Check out our other racer tests here…

The 2011 season marked an exciting time for BMW Motorrad Motorsport WSBK team. After an encouraging debut season in 2009, where the team achieved 17 top 10 finishes, followed by a first pole position and podium in 2010, 2011 was going to be the year that the team could concentrate on racing for more podiums and perhaps an ambitious win…

Rainer Baumel, previously technical director, moved into the role of Head Of Race Operations, while Stephan Fischer became Head Of Development and logistics, personnel, finance and responsibility for the race factory was placed in the hands of alpha Racing Manager Josef Hofmann.

There were extensive changes to the machine for 2011. The engine specifications were dramatically altered to give more mid-range power, evident by the use of a new shorter exhaust pipe. But maximum power was increased to 220RWHP. The year began with specification engine number nine and spec 10 was introduced mid season. The goal was to increase top end without losing mid range. This was achieved and saw a 5hp increase.

However, maximum power is not the only criterion in WSBK, with throttle response being equally important. The BMW S 1000 RR throttle-bodies are controlled by a ride-by-wire system that was continually developed throughout the season. It is controlled by an RSM5 management system, developed in-house by BMW Motorrad Motorsport.

Chassis-wise, there was also a lot changed for 2011. The weight distribution of the bike was optimised with the seating position of the rider shifted back to increase weight over the rear of the bike. The fuel tank was also new, as was the rear sub-frame and new Ohlins TRSP25 forks were used. Also, interestingly, a cast rear swingarm replaced the previous fabricated swingarm. Lastly, new livery was added to the carbon-fibre fairings to make bike look more like the limited edition blue and white road version. Nice touch…

THE RIDE
By the time I rode the BMW of hero Troy Corser, I’d already sampled the Althea Ducati, Yamaha, Alitalia Aprilia and a few 600s. So I was well and truly back in the groove on the track and the nerves had settled. As much as they can when riding a World Superbike!

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport pit set up was the most professional of the lot. It was incredibly clean and the team were really friendly. Fellow Speed TV WSBK face Steve Martin was hanging around so I had a chat with Steve about the bike he played such a big role in developing. Troy Corser popped in to the pit garage however I was not able to get a chance to chat to the two-time WSBK champ sadly.

Looking over the bike, the attention to detail is incredible. From the stunning Akropovic shorty four-into-one to the amazing and huge handmade radiator, the bike is incredibly perfect to the eye. Not a mark or a scratch and nothing looks like its worth anything under a million bucks.

I’d overheard a few fellow journalists complaining that the electronics on the bike were too intrusive, perhaps set too conservatively for some of us, so as the team fired up the bike I was a little concerned the ride might be less than the real deal – so far on the day every other team had left the bikes as raced, and showed us the data to prove that – and the settings they used.

The bike was fired up and I jumped on. The first thing that blew me away was just how tiny the machine is and how compact Troy must be! He’s no Marco Melandri midget but I was more cramped on Troy’s bike than on Marco’s, Checa’s, Rea’s or Biaggi’s machines.

The ‘bars are very traditionally positioned – wide, pulled back with an angle downwards. The levers are tiny and only for two-fingers. And the footpegs very, very narrow. The seating position feels way back over the rear wheel and despite the ride height in the bike; it feels rear biased and low. Overall, tiny. I felt like I was on a 250!

The engine idled over at a fast pace as I clicked up into first gear and headed off down pit lane with a fist full of revs to get moving in the tall first gear. The pit lane limiter kept me at 40km/h then automatically switched off as I exited onto the end of Portimao’s fast chute.

I was lucky again as I had new tyres. So I put my head down and started to push from turn three onwards. The peaky nature of the bike was immediately noticeable and it did not have the punch and throttle response off the turns that the other fours enjoy and nowhere near the Ducati. However, the throttle could be opened really early without torque tying the bike in knots – and the top-end acceleration was incredible. Much more than the Castrol Honda or the Yamaha and similar in feeling to the Alitalia Aprilia.

It was about now that I got into a rhythm and the electronics started to spoil my fun. At anything but close to upright the bike would cut ignition and fuel and splutter off the turns slower than a 600 supersport bike. In fact, the bike felt slower than the street bike in some instances. Off any of the first or second gear corners, right on apex when I started to pickup the throttle and feed some power in, the traction control would cut in and sometimes it almost caused me to crash when the bike did not react to the throttle and pick itself up to drive off the corner. To adapt I had to basically park it turn, stand it up and fire it off the corners. It was a shame as most of us there were experienced racers and should have been given the opportunity to ride the bikes as raced.

