Round 5 of the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is done and dusted after an incredible visit to the Autodrom Most. The Motul Czech Round delivered plenty of unforgettable on-track action, but also some fighting talk after the racing concluded. We’ve gathered some of the best quotes from Most below.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I think it’s one of the best races of my life… when I saw I did the last corner perfectly, I started to scream in my helmet!”
Discussing his incredible Race 2 win, Bulega said: “I think it’s one of the best races of my life! The weekend was really up and down. It was incredible because Toprak had something more the whole race. I was pushing 150% every lap; I never pushed in a race like this. It was very important for me to win. After Cremona, this track isn’t very good for me. Winning here is very special, especially after the big crash on Friday. I never gave up and, on the last lap, I put 300% on the table. I saw, with two laps to go, some areas I was faster than Toprak. But in other areas, he was faster than me. It was difficult to find a place to overtake him. When I saw I did the last corner perfectly, I started to scream in my helmet. It was a very emotional last corner! Toprak had something more than me, he was faster, but I just tried to copy him; understand how I could lose less time in some parts where he was faster.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m really angry because I gave more than 100% effort, but the last lap and last corner exit destroyed everything”
On the flip side, Razgatlioglu was ‘angry’ after losing out on the line: “I don’t know now, maybe it was fuel or an electronics problem. It was only the last lap and exit of the last corner and the straight. I felt it cutting, I did a wheelie, it cut again. I don’t know why. I asked the team and they’re looking at the data. The pace is very strong, Nicolo was pushing so hard; he improved a lot in Race 2. If I didn’t feel any cutting on the straight, maybe I would win the race; normally, the Ducati was passing me after the chequered flag. I’m really angry because I gave more than 100% effort, but the last lap and last corner exit destroyed everything. All I know is that Phil said we had enough fuel. After the chequered flag, I came back in and didn’t feel any cutting again. Maybe it was electronics. Nicolo and I are pushing so hard. He’s riding very well, and the bike works very well.”
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “They are two of the best riders I’ve ever met in my whole career, and I’ve met a lot of great riders!”
Three third-place finishes for Petrucci at Most, who was full of praise for Bulega and Razgatlioglu: “At the start, I was overtaken by Sam, and he had good pace. Unfortunately, we lost touch with Toprak and Nicolo immediately. I had the same pace as Sam. In the middle of the race, he started to move around, and I think he just did one corner not perfectly, and I was there. I’m happy because I was third on the grid, third in all the races, and now I’m third in the Championship. I’m not entirely happy because the gap between me and Toprak and Nicolo was quite huge. We need to understand where they gain so much. I hope at least one of the two goes to MotoGP™, so I can be second sometimes! Jokes apart, kudus to them because they are two of the best riders I’ve ever met in my whole career, and I’ve met a lot of great riders! We’re an Independent team and we are fighting with the factory teams, so I can be happy.”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I accept because, for sure, he didn’t intentionally crash”
Bautista was caught up in the crash and said: “The first chicane is quite far from the starting point, and we arrive fast. It’s difficult. Honestly, Rea is one rider who’s coming every time in the safety commission and he’s the first to say, ‘This is very dangerous, you have to move the starting point’ and then he does this. I was lucky that I’m okay. He came to the box to say sorry. I said to him, ‘Yeah, okay, but be careful because you have a lot of experience, you know this corner is very special and you have to be very careful’. He said to me, ‘Oh, stop, I didn’t come here for a lesson, I came here to say sorry; do you accept or not?’. I accept because, for sure, he didn’t intentionally crash. I think the podium was possible. In the Superpole Race, it wasn’t so bad, especially because I made a mistake on Lap 2; I ran wide and lost some time. I think it was realistic to fight for a podium, but this is racing and anything can happen. We made a small change for Race 2, and I was quite confident it was going to help me a little bit. If I compare myself with two years ago, I’m faster, but the Championship is a bit different. There are more riders fighting at the front and the lap times are faster.”
Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “Directly after the race, I went to see them all to say, ‘I’m sorry’”
Rea instigated a Turn 1 incident and gave his side of the crash. He said: “From my seat, I got into T1 hot on the inside, and used a bit of inside kerb. I felt I had track position but unfortunately Alvaro was committed to the corner as well. There was impact and I’m really sorry for him as it ended his race, and also the race of Xavi Vierge and compromised Alex Lowes as well. Directly after the race, I went to see them all to say, ‘I’m sorry’. From my point of view, I’m out there racing. I got great starts in all races, using the same kind of strategy down the inside, and this time both Alvaro and I committed to the same bit of tarmac. For me, it’s a racing accident but it’s unfortunate. I’ve been on the receiving end of this before in my career. I had to put my big boy pants on and go and see the guys. I felt this weekend’s been a good step forward for me with the feeling of the bike. I was a little bit more competitive, not where I want to be, but I got 54 race laps this weekend and some good data to give the engineers. We have a two-day test at Misano where we ca explore some different ideas that we have that you sometimes don’t want to test during a race weekend.”
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “Now, every time I finish, I’m happy but I know I can do a little bit more. I think there’s more to come”
Another excellent weekend for Lowes, who said: “I’m quite happy and it’s given me some confidence. It was a bit harder this weekend. I enjoy this track, it’s difficult. It really highlights the WorldSBK style. It’s a bit smaller and there are many acceleration zones where you go from first to fifth gear with a bit of angle. I’m still missing a bit here. I thought we could fight Danilo in Race 2. It was close but he’s had a bit more speed than me at the end. It’s my best-scoring event of the season. That means things are going in a positive way. I feel like I’ve improved a lot but if I think back to Moto2™ when I was doing well there, how I felt with the bike and I could really take the maximum from it. Now, every time I finish, I’m happy but I know I can do a little bit more. I think there’s more to come. I need to be on the podium a bit more. Last year here was terrible for me. I had the injury so one year makes a big difference.”
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team): “I’m speaking with Yamaha and keeping my options open. There’s nothing planned, I need to see the options first”
An up and down weekend for Gardner, who ended it in P5 in Race 2: “I had a big crash on Friday. I was lucky I could race this weekend, to be honest; my ankle had a previous injury, so it blew up and was pretty sore all weekend. It’s not been fun to ride. I hurt my shoulder at Portimao and hurt it again. I think it was okay. It’s not one of our stronger tracks, but better than Cremona I feel. At Cremona, we struggled a lot. I think, if I wasn’t so banged up after Friday, I could’ve maybe not been on the podium but at least try to hunt down Danilo and Sam and be in that group. At the moment, no update on my future. I’m speaking with Yamaha and keeping my options open. There’s nothing planned, I need to see the options first. Once I have everything on the table, then I’ll make a decision.”
