Tyre failure dents Razgatlioglu’s WSBK title fightback hopes
Yamaha rider Razgatlioglu arrived at the Czech track with the momentum of his win at Imola behind him, and he gained further ground in a wet opening race of the weekend by finishing second behind Jonathan Rea while Bautista struggled to 12th. The Turkish rider then won the Superpole race ahead of Rea and Bautista to narrow the championship deficit to 49 points, and was looking on course to win the finale until suffering a highside crash exiting Turn 2 with six laps to go. Subsequent analysis showed Razgatlioglu’s rear Pirelli tyre had suffered a rare puncture, leaving him powerless to stay aboard his Yamaha. “We looked at the tyre and saw two areas where the tyre was damaged,” said Razgatlioglu. “I felt some vibrations in Turns 18 and 19, but I figured it was normal. I’ve never experienced a crash like this. “Last year I raced with the SC0 tyre and the race distance was the same, and there was no problem. This time we used the SC1 tyre, which is harde