The only other theory s that Troy is carrying more speed and higher rpm at that lean angle and the TC is set to be less intrusive there – so I was not riding in the same rpm range as him, therefore the TC was misbehaving. However, after speaking with the other test riders, the experience was a common one apart from for the really slow guys that were not opening the throttle hard enough.

The handling of the bike was different to the other four-cylinder machines. Firstly, Troy has the set-up very stiff compared to all of the other superbikes. And as mentioned, you really feel like you are riding the rear wheel everywhere – whereas looking at the bike in 2009 and 2010 it looked very forward biased and Troy was a weapon at running it into corners blindingly fast.

With the narrow footpegs and tiny levers, I felt like I was slipping off the bike and I could not get the hang of the thumb rear brake – but I did make a point of trying it. I reckon once you got used to the mental mechanical action it would be brilliant.

Initial turn-in on the bike is brilliant. The steering light and agile and I could get the turning process done more quickly than I could on the other fours. There is a mix of braking turns and non braking turns at Portimao and the bike was great in both situations, turning with accuracy and speed and not much effort. However, I found that I had to put quite a lot of effort into keeping the BMW on its side through a turn, really using my outside knee to hold the bike down. On picking up the throttle for exit, the bike would snap and try to stand up. So running a long, accelerating line off a corner was difficult. It was a shame, as the lack of torque made the bike easiest to open the throttle early on and the chassis should not get upset so much without torque there to tie it in knots…

I think it was a combination of me not fitting in the seating position and having my 90kg at the time weight over the rear wheel, plus the aggressive nature of the engine in the higher rpm in some situations, that caused the reaction in the faster corners. In the slow corners I can’t explain it…

On the brakes the bike was extremely stable and the slipper clutch and back-shift system was brilliant. But with the thumb rear brake and stubby levers on the handlebars, the experience was different and would take some getting used to.

Acceleration down the front chute was definitely a thrill on the 220hp S 1000 RR as the electronics battled to keep the front wheel on the ground coming over the crest at 200-odd km/h before accelerating to close to 300 before the braking area. And experiencing how the electronics work was great, although it would have been more interesting if it was raining for example.

Overall I really enjoyed the ride but left thinking that the ASBK winning S 1000 RR of Glenn Allerton is a better handling package and I wonder how Troy would go on that if it had another 20hp…

BMW Motorrad Motorsport 2011 Season
Team Partner: alpha Racing
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: Bernhard Gobmeier
Head of Race Operations: Rainer Bäumel
Head of Development: Stephan Fischer
Managing Director Stephanskirchen: Josef Hofmann
Riders: Troy Corser, Leon Haslam
Crew Chief Troy Corser: Tom Larsen
Crew Chief Leon Haslam: Giacomo Guidotti

TROY CORSER – active WSBK 1992 – 2011.
Date of birth: 27th November 1971 in Wollongong
Place of residence: Monte Carlo
Nationality: Australian
Marital status: Married to Sam, two children: Kalani and Kelisa
Height: 1.70m
Weight: 68kg
Hobbies: Golf, wakeboarding, karting, jet ski, motocross
Passion: Racing
Favourite circuits: Phillip Island, Valencia, Portimão
First bike: Yamaha TY80, Honda CR80
First race: 1989 Australian Production Series 250cc
Career highlights: 1996 Superbike World Champion, 2005 Superbike World Champion
World Superbike record: 377 race starts, 130 podiums
33 wins, 47 seconds and 50 third places, 43 pole positions, 45 fastest laps

Troy Corser’s WorldSBK BMW S 1000 RR Specifications

Power: Over 220hp
Wet weight: 162kg
Fuel capacity: 23L

Engine: Liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve, four-stroke, Bore and stroke 80 x 49.7mm, 999cc, compression ratio: 14:1, fuel delivery: Dell’Orto fuel management system with 48mm throttle-bodies, gearbox: Six-speed cassette-style, clutch: wet multi-plate slipper clutch

