WorldSBK Report Round 9 2025 | domination by Toprak Razgatlioglu

WorldSBK Report Round 9 2025 | In front of a weekend attendance of 51,041, the French Round at Magny-Cours was dominated by Toprak Razgatlioglu (#1). The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team made it 12 wins in a row and extended his championship advantage to 39 points. Report: Ed Stratmann/WorldSBK

Friday practice 
WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11) claimed top spot for Friday’s action at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, finishing four tenths clear of nearest rival Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #14). Title rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had looked like he would end the day in P1 but lost three places as FP2 came to a close at the French Round.

WorldSSP

Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #61) earned pole position, followed by Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing #62) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA #94). The session was halted just before time expired by a red flag caused by Mattia Volpi’s (Motozoo ME Air Racing #55) bike suffering a technical issue. With two minutes to go, riders returned to the track in a chaotic dash to the finish.

Saturday
WorldSK

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured his first pole position at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with a stunning 1’34.930s lap time. He was joined on the front row by title rival Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team).

WorldSBK Race 1

The French Round’s MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race action broke out in force at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) emerged victorious on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the quaint French hamlet for his 16th win of the season, now just two below his 2024 race win tally. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed P2 for Italy’s 500th WorldSBK podium, and in third, Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team #22) earned his 48th career podium.

Read our previous WorldSBK reports here…

Toprak Becomes the second-ever rider to win a race with three different manufacturers at the same track. Toprak Razgatlioglu landed the holeshot, and was followed into the first corner by Alex Lowes, who slid past Nicolo Bulega from the Englishman’s P4 start.

Lap after lap, Toprak slowly ran away with the race, having put more than four seconds between himself and Bulega behind him by Lap 11. From there, it was a lonely ride for ‘El Turco’ and ‘Bulegas’ alike as the #1 cruised to his ninth win at Magny-Cours, tying Jonathan Rea’s (#65) tally of nine wins at the French Circuit. Bulega led Lowes onto the rostrum in P2 as the British rider earned Bimota their 24th podium.

Alex Lowes earned his first dry Bimota podium since Hockenheim Race 2 in 1989 Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) battled brother on brother starting on Lap 6 as the twins scrapped tooth and nail for the final podium position. Alex led the duo until his brother Sam crashed out on Turn 13 of Lap 19 for a P9 finish. Riding some distance behind the brotherly duel, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team #9) finished P4.

After starting one spot from the back of the grid in P22, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha #55) worked his way all the way up to P8 on Lap 6 behind fellow Yamaha rider Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team #87). By Lap 14, ‘Loka’ climbed a further two positions to P6 and finally improved to a P5 finish after Sam Lowes’ crash in front of him. Behind the Italian, fellow Yamaha rider Gardner landed P6.

“Today was incredible because I earned pole position in the Superpole and broke the circuit record. This is special to me, especially after missing Magny-Cours last season because of the big crash I didn’t race. Now, I need to win here with BMW because this is my last season,” Razgatlioglu reflected.

WorldSBK Race 1 Results

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.597s
3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +10.979s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +17.793s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +20.648s

WorldSSP Race 1

Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) pulled off a late-race comeback that will go down in FIM Supersport World Championship history at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. After a huge moment on the penultimate lap, the #62 regrouped to close in on Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) and passed him at Turn 13 on the last lap to claim a sensational victory in Race 1 of the French Round.

Oncu grabbed the holeshot as he aimed to reduce the gap to title rival Manzi, who settled for P3 early behind Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA). Mahias moved past Oncu at Turn 5 on Lap 4, but Manzi reclaimed the lead the same lap at Turn 13, pushing Mahias to third. On Lap 6, Oncu retook the lead under heavy braking at Turn 5, only for Manzi to surprise him at Turn 15. Both traded positions throughout the race, with neither able to break away.

Manzi led until Lap 15 when Oncu took over at Turn 5, but Manzi responded at Turn 13. Two laps later, they battled side-by-side at Turn 5 as Oncu regained P1, only for Manzi to quickly pass him again at Turn 11. This back-and-forth continued, with Manzi making moves at multiple corners. A big moment at Turn 13 allowed Oncu to lead by over a second, but Manzi rapidly closed the gap. On the final lap, Manzi passed Oncu at Turn 13 and held on for a remarkable victory.

Meanwhile, Lucas Mahias and debutant Alberto Surra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #76) fought for P3 early on. Surra took third at Turn 5 on Lap 7 before Mahias regained it four laps later. Surra moved ahead again on Lap 16, and although Mahias crossed the line third, a three-second penalty for shortcutting promoted Surra onto the podium in his debut race.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.244s
3. Alberto Surra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +4.415s
4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) +5.991s
5. Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) +7.257s

Sunday
Superpole Race

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claimed victory ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in the Superpole Race. Bulega’s P2 marked his 46th career podium, while Lowes secured his second straight podium, his 49th overall, tying Carlos Checa for 17th all-time in WorldSBK podiums.

