Jonathan Rea emerged victorious in Race 1 of the World Superbike Championship in Hungary, securing a nine-point lead over Nicolo Bulega in both the race and the standings. Rea, who amassed 370 points, expressed his happiness at starting with a win and focused on the upcoming race despite uncertain weather forecasts.
The Turkish rider made a strong start, while Andrea Locatelli overtook Sam Lowes. A major accident occurred in the second turn involving several riders, leading to the red flag being raised. Garrett Gerloff, Yari Montella, Ryan Vickers, Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, and Remy Gardner were among the riders involved in the incident.
Following Race Direction’s decision to restart the race with the grid positions determined by the Superpole results and shortened to 20 laps, Iannone received a double Long Lap Penalty for reckless driving, and Petrucci had to return to the pit garage due to bike issues. Despite starting from fifth on the grid, the Italian rider missed out on a podium finish and had to race from the pit lane.
Meanwhile, Vickers, Gardner, and Lecuona retired from the race, with the Australian rider undergoing medical checks. The Honda bike of the Spanish rider was not ready when the pit lane reopened. Despite being overtaken by Locatelli before the incident, Razgatlioglu regained focus after the race was restarted, pulling ahead of the Yamaha rider.
Sam Lowes fought hard to maintain third place, but eventually fell in Turn 2, allowing Bulega and Locatelli to claim podium positions. Razgatlioglu extended his lead over Bulega to 3.7 seconds by Lap 9, with Bautista overtaking Locatelli for third place. Rea, on the other hand, crashed out of the top 10 after a collision in Turn 1 with six laps remaining, and later crashed at high speed in Turn 4 on the 16th lap, damaging his bike.
Razgatlioglu secured victory comfortably, with Bulega and Bautista finishing second and third, respectively. Locatelli settled for fourth place, while Petrucci’s impressive fifth-place finish from the pit lane deserves applause. Alex Lowes finished sixth, with Montella, Vierge, Gerloff, and Bassani rounding out the top 10 in Race 1 of the WSBK.