Frame type: Twin-spar alloy frame with adjustable geometry
Wheelbase: Adjustable
Rake: Adjustable
Trail: Adjustable
Front suspension: Ohlins forks
Rear suspension: Ohlins TTX shock
Front brakes: Dual 320mm Brembo rotors with Brembo four-piston radial-mount monoblock calipers and radial-pull master-cylinder
Rear brake: Brembo
Front wheel: OZ Racing
Rear wheel: OZ Racing
Front tyre: Pirelli Slick, 120/70 – 16.5
Rear tyre: Pirelli Slick, 190/50 – 16.5 or 200/55 – 16.5
Instruments: BMW Racing

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WorldSBK testing at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit wrapped up with Nicolo Bulega setting the benchmark on a dominant Ducati showing. The Italian topped all four sessions, completing 138 laps of the 4.445km circuit, while the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad locked out the first four positions on the timesheets.

Read our WorldSBK content here…

Bulega’s fastest lap of 1’28.630 confirmed his status as the man to beat, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) six tenths behind. Bassani and Lowes proved competitive for bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, completing a combined 140 laps and showing strong pace ahead of the opening round.

Crashes marred the final day of testing, with Jake Dixon sidelined by a fractured left wrist after a Turn 11 fall. Stefano Manzi and Alvaro Bautista also crashed at Turn 2 and Turn 10 respectively, though Bautista still topped the mileage charts with 74 laps.

Get your tickets and find out the info for Phillip Island here…

Lorenzo Baldassarri’s return to Superbike impressed as the Team GoEleven rider ended the test third fastest, while Miguel Oliveira led the rookies in seventh place for ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

Nicolo Bulega – P1:

“I feel good with the bike. We tried something different during the second session but then returned to the previous setting. There’s still a lot of room to improve, and I want to take that step forward with my team ahead of the race weekend.”

Sam Lowes – P2:

“I had a really good day. We improved the bike this afternoon and I found a good rhythm after a longer run in the morning. The team has done a great job session by session, and I feel competitive heading into the weekend.”

Lorenzo Baldassarri – P3:

“It was another positive day. We focused on consistency with the race tyre and built a strong feeling with the bike. Testing results were a bit unexpected, but I feel ready for the first race weekend.”

Day 2 Combined Results:
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.630s
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.666s
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +0.698s
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.721s
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.743s
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.945s

Testing now concluded, the paddock turns its focus to Round 1, with Bulega and Ducati looking ominously strong as the season opener approaches.

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Pre-season title favourite Nicolo Bulega wasted no time stamping his authority, topping both sessions for the Aruba.It Racing – Ducati squad. The Italian completed 72 laps and logged more than 30 tours under the 1m30s mark, underlining his strong pace aboard the new Ducati package. Only three other riders managed to dip beneath the 90-second barrier, with Axel Bassani emerging as Bulega’s closest challenger. The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team rider ended the day just 0.291s adrift.It was a dramatic opening for Sam Lowes, who endured a technical issue in the morning followed by an afternoon crash. Despite the setbacks, the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team rider rallied strongly, setting his fastest lap late in the day during a six-lap stint to secure third overall.After limited dry running over the European winter, Xavi Vierge impressed as the fastest Yamaha rider, placing ninth aboard the Pata Maxus Yamaha machine. A morning crash failed to derail reigning Supersport World Champion Stefano Manzi, who finished just two-tenths behind Vierge as he continues adapting to life in the Superbike class with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.Rookie honours went to Jake Dixon, the former Moto2 rider ending the day tenth for Honda HRC, ahead of Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Manzi.The session wasn’t without incident, with eight crashes recorded during Superbike running. Among them was an early-afternoon fall for Alvaro Bautista at Turn 5. The double world champion and eight-time Phillip Island race winner still managed eighth fastest, almost a second off Bulega’s benchmark, and is expected to close the gap as testing continues.Speaking after topping Day One, Bulega said the focus was on mileage and understanding the new bike following disrupted winter testing. Despite the hot conditions costing a few tenths, he was encouraged by the base setup and remains confident of making further gains ahead of race weekend.

Day One Results (Top Six)
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) – 1’29.345
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.291
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.562
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.576
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +0.670
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.914

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Fans and media attending the international racing weekend can see a broad selection of Kawasaki’s latest and most iconic motorcycles on static display, spanning hypersport, supersport and heritage-inspired road models.

At the heart of the exhibit will be Kawasaki’s performance machines, including the supercharged Ninja H2 and the high-performance Ninja ZX-10R, a model with deep links to WorldSBK racing and recent global updates reflecting its track-borne pedigree.