Bulega got the holeshot from Razgatlioglu, but the defending champion quickly retook the lead at Turn 5 on the opening lap. On Lap 4 at Turn 15, Bulega ran wide and dropped to P4 behind Sam and Alex Lowes. Bulega would regain P2 shortly after, but his race ended on Lap 7 when he slid off at Turn 2 from fourth place. The front trio then pulled away, with Razgatlioglu taking the win, followed by Bulega and Alex Lowes.

Razgatlioglu’s win set new records, making him the first rider with at least 10 wins at three different circuits and the most successful rider at Magny-Cours, surpassing Jonathan Rea’s nine wins.

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) couldn’t match Lowes for the podium but pulled clear of BMW teammate Michael van der Mark (#60) to finish P4. Van der Mark held onto P5, matching his best result of the season from Assen’s Superpole Race.

Superpole Race Results

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.712s
3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +7.674s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.854s
5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +9.660s

WorldSBK Race 2

In the final race of the weekend at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) emphatically claimed his 75th WorldSBK win, cementing his status as the circuit’s most successful rider with a dominant performance.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completed the podium behind ‘El Turco’. Bulega’s second place marked the 27th time he’s finished runner-up to Razgatlioglu, while Lowes celebrated his 50th career podium and gave Bimota its third podium of the weekend – a feat not achieved since 1988. With this win, Razgatlioglu extended his Riders’ Championship lead to 39 points over Bulega, with nine races remaining across three rounds.

At the start, Razgatlioglu took the holeshot, followed by Bulega, Lowes and Jonathan Rea, who surged up from P7. The defending champion controlled the race smoothly, earning his fourth consecutive hat-trick of the season. Bulega secured his 23rd podium of the year, while Lowes continued Bimota’s strong weekend.

Early in the race, Rea defended P5 against Michael van der Mark but soon began pressuring Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) for P4. Despite relentless attacks, Rea initially struggled to overtake. However, on Lap 8, he manoeuvred between Petrucci and Lowes to take third. The battle for the final podium spot was fierce until Lowes pulled ahead for his third straight podium. Rea’s pace then faded, and he dropped behind van der Mark and rival Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19), finishing sixth.

“It looks like we took everything, but it was not an easy weekend, every lap I was pushing the limit, and I was trying to post a good pace. In general, we did a very good job; this was a product of teamwork. This is my favourite track, every race I did a good job and made a big gap, but more importantly, we won the races. We’ve pulled off another hat trick, and now the focus is on Aragon,” Razgatlioglu said.

WorldSBK Race 2 Results

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.087s
3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +12.123s
4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +13.806s
5. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +16.293s

Championship Points

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 469 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 430
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 260
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 236
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 230

WorldSSP Race 2

The FIM Supersport World Championship’s French Round concluded with an exciting Race 2 at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, where Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) claimed victory ahead of Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing #69), earning their 28th and ninth career WorldSSP podiums, respectively. With this double podium, Yamaha secured the Manufacturers’ Championship, thanks to strong performances from riders like Manzi, Oncu and Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA).

To begin, Oncu led Manzi into Turn 1, followed by fellow Yamahas Lucas Mahias and Alberto Surra. By Lap 4, Oncu had built a three-second lead, though, with him cruising toward his first win since Donington. Manzi, however, steadily closed the gap, chasing behind Valentin Debise (#53) and Jeremy Alcoba (#52). By the final lap, Manzi was within a bike length and eye-catchingly overtook Oncu in the last sector for his ninth win of the season.

Alcoba showed strong pace early and looked set to secure Kawasaki’s first WorldSSP podium since Jerez 2023, but Booth-Amos, starting from the fourth row, made a decisive move mid-race, pushing Alcoba to fourth. Yamaha’s P1 and P2 finishes clinched the 2025 Manufacturer’s title, solidifying their dominance with more poles, podiums, wins and fastest laps than any rival. With this 11th title, Yamaha surpassed Honda, who had been tied with 10. French rider Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport #6) finished fifth again on home soil.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.554s
3. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +9.393s
4. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +9.665s
5. Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) +9.985s

Championship Points

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 344 points
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) 275
3. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) 214
4. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 191
5. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 178

WorldWCR
WorldWCR Race 1

The FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship officially kicked off race action at the French Round’s Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team #6) topped the podium in the first encounter of the weekend, followed into Parc Ferme by Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport #15) and Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha #36) for their fourth and ninth podiums of the season, respectively.

