WorldSBK Round 4 2025 | Clean sweep for Bulega at Cremona

WorldSBK Round 4 Report | Nicolo Bulega dominated the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Round at the Cremona Circuit. The Ducati star led a total of 47 laps over the weekend as he asserted his status as the title favourite in front of 43,234 fans. Report: WorldSBK/Ed Stratmann

Friday practice
WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) concluded Friday on top once again as he ended the day three tenths clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team #1) after two Free Practice sessions at the Cremona Circuit. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team #9) claimed third as the Acerbis Italian Round got underway, while Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) had three crashes on a tricky day for the #19 in Italy.

Read our previous WorldSBK reports here…

WorldSSP

FIM Supersport World Championship actions kicked off at the Cremona Circuit as the championship took to Italy for the first time since September last year. In the Tissot Superpole session, a sequence of late fast laps shook up the order. When the dust settled, Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME Air Racing #64) emerged in P1, earning his 13th pole in WorldSSP. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #61) powered up the field to finish P2, and Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing #62) was P3.

Saturday
WorldSK
WorldSBK Race 1

The first points of the Acerbis Italian Round were awarded as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) led the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field across the finish line, followed into Parc Ferme by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

After starting in P3, Toprak jumped off the line into P2 behind Bulega ahead of him, cutting inside of the Italian star into Turn 13 on the opening lap. From there, ‘El Turco’ fought tooth and nail to stay ahead of ‘Bulegas’ but lost the lead back to the Italian rider on Lap 6’s Turn 11 at the end of the track’s main straight.

Bulega held off Razgatlioglu as he made further attempts to pass, but as the laps counted down and the tyres wore down, Bulega began to pull away from the defending champion, who finished P2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in P3 had a lonely race, as he was almost nine seconds behind the pair at the front. However, he was almost 12 seconds ahead of the rest of the field behind him.

The second group remained bottled up, riding close together as Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven #29) defended his P4 doggedly from Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team #87) and the pair of Honda factory riders in Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC #7) and Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC #97).

After Lecuona crashed out of the race on Turn 3 of lap 15, Iannone asserted himself at the head of the second group, claiming P4. Behind him, Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) benefitted from a late move on Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) to claim P5, tying his best result of the season so far. Gardner finished as the top Yamaha, banking P6 for the Japanese manufacturer.

“After Assen, I needed a win, and to win here in Italy is incredible, especially here at Cremona. I never have a lot of fun riding here because this track, for me, is very difficult. It’s incredible to win here. It means we made a step from last year, and we can fight in every race,” insisted Bulega.

WorldSBK Race 1 Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +2.835s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +11.424s
4. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) 23.247s
5. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +23.778s

WorldSSP Race 1

The 2025 FIM Supersport World Championship field took on Cremona in their first race at the Italian circuit. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) wiped out on Turn 2 of Lap 3 from third, a disappointment for the Turkish star.

From there, it was a four-way melee at the front of the pack, as Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing #69), Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse #53) and Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura #51) traded overtakes, battling not only for the podium but for the race win. In the end, Manzi came out on top.

Manzi was his consistent self once again in his home country, and with his win, he kept his P1 or P2 streak alive. He has not missed the top two positions in a race since his P3 at Estoril’s Race 1 back in October 2024. Despite running off the track early, Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) responded well and regained his spot in the pack at the front.

Booth-Amos finished in P2 and Debise in P3, with both riders lacking the pace to catch the Yamaha rider. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) unfortunately for him, despite being in the fight for the race win at the front, was the odd man out, finishing P4.

Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA #94) couldn’t keep up with the four-man pack at the front, but he was still able to clinch a solid P5.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +0.344s
3. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.601s
4. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +1.109s
5. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) +5.628s

Sunday
Superpole Race

Sunday’s first Superbike World Championship racing didn’t disappoint at Cremona, as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made it two for two on home soil, running away from Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in P2 and his teammate Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Bulega flew off the line from pole position to claim the holeshot and protect his P1, as Razgatlioglu gave chase from his P3 starting position to claim an early P2. And similar to Saturday’s Race 1, while he was able to keep up for a handful of laps, Bulega pulled away to a margin of 1.631s by the beginning of lap 8. Razgatlioglu couldn’t hold tight to Bulega, however, he still had the pace to maintain his position above the rest of the grid, finishing with a four-and-a-half-second margin ahead of Bautista in P3.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) benefitted from a slow jump off the line from Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #14), which saw the British rider lose his P2 start position, as he was overtaken early by Bautista and Razgatlioglu, who he couldn’t catch by the end of the 10 laps.

Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) notched another P5, replicating his Race 1 result to again tie his best result of the season.

Superpole Race Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +1.456s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +6.060s
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +7.154s
5. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +10.838s

WorldSBK Race 2

The 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid closed the book on Round 4 action at the Cremona Circuit. Just like Race 1, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) fought with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in the early laps. ‘El Turco’ overtook Bulega early on, leading the race for four laps until Bulega struck back on Lap 4 during Race 2 at the Acerbis Italian Round to reinstate himself in P1. He would go on to claim the race win, making it a home hat-trick for ‘Bulegas’. Razgatlioglu did well to mitigate the point gain by Bulega through his P2 finish. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in third was again the fastest of the rest, claiming his ninth podium of the year.