The Kawasaki lineup also features well-rounded sport and roadster models such as the Ninja ZX-6R, the retro-styled Z900RS SE, and the accessible middleweight Z500 SE, offering something for a wide range of riders and enthusiasts.

Complementing the Kawasaki machines, the display will also showcase several Bimota models, a marque closely associated with Kawasaki through shared engineering and racing ties. Among these are the striking Tesi H2 and its TERA variant, along with the KB4 and KB998 Rimini, the latter reflecting Bimota’s blend of Italian design and Kawasaki-derived performance.

The WorldSBK Australian Round is a highlight on the global racing calendar, bringing elite motorcycle racing to Phillip Island’s fast, flowing 4.445 km layout each summer. Kawasaki’s presence on paddock and display underscores the brand’s strong connection to performance culture in both competition and road-going motorcycles.

Kawasaki welcomes visitors to check out its full display throughout the WorldSBK weekend, with social media channels set to share event highlights and behind-the-scenes content. See you there!

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With just over a month to go, organisers have officially released the full three-day event schedule, confirming a packed program of international and domestic racing across the weekend – we will see you there!

World Championship On-Track Action

On the international front, WorldSBK will begin proceedings on Friday, February 20, with two Free Practice sessions, while the World Supersport (WorldSSP) field will complete Free Practice followed by the all-important Tissot Superpole session.

Read our WorldSBK reports and features here…

Saturday’s action ramps up with WorldSBK’s final Free Practice, before Superpole and Race 1 close out the day. WorldSSP will contest a Warm Up session ahead of Race 1 later in the afternoon.

The event concludes on Sunday, February 22, with WorldSBK Warm Up, followed by the Tissot Superpole Race and the final feature Race 2, scheduled for a 4:00pm finish. WorldSSP will also complete their Warm Up and Race 2 during the closing day.

Strong Australian and International Line-Up

All permanent WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders have been confirmed for the season opener. Australia’s presence remains strong, with Remy Gardner returning for his fourth WorldSBK season aboard the GYTR GRT Yamaha, while Oli Bayliss continues in World Supersport with PTR Triumph Factory Racing.

Check out the awesome Pirelli Tyre ticket giveaway here…

Several high-profile changes headline the 2026 grid, including Miguel Oliveira, who will make his WorldSBK debut with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, following a long MotoGP career. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) enters the season as one of the favourites after finishing runner-up in 2025, just 13 points behind outgoing champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, who departs for MotoGP in 2026.

Australian Superbike Championship Support

Supporting the World Championship is Round 1 of the 2026 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), featuring Australian Superbike, Supersport, and Supersport 300 categories.

Read our ASBK reports here…

Domestic classes begin Friday morning with Free Practice, followed by Qualifying for Supersport and Supersport 300. Supersport 300 Race 1 will close out Friday’s track action.

Saturday includes Australian Superbike Qualifying, Supersport 300 Race 2, Supersport Race 1, and Australian Superbike Race 1, before Supersport completes Race 2 later in the day.

Sunday delivers the final domestic races of the round, with Supersport 300 Race 3, Australian Superbike Race 2, Supersport Race 3, and Australian Superbike Race 3 rounding out the weekend.

Tickets, Access and Fan Experience

General Admission tickets offer extensive viewing access across the circuit, including the popular outfield areas near Gardner Straight. Fans can also ride their motorcycles directly to select viewing points.

Premium options include BarSBK, offering prime viewing locations at Doohan Corner, Siberia and Lukey Heights, as well as camping at the circuit, with both motorcycle-only and general camping areas available. Limited powered sites are offered.

For the ultimate experience, VIP Hospitality and ClubSBK packages provide pit roof access, premium facilities and views of Superbikes reaching speeds of up to 320km/h along Gardner Straight.

All ticket holders receive free paddock access, including Parc Fermé, podium celebrations, rider interviews, merchandise, food and drink, and The Paddock Show, hosted by Michael Hill across all three days.

Tickets are available now via worldsbk.com.au and Ticketek…

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On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP

Retained by Yamaha for 2026, Jack Miller returned to the V4-powered M1 during the Valencia MotoGP Test following the season finale, as he and his fellow Yamaha riders face the seriously tough challenge of helping shape Yamaha’s V4 project.

