to go and sitting 14th. While Rinaldi and Lowes went in the opposite direction, the dup both dropping through the mid-group to sit eight and ninth respectively with two laps remaining.
The final lap saw Redding making serious ground on the leader, the gap just one-tenth after the opening sector with the pair duelling throughout the mid-point of the lap before a mistake looked to give Razgatlioglu a breath. The battle continued, however, with the Turk claiming his second victory of the weekend by just 0.046 of a second across the line.
Rea claimed a solo third from Bassani, van der Mark and Locatelli with Gerloff, Rinaldi, Lowes and Haslam completing the top 10.
