This weekend, the Superbike World Championship lands in Italy for the second time this season, coinciding with MotoGP, and it does so at the Cremona circuit. The circuit has been preparing for this event for months and has undergone a major remodelling. Although the riders have carried out tests on this track, it will be the first time that it is competed on, and the performance of the tyres could be a key factor.
A priori, as has been the case throughout the year, Toprak Razgatlioglu should be the rider to beat, but unfortunately that is not going to happen. The Turkish rider will not be able to race this weekend as a result of the injuries caused by the chilling accident he suffered in France. Let us remember that after his 13 consecutive victories, Toprak crashed in FP2 and hit a wall directly, which caused a mild traumatic pneumothorax.
😞 The fall that will keep Toprak Razgatlioglu out of the race #FrenchWorldSBK 🇫🇷
He fell to the ground and ended up hitting a barrier on the Magny-Cours circuit. #WorldSBK 🏁 pic.twitter.com/hb6AKy2Ov2
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) September 7, 2024
This situation means that Nicolo Bulega, who won both races in France on Sunday, can continue to reduce his points lead in Italy. Currently, there are 55 points separating them in the standings, and given that there are 62 points at stake, there is a chance that Bulega will come out on top. But Razgatlioglu’s absence will surely be taken advantage of by the other drivers in a year in which none of them have been able to stand up to the Turk.
Details of the Cremona Cricuito
Cremona is a peculiar circuit in several ways. It is very short, only 3,768 metres long, making it the shortest in the championship. But its home straight is also the shortest on the calendar, at 400 metres, although the back straight is longer.
As for corners, there are 13, the same as Jerez for example, and an interesting parity because 6 are right-handers and the remaining 7 are left-handers. Therefore, there is no predominance for one of the sides. Of its four sections, the fastest is the third, with the first and second accumulating the majority of the curves on the track (8 of the 13). As for the asphalt, it has been changed recently, so we will have to wait and see how it affects.
Where to watch Superbike Italia 2024
To watch the Italian round of WSBK live, you can turn to Teledeporte for free-to-air television. Eurosport, a pay-TV channel that can be seen through different platforms, will also broadcast the races, as will DAZN, both on its platform and on the channels it has on Movistar. In addition, the digital platform can be seen through different operators.
Italian Superbike Schedule 2024
Friday, September 20th
09:40-10:05 – WorldWCR Free Practice
10:20-11:05 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1
11:20-12:00 – WorldSSP Free Practice
14:10-14:35 – WorldWCR Tissot Superpole
15:00-15:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2
16:00-16:40 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
Saturday, September 21
09:00-09:20 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3
09:30-09:40 – WorldWCR Warm Up
09:50-10:00 – WorldSSP Warm Up
11:00-11:15 – WorldSBK Superpole
12:45 – WorldWCR Race 1 (12 laps)
14:00 – WorldSBK Race 1 (23 laps)
15:15 – WorldSSP Race 1 (19 laps)
Sunday, September 22
09:00-09:10 – WorldSBK Warm Up
09:20-09:30 – WorldWCR Warm Up
09:40-09:50 – WorldSSP Warm Up
11:00 – WorldSBK Superpole Race (10 laps)
12:45 – WorldWCR Race 2 (12 laps)
14:00 – WorldSBK Race 2 (23 laps)
15:15 – WorldSSP Race 2 (19 laps)