Read last month’s Aussies Racing Abroad here…

First on track after a delayed start, Miller completed an important 51 laps and finished 20th. “It was a busy day. I did a lot of laps. I was shaking down the new bike and trying to understand it. Trying to make some headway in the development. We have got some work ahead of us, but I am not afraid of a little work,” he insisted.

One of the key learnings was the Australian ace identifying the electronics as an area needing attention. “Electronics still need a lot of work, as we still have to deal with the same problems as last year when I got on the M1 at this juncture, so the acceleration and progression,” he told GPOne.

“In terms of traction control, we are not in bad shape. It’s just the way it works. We have to find a way to get a better delivery and allow the bike to be fluid and not skate as soon as you go on the gas.”

He then resumed action on Wednesday for a private test with Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins and Toprak Razgatlioglu, which was also crucial to log some more data and extract some further insight for future reference.

“Today was about gaining experience on the bike. We have some clear issues we need to work on. Going into tomorrow, we have some items to try to fix the issues and give us as much speed back as possible before the break. The engineers will go away and try to come up with some solutions over winter and bring us some developments come Malaysia,”commented Miller.

While there’s still plenty of work to be done, the immensely experienced Miller’s feedback will continue to be vital in the bike’s development in their quest to enjoy a strong 2026 campaign.

Joel Kelso – Moto3

While Joel Kelso’s move to the MLav Racing Team was announced back in September, it’ll be fascinating to see how he fares following another largely positive season in Moto3, which saw him grab his best finish yet of sixth in the final championship standings.

“I can’t wait to get started and to deliver strong and consistent results. It’s a new challenge on the Honda, which I believe will be a great experience. I’m pleased to have my future secured for the next two years, and I’m looking forward to working hard with the team to build this project up,” stated Kelso.

“Having Joel on board is a major step forward for us. He brings proven speed, experience and the determination of a front runner eager to keep progressing at the highest level. His arrival underlines our long-term commitment to strengthening this project,” explained the team.

Clinching 16 top 10 finishes and six top fives last term, it’s been terrific to see him already make a fast start to life in new colours, for he impressively set the fastest time on day two of testing in Jerez on his very first outing with the Honda. Now entering his fourth season in the lightweight class, riding for his fourth different team, Kelso boasts the potential to be a legit title contender in 2026, which will be another massive year for the gifted maestro.

Jacob Roulstone

After Red Bull Tech Moto chose not to renew his contract for 2026, Jacob Roulstone was on the hunt for a new ride. Fortunately, he’s found one, with the talented Aussie confirming he’ll race for Team Ciatti Boscoscuro in the 2026 FIM Moto2 European Championship within the FIM Junior GP World Championship framework.

This transition represents an intriguing step, with him going from the 250cc lightweight bikes to the larger 765cc bikes. “The opportunity to progress to a Moto2 machine is one I am definitely ready for, and doing it in partnership with an experienced and professional team like Team Ciatti is fantastic,” said Roulstone.

“To finally be in a position to confirm my plans for next season brings a real sense of a new door opening, and that fuels my motivation. My focus during the off-season is to ensure I am 100 per cent ready to tackle the demands of this new championship.”

With a pre-season neck injury derailing Roulstone’s 2025 campaign and a late-season broken hand ending his hopes of keeping his Red Bull KTM Tech3 seat, this is an outstanding opportunity for the youngster. All his energy will now be channelled to preparation for this new chapter in the seven-round FIM Moto2 European Championship, which visits Catalunya, Estoril, Jerez, Magny-Cours, Aragon, Misano and Valencia.

Jacob has also signed to race ASBK Superbike on the Motocity Wollongong Honda CBR1000RR-R Superbike for 2026.

Jacob Roulstone “Excited for this new challenge. Huge thanks to Motocity and Honda Australia for giving me this opportunity. Can’t wait to get on the bike very soon.”

Marcus Hamod “Really happy to announce the move to superbikes full time next year with Motocity and the support from Honda Australia. Can’t wait to get started, can’t thank everyone involved enough for the opportunity.”

Remy Gardner – World Superbike

While injury prevented Remy Gardner from participating in the Jerez test due to a shoulder ailment sustained in a training incident, the Australian pilot is now fully locked in on recovering as soon as possible to start getting ready for 2026.

