The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back with a bang! Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) blazed around the track in Australia’s Race 1, followed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in P2, and Alvaro Bautista in P3. The Australian Round’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit played host to a dream start to the season for 2024 runner-up Nicolo Bulega, as he crossed the finish line with an almost five second gap ahead of the next rider.

Nicolo Bulega capitalized on his Tissot Superpole win, holding off the rest of the grid as he claimed the holeshot. Turn 1 was the closet any rider ended up coming to the Italian sophomore star, finishing with a margin of 4.811s ahead of 2024 World Champions Toprak Razgatlioglu For his part, Toprak looked more comfortable atop his new BMW M 1000 RR, battling with Alvaro Bautista, Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding in the laps preceding the mandatory Pit Intervention, Razgatlioglu finished P2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) looked to be similarly growing in confidence with his setup, tenaciously defending his podium spot from persistent overtake attempts from Scott Redding, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone.

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was composed as ever in Race 1’s return to WorldSBK action. Starting out in P5, he weathered assaults from a resurgent Scott Redding and rival Andrea Iannone to finish P4 and once again finished top among Independent riders in P4. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) showed glimpses of his 2021 Ducati-riding form in Race 1, leapfrogging Bautista and Toprak at points to take P3, however a late move from Petrucci in Turn 1 of Lap 18 narrowly prevented him from claiming the day’s top Independent position. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) looked strong to start the contest, claiming P2 exiting the first corner of Lap 1. ‘The Maniac’ lost much of this early momentum however as he appeared to have an issue with his bike in Turn 4 of Lap 2, dropping from P2 to P6 in an instant as he hesitated entering the corner. Later on in the early running, he showed similar signs of a problem with his setup as he ran wide into Turn 1 of Lap 3. Much of his best riding on the day came after the pit stop, where he recuperated positions to finish P6.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) carried the Yamaha flag in Race 1, representing for his team after teammate Johnathan Rea suffered multiple foot fractures in testing earlier this week. The Italian rider came home in P7, finishing ahead of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). Lowes’s P8 and Axel Bassani’s (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) P9 atop the new KB998 Rimini is no small feat for the returning manufacturer and will provide a strong base result to improve upon as the season continues. Alex Lowes was assessed a 0.6s penalty for an early departure from the pit lane, a penalty which had he avoided, he would have been only 0.096s behind Locatelli. Bassani especially has many positives he can take away from the race, his start in P14 nullified by strong riding taking up to P7 before his trip to the pits. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) finished in P10, claiming the spot from Xavi Vierge early in the race after a long battle which Lowes eventually came out on top.

Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) finished the season-opening Race 1 in P11 as his teammate was ruled out with a broken metatarsal in his left foot in Free Practice 3. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the second-fastest Yamaha on the day as his teammate Remy Gardner was forced out with a technical issue. The Swiss rider finished 12th. In P13, Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished top among the 2025 rookies after a Yari Montella’s crash, and Zaqhwan Zaidi’s (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) failure to qualify, and Bahattin Sofuoglu’s P15 finish. Replacement rider Tetsuda Nagashima (Honda HRC) was filling in for the injured Iker Lecuona, and notched a P14 finish to score points for team Honda HRC. Still recovering from his broken collarbone suffered in preseason testing, Bahattin Sofuoglu was able to round out the point-scoring positions in P15. Rounding out the grid who finished the race, Scotsman Tarran Mackenzie finished P16 for Petronas MIE Honda Racing Team.

Italian Rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) saw his first-ever WorldSBK Race end in after a single lap, taking a spill in Turn 1 of his second lap, a disappointment for the freshman rider as he had impressed in testing earlier this week. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) watched his first race in green from the pit as a tech issue ruled him out early, being forced to retire in Lap 7. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) lost control of his bike heading into the fast Turn 1 in his ninth lap, walking away uninjured but ending his race. The Dutchman’s bike slid out from under him and cartwheeled into the gravel. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) suffered a tech issue as he flew into the straightaway, spewing a plume of white smoke as he rode off onto the grass beside the track, retiring at the end of Lap 12.

Results from Race One of the Supersport World Championship event at Phillip Island:

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued to be the rider to beat during the Australian Round as the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season’s first competitive session ended with the #11 on pole. He was just under a tenth ahead of rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) after the reigning Champion followed last year’s title runner up on track to set his hot lap during Tissot Superpole at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) crashed at Turn 9 with 11 minutes remaining in Superpole on his first flying lap which briefly brought out the red flags, with the #7 was taken to the medical centre for a check-up, being later diagnosed with a fractured fourth metatarsal in his left foot, leaving Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) leading the timesheets with a 1’30.232s. Several pole favourites hadn’t been able to set a lap time, including Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who had topped every session leading into Superpole.

When the session resumed, Bulega jumped into P1 with a 1’29.058s; a slower time than he’d managed in Free Practice before he improved to a 1’28.824s. Sending an ominious warning shot to his rivals, ‘Bulegas’ set his pole time using a used SC1 tyre; the harder of the two solutions available to the riders. On that lap, he was followed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who used the tow from the #11 to move into second, and just 0.094s behind the Ducati star, with a 1’28.918s; only the second rider to break into the 1’28s bracket this weekend as the #1 used the SC0 tyre. Neither were able to improve their lap times further as they secured the first two places on the grid, with Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) securing a front row start to take third place with a 1’29.266s. Bulega’s pole position was the 46th for an Italian rider in WorldSBK.