WorldWCR Race 1 Results

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.130s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +2.868s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +6.937s
5. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) +7.265s

WorldWCR Race 2

The chequered flag waved on WorldWCR’s French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Their Race 2 saw Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) return to the top of the podium, taking home her fourth win of the season. British rookie Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) kept her strong form rolling, clinching her fourth consecutive podium. Lastly, rookie and home hero Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA #17) took home third place, earning her first WorldWCR podium to the elation of the home fans.

WorldWCR Race 2 Results

1. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha)
2. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.130s
3. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) +0.458s
4. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.580s
5. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.657s

Championship Points

1 Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) 210
2 Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) 204
3 Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) 136
4 Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) 133
5 Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) 111

WorldSSP300

WorldSSP300 Race 1

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship enjoyed its first race of the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours’ French Round on Saturday afternoon. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) made his first WorldSSP300 appearance since returning to the category after six races in WorldSSP. And Veneman duly took home his first win since his double at Most 2024, ahead of Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300), who earned his ninth WorldSSP300 podium, and Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki), who earned his fourth career podium in the category.

Carter Thompson landed the holeshot from P3, however, Dutch polesitter Loris Veneman and Spanish rider David Salvador gave chase in the early laps until Salvador fell back to P16 after taking his Long Lap Penalty on Lap 2. The Kawasaki machinery pair led the race until Vannucci got his Yamaha R3 in front by Lap 7. #91 wasted no time in charging up the grid from his P29 starting position. After jumping up to P3 by Lap 6, the Italian led much of the contest, yet Thompson and Veneman nipped at his heels into the final laps, the trio an emphatic five seconds ahead of the rest of the pack.

Into the final sector of the final lap, Veneman led, until Vannucci and Thompson cut inside the Dutchman. Thompson ran wide, and into the final chicane, Veneman passed the Italian back with an incisive move up the inside through the chicane. The win marked Veneman’s fourth WorldSSP300 win, and his first since returning to the category after a stint in WorldSSP.

Into the final four laps, less than a second separated P4 from P10, the large pack trading overtakes corner after corner as they fought for every available point. Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) led his KTM teammate Jeffrey Buis across the line by just 0.131s to claim P4 for himself and shuffle the two-time WorldSSP300 Champion to P5.

WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results

1. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) +0.053s
3. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) +0.575s
4. Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +5.690s
5. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +5.821s

WorldSSP300 Race 2

David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) claimed his first FIM Supersport 300 World Championship victory of the 2025 season at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours as he moved into second in the Championship standings. He was part of a nine-rider group who were fighting for victory during the French Round as he took victory ahead of Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) and Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki).

Veneman was looking for a double victory on his return to WorldSSP300 and immediately moved into P1 when lights went out, looking to break away from the field alongside two-time Champion Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing). Although it looked like they had, the chasing pack caught up around one-third into the 11-lap race.

Halfway through the race, it became a lead group of nine fighting for victory, and it remained like this until the end of the race. With three laps to go, Vanucci tried to break away on his own, but the gap came down on Lap 10 on the run into Turn 5, dropping the #91 into seventh after contact with another rider. That allowed Veneman back into the lead, and he held that on the run to Turn 5 on the final lap. Salvador took the lead at Turn 13, and he and Veneman went side-by-side into Turn 15 before Veneman came down after contact, as did Buis. The #6 was taken to the medical centre following the crash. He was diagnosed with concussion, but the Dutchman was conscious.

Salvador went on to take his second WorldSSP300 victory ahead of Vannucci in second, who made it back-to-back podiums for the first time since Imola 2023. Thompson crossed the line in P3. Kawasaki claimed their 70th win in WorldSSP300, and Thompson’s P3 was the Japanese manufacturer’s 200th rostrum. Salvador became the sixth different winner this season, as many as in the 2024 campaign and four shy of the all-time record set in 2020.

Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) was just 1.054s away from victory at the end of the race as he finished in fourth, ahead of Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) who climbed from 10th on the grid to finish in fifth.

WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results

1. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI)
2. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) +0.243s
3. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) +0.805s
4. Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) +1.054
5. Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) +2.107s

Championship Points

1. Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) 150
2. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) 139
3. Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing) 133
4. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) 125
5. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) 125

How did the Aussies Do?

Despite feeling sore from his Balaton crash, Remy Gardner produced a valiant effort in Race 1 to claim sixth before proceeding to grab P11 in the Superpole Race and P13 in Race 2, which were admirable results in the circumstances.

Despite starting Race 1 from the back after being unable to complete a qualifying lap due to a collision with Kaito Toba, Oli Bayliss (#32) delivered a determined charge to gain 18 positions to ultimately finish 12th. He then carried this momentum into Race Two, where he produced another wicked surge through the pack to clinch 10th.