Finishing the crusade 11th in the standings, having banked a memorable podium in Assen and a host of top 10s, the former Moto2 World Champion, who signed a two-year contract extension with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, will be looking for more in 2026. Excited at signing his new deal a few months back, the classy Gardner knows there’s huge scope for improvement.

“I am happy to be continuing with Yamaha in WorldSBK. Our journey together so far has been good, but I still feel that we are only scratching the surface of what we can achieve. We’ve shown that when everything comes together, we can be quick and fight for the podium. My target is to do this more consistently over the remainder of the 2025 season and look towards taking a further step in 2026,” he acknowledged.

Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Sporting Manager, Nicolo Canepa, then added: “Remy has become a valuable member of our line-up over the last few years, not just through his speed and potential, but also his ability to give detailed feedback, which proves useful to our engineers as we look to continue developing the R1 in WorldSBK. We have already seen he can fight for the podium, and the target is to be more consistent in this goal towards the end of this season and then build on this for next year.”

Archie McDonald – 2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

After two consecutive seasons balancing racing commitments across the ASBK Australian Superbike Championship and European competition, Joe Rascal Racing has announced Archie McDonald as its first rider signing for the 2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup.

McDonald, 19, arrives with an impressive resume, having already claimed five Australian Flat Track Championship titles to accompany the aforementioned. Widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest rising talents, he embarks on this exciting adventure right as the team builds toward its 2026 campaign.

The squad expects McDonald’s combination of pace and racecraft to translate well to the Bagger World Cup, with confidence high that he can be a regular front-runner. The championship gets underway at the Americas Grand Prix, with the opening round scheduled for March 27-29.

Off-Track
Jett Lawrence – AMA Supercross

Jett Lawrence and HRC have confirmed that the Australian suffered a fractured right ankle/foot in a practice crash last Friday at the Dog Pound in Florida. Lawrence immediately underwent surgery to repair fractures to the talus and navicular bones and is expected to be sidelined for at least three months. The devastating injury ends his AMA Supercross title ambitions before the season begins, but he’s hoping to be back in time to defend his AMA Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross crowns.

The 22-year-old phenom, who owns 10 AMA championships, will now switch his focus to his recovery and getting back out there sooner rather than later.

“Words can’t describe how I’m feeling right now,” Lawrence reflected. “The team and I put in so much work during the off-season to improve. I keep reminding myself that we have overcome challenges before, and this is no different. I’ll put the same focus into my recovery that I put into being the best athlete I can be each day. My goal is to get this ankle fully healed up and return as competitive as ever and make the 2026 season as successful as we can.”

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Friday practice
WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11) topped the timesheets on Friday at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia, as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s final round of the year kicked off in Spain. Bulega didn’t have Friday all his own way after hitting technical trouble in Free Practice 2, as he claimed top spot ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at the Pirelli Spanish Round.

Read our previous WorkdSBK round reports here…

WorldSSP

With the Riders’ Championship wrapped up, the FIM Supersport World Championship’s riders returned to Spain for the final round of their season at the beloved Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia. The Pirelli Spanish Round looked like it would host a thrilling final chapter as Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing #40) took pole in the Tissot Superpole session. The Italian was joined on the front row by Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #61) and Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura #51), the latter making his return to the front row for the first time in five rounds.

Saturday
WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) set a lap time that left jaws dropped in Tissot Superpole for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he claimed pole at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia. He was the only rider in the 1’36s bracket, as he obliterated his own lap record from last year on the way to beating Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to P1 on the timesheets.

WorldSBK Race 1

The 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title race will go down to the wire after Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dominated Race 1 at Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia, beating Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) by nearly four seconds. Bulega converted his pole into victory, remaining unbeaten on Saturday, while Razgatlioglu finished second but couldn’t clinch the championship early.

Razgatlioglu got a strong start and took the lead at Turn 1, but Bulega quickly responded and seized control by the opening sector. Razgatlioglu dropped down the order but fought back to P2 after passing Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven #29) at Turn 6. However, Bulega had already opened a two-second gap, lapping consistently in the 1’38s while Razgatlioglu stayed in the 1’39s. Bulega cruised to his 18th WorldSBK career win, while Razgatlioglu’s second place marked his 25th consecutive podium, tying Colin Edwards’ all-time record. Razgatlioglu now needs just three points in Sunday’s races to secure the title.