Iannone’s lap demoted Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) into fourth place with a 1’29.520s securing the #19’s place at the head of the second row; a big improvement from 2024 when he was ninth on the grid. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) will line up alongside the double Champion as he took fifth place while Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) will start from the second row after finding big improvements throughout Saturday’s running.

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) put both BMWs in the top seven by claiming P7 to lead away the third row, leading a duo of Yamaha riders. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) were closely matched in Superpole in eighth and ninth, with just half-a-tenth separating the pair as they also secured third row starts for the Yamaha R1 machine. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completes the top ten as the lead Bimota rider.

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) just missed out on a top ten start by just 0.011s after twin brother Alex got the better of him. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) secured 12th place ahead of the first of the four rookies on the grid. Montella claimed 13th place with a 1’29.962s and, although he was 1.138s away from pole, he was just seven tenths away from a front row start during a close session. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was 14th with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completing the top 15.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topped Saturday morning action for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he lapped in the 1’28s. The Italian star has been fastest in every session of the Australian Round so far and was two tenths clear of his rivals as the first race day of the 2025 season started at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Circuit. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) appears to have closed the gap to the #11 with just two tenths separating the pair.

Bulega was straight into the 1’28.936s on his first flying lap in the 20-minute session, and it looked like he would improve on his second lap – up after three sectors – before falling just short. He did improve on this third flying lap to a 1’28.903s and remained the only rider to lap in the 1’29s bracket, although Razgatlioglu did edge closer to it. The #1 set a 1’29.106s to lap two tenths slower than his title rival from 2024, but with a much smaller gap to Bulega compared to Friday’s action. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) put in a late 1’29.128s to move into third place, 0.022s behind Razgatlioglu in P2 and 0.225s slower than his teammate in first.

Another rider who put in a late lap was Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) as he posted a 1’29.226s to secure P4, lapping just three tenths away from the #11. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) secured fifth with a 1’29.308s, although he didn’t improve his time compared to his Friday effort. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was sixth as he put Bimota in the top six, finishing directly ahead of twin brother Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in seventh, with less than a tenth separating the pair.

Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) lapped in the 1’29s bracket for the first time this weekend as he set a 1’29.500s to secure P8 after appearing to make a big step forward, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was ninth as the lead Yamaha rider. The home hero set a 1’29.565s for ninth with Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) rounding out the top ten. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was 11th and lapped 0.783s, with the top 11 separated by less than eight tenths. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) was 17th after he crashed at Turn 8 in FP3, with the Brit taken to the medical centre for a check-up.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made it two from two on Friday as he topped both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 sessions at the beautiful Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as he fended off Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) and teammate Alvaro Bautista on the opening day of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season. The #11 was the only rider in the 1’28s bracket as he secured top spot during the Australian Round.

Ducati remained the manufacturer to beat on Friday in Australia with Bulega once again leading their charge. ‘Bulegas’ set a 1’28.790s in FP2 to top the Friday timesheets as he led four Ducatis at the start of the Australian Round action, showing his consistency across a race stint. Second place belonged to Iannone on Friday’s timesheets as he lapped four tenths slower than Bulega, while Bautista was third in the combined timesheets despite a crash at Turn 4 in FP2, with the #19 showing consistent pace during his longer runs.

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) completed the lead quartet of Ducatis as he took P4 with a 1’29.584s, set in Free Practice 1 and lapping around eight tenths down on Bulega’s pace. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) surged into the top ten on Friday’s combined timesheets with a 1’29.799s, finishing 0.016s clear of rookie sensation Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) who took eighth place. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) was another who found time in FP2 after posting a 1’30.026s in the afternoon session. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) was the final Ducati rider but still showed glimpses of potential, although he did have two crashes during the day; both came at Turn 10, with one in each session.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was able to get between the Ducatis at the front with a 1’29.599s set in FP2, finishing third in the session, although that only put him fifth overall. His day was disrupted by an FP1 crash at Turn 4 when he suffered a lowside fall, but he was able to re-join the action. Teammate Michael van der Mark was 13th overall after posting a 1’30.059s with his fastest time set in the second session, although there was very little between his FP1 and FP2 times.

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the fastest Yamaha rider on Friday after his late FP1 lap of 1’29.739s put him fifth in that session and sixth overall. Next best for Yamaha was Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) who, like Aegerter, didn’t find time in FP2; his 1’29.849s was set in the morning session. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished down in 17th place, while Tito Rabat (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was 19th. Rabat’s teammate, Bahattin Sofuoglu, was 21st but only around a tenth down on his more experienced stablemate.

Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) continued to lead Bimota’s charge with his 1’29.837s set in FP1 enough to secure ninth place. Teammate Axel Bassani wasn’t far behind the #22 on the combined timesheets, with less than a tenth separating them. ‘El Bocia’ set a 1’29.916s in the opening session to secure 11th overall.

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) was 15th as Kawasaki’s sole representative on the WorldSBK grid, finding two tenths between his FP1 and FP2 times as he set a 1’30.193s; his best time coming in the afternoon session. However, the #31 was just four tenths away from finishing in the top seve, showing just how tight the WorldSBK field is at Phillip Island.

Honda’s charge was led by Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) although the Japanese manufacturer will be hoping for more as the weekend progresses, with the #97 in 16th place. His 1’30.205s put him just 0.012s down on Gerloff directly ahead. Teammate Iker Lecuona was two places behind Vierge with around four tenths between them. At the PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was 22nd and rookie Zaqhwan Zaidi was 23rd and rounded out the WorldSBK field.

The top six from Friday’s WorldSBK action:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.790s

2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +0.406s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.725s

4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.794s

5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.809s

6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.949s