Bulega made it a trio of race wins from Cremona, tying Giancarlo Falappa and Frankie Chilli for most race wins from an Italian riding for Ducati and his 34th career podium. He had troubles with Razgatlioglu early on before re-establishing control and adding to his lead. Razgatlioglu earned his 150th WorldSBK podium with his P2, following Bulega across the finish line 1.826s later. Bautista earned a third P3 place on the weekend, and in Race 2 he became the Spaniard with the most WorldSBK starts with 216, moving ahead of Ruben Xaus.

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) started in P6 and climbed up to a P4 before crossing the finish line a distant 4.243s ahead of the rest of the grid. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) made a late run forward in the final laps of the race, overtaking both Honda factory riders to claim P5 despite still struggling with the flu.

Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) led the Honda factory pair across the finish line in P5, just 0.202s behind Sam Lowes and 0.617s ahead of his teammate Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) in P7.

“If someone had told me a few days ago that I’d win three races at Cremona, I wouldn’t have believed them! It’s incredible to have a hat-trick here at my worst track. It’s something out of my head. Thanks to all the Italian fans that came here to support us and all the Ducati guys. It’s very nice to win here in Italy,” explained a delighted Bulega.

WorldSBK Race 2 Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +1.826s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.995s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +17.888s
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +22.131s

Championship Points

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 198 points
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 164
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 125
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 118
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 107

WorldSSP Race 2

The race weekend at Cremona Circuit’s Acerbis Italian Round ended with Manzi’s race win breaking the all-time record for the longest streak of podium finishes in WorldSSP with 17 podiums in a row.

Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) grabbed P1 early with an overtake on the Italian veteran Manzi, and while Manzi held with him early on, as the laps piled up, the Spanish rookie pulled farther away. Manzi looked perfectly comfortable to bide his time in P2 up until the last 2 laps when he found another gear, trading overtakes with Masia until he got by to claim his second race win in two races at Cremona.

Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) was put under heavy pressure by Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) as the Frenchman was chasing his first podium of the year. Booth-Amos withstood the pressure until Debise crashed out of the race on Turn 11 of Lap 17, insulating the podium for the trio, and he was opportunistic in following Manzi past Masia to claim P2 from the jaws of the Spaniard.

Masia’s P3 earned the rookie his first WorldSSP podium, and for Booth-Amos, his second podium of the weekend at Cremona following his Race 1 P2. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) found himself cruising across the finish line in P4 after pulling more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the pack yet couldn’t keep up with the pack at the front ahead of him.

In P5, Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse #11) will be disappointed to drop points to Manzi, however, the Dutchman did well to recover positions after falling to P12 due to a poor jump at lights out.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +0.396s
3. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +0.721s
4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) +6.304s
5. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +9.290s

Championship Points

1 Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 175
2 Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 131
3 Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) 124
4 Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 81
5 Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) 77

WorldWCR
WorldWCR Race 1

The Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship returned on Saturday for their Race 1 at Cremona. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team #96) took home the lion’s share of the points for her first-ever race win in the Championship during the Acerbis Italian round, as she was followed into Parc Ferme by teammate Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team #6) and Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha #36) for their P2 and P3 podium finishes respectively.

Herrera, Ponziani and Neila had separated themselves from the rest of the pack, as a 2.9 second gap had emerged by Lap 7 between Neila in P3 and Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team #64) behind them in P4. Herrera looked like she was going to lock down another race win until a dramatic move in the final sector to claim P1 from her teammate to claim her first WorldWCR win. While Herrera was shuffled down the order in the dying moments of the race, she can still hang her hat on the fact that she gained points on her title rival Nelia, who rounded out the podium behind her in P3.

Mexican rider Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA #83) clashed with Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) for most of the race at the front of the second group, emerging victorious in the duel to secure her best-ever WorldWCR result in P4. A quarter of a second behind her, Sanchez earned a P5 finish.

WorldWCR Race 1 Results

1. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.150s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.397s
4. Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) +6.377s
5. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +6-616s

WorldWCR Race 2

The final instalment of the 2025 FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship at Cremona was full of thrills. After leading the race from the first corner, Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) held off a harrowing final-sector attack from Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) to win her first race of the weekend and grab the second win for her team of the weekend. Behind her, Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) took P2 and Neila P3.

After just two laps, a pack of five riders separated themselves from the rest of the field, led by Herrera, who rode hard to stay ahead of the pack behind her. Beatriz Neila and Roberta Ponziani closed down the distance in the closing laps bit by bit, until the final lap, where the pair of riders behind her made their move.

In the final turns of the race, Neila passed Herrera on the outside, going bar to bar with Herrera on the switchback and trading paint, before Herrera cut inside to regain her P1 spot. The contact was slight and deemed a race incident by WorldSBK FIM Stewards. However, unfortunately for Neila, Ponziani picked her moment well and followed Herrera through to claim P2, shuffling Neila to P3.

Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) and Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) tailed Herrera in the podium battle early on in the race before their pace fell off. Sanchez finished just over 2 seconds behind Neila and the podium positions, while Lewis was a comfortable 15 seconds ahead of Astrid Madrigal in P6.

WorldWCR Race 2 Results

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +0.202s
3. Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +0.288s
4. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +2.445s
5. Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) +8.557s

Championship Points

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) 90 points
2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) 77
3. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) 69
4. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) 56
5. Astrid Madrigal (Pons Italika Racing FIMLA) 39

For the full WorldSBK Round 3 results in all classes for all days, click here...