The battle for third was intense, with Iannone leading early but under pressure from Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team #22) and Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC #97). Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) was working his way up the field. Lowes often challenged Iannone through Turns 12 and 13, but Iannone held firm. By Lap 11, Bautista made a bold move at Turn 13, passing Vierge and Lowes to reach P4. Bautista’s attack on Iannone at Turn 13 on Lap 13 saw him briefly take third, though a mistake at Turn 2 dropped him back behind Iannone and Vierge.

Bautista reclaimed third at Turn 6 on Lap 15, strengthening his championship standing with a record sixth consecutive P3 finish. Meanwhile, Vierge pressured Iannone for fourth, eventually passing him at Turn 13 on Lap 18, though Iannone fought back on Lap 19 after Vierge ran wide. Iannone held on to fourth by the finish.

“On Saturday we made a step with the bike. In the morning, we had an incredible lap in the Superpole, and in Race 1 we did very well. I’m happy with my Saturday, and we’ll see about Sunday,” Bulega said.

WorldSBK Race 1 Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +3.766s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +9.569s
4. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +11.221s
5. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +12.272s

WorldSSP Race 1

The FIM Supersport World Championship’s penultimate race at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto saw Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing #62) continue his dominant season with his 19th podium, claiming victory. He was joined by rookie Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team #52), who scored his second career podium in P2, and Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team), who tied Nicolo Bulega for ninth on the all-time WorldSSP podium list with 30 finishes.

At the start, Oncu took the holeshot ahead of Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing). On Lap 2, Oncu forced Casadei wide at Turn 6, pushing him back to P8; this move was deemed irresponsible riding by the FIM Stewards, resulting in a penalty that dropped Oncu two positions after he eased off on the back straight. Masia and Manzi then passed him, with Manzi capitalising on Oncu’s penalty to move into the lead.

Manzi later set his sights on Alcoba, making a decisive late-race pass to take the win. Alcoba pushed hard in the second half and led into the final lap but ran wide at Turn 13, allowing Manzi to reclaim the lead. Oncu, despite a strong start, struggled with pace in the closing stages, finishing fourth. However, a track limits penalty dropped Masia from the podium to P4, promoting Oncu to third.

Masia had looked strong early, challenging Manzi and Oncu for the lead, but his final corner mistake cost him a podium finish. Alberto Surra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #76) impressed by moving from P10 to finish fifth, while Casadei, after being forced wide by Oncu early on, was unable to recover and settled for sixth.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +0.051s
3. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.329
4. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +0.400s
5. Alberto Surra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +1.625s

Sunday
Superpole Race

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed victory despite a collision with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in the Tissot Superpole Race for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The pair came together at Turn 5 on the opening lap, with the title fight going to Race 2 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia, with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) completing the podium at the Pirelli Spanish Round.

The title race took a HUGE twist when Bulega and Razgatlioglu collided at Turn 5, with ‘El Turco’ sliding into the gravel and out of the race. The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards, with the #11 given a Long Lap Penalty for irresponsible riding. Bulega went on to take victory and take 12 points out of Razgatlioglu’s Championship lead even after his penalty, while Razgatlioglu would start Race 2 from the fourth row in tenth place. The reigning Champion held a 22-point lead over Bulega heading into Race 2, meaning Bulega had to win with a non-score for Razgatlioglu to claim the title: ‘El Turco’ needed to lose 22 points or fewer to win the title, with countback going in his favour. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) battled his way up to second, ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) who completed the podium.

Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) once again fought for a podium, finishing in fourth place behind ‘The Maniac’ as he closed the gap on Iannone throughout the final few laps. However, he also had to resist a challenge from Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) to hold on to P4, with the #22 finishing fifth.

Superpole Race Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.055s
3. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) +5.236s
4. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +6.484s
5. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +6.900s

WorldSBK Race 2

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured his third MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title with a podium finish in Race 2 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed victory to complete a Pirelli Spanish Round hat-trick. Starting tenth, Razgatlioglu finished third, clinching the championship in the final race of the season.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) led early at Turn 1 ahead of Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC), while Bulega dropped from P1 to P3 but quickly passed Vierge and Bautista to take the lead by Lap 2. Razgatlioglu steadily climbed from tenth to sixth by Lap 2, knowing he needed just three points to secure the title. He moved into fifth on Lap 4, then into fourth on Lap 6, and claimed third from Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha #55) on Lap 9, closing in on the podium as Bulega pulled away.

Bulega maintained a gap of over 3.5 seconds, but Bautista reduced it to