Locatelli made a stunning start as he took over the ℱrace lead from Jonathan Rea on lap two, and although Alvaro Bautista came back past, the Yama🤪ha rider was more than a match for Razgatlioglu.

The Turkish rider has usually held the advantage over Locate💦lli, 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 confidence unde𓄧r braking, got alongside Locatelli on a couple 𒐪of occasions but could not force a move. 

In what was ♊arguably his best ride ever as a Superbike rider, Locatelli said: "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 unfortunately only with three laps to go. I could do nothing. 

"We have always been lucky without problems and sometimes thi🍬s happens. It’s a strong weekend in the end. 

"We showed our potential and I think this is the best thing to do. We will seeཧ what we can do in Portugal at Portimao but I’m feeling really confident."

A gutted Locat✃elli made his way back to the pits with four laps remaining 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 battle 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 corners, and it was als🔜o great unde𝔍r braking. 

"Wh🌃en Toprak overtook at Turn 7, I 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."