Aragon WorldSBK: Andrea Locatelli: Broken oil radiator puts an end to “one of the best races of my life”

Locatelli made a stunning start as he took over the race lead from Jonathan Rea on lap two, and although Alvar💧o Bautista came back past, the Yamaha ✃rider was more than a match for Razgatlioglu.
The Turkish rider has usually held the advantage over Locatelli, however🏅, the 2020 Supersport champion was able to comfortably defend from his teammate for much of the race.
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Razgatlioglu, who didn’t have his normal conf💃idence under braking, got alongside Locatelli on a couple of occasions but could not force a move.
In what was arguabl🔜y his best ride ever as a Superbike rider, Locatelli 𓆏said: "Honestly, it was fun. It’s probably one of the best races of my life! Just a bit unlucky. We had a broken oil radiator and lost something.
"When I saw the oil was a bit on my leg, it was unfortun𝕴ately only with three laps to go. I could do nothing.
"We have a🥃lways been lucky without problems and sometimes this happens. It’s a s✤trong weekend in the end.
"We showed our potential and I think this is the best thing to do. We will see what we can do in Po🍒rtugal🍌 at Portimao but I’m feeling really confident."
A gutted Locatelli made his way back to the pits with four laps remain🐼ing as he lost out on what would have been seventh podium of 2023.
"I understood a lot during the race, and I tried to find a bit more grip on the rear," added Locatelli when discussing his baꦕttle with Razgatlioglu. "We worked a lot on the setup of the bike, especially after the Superpole Race. We found a good solution.
"We had a bit of an advantage on the exit of c💫orners, and it was🔴 also great under braking.
"When Toprak overtook at Turᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚn 7, ღI felt something at Turn 5, and it was probably because the radiator started to break. I lost the rear grip a bit many times and, in the end, I needed to stop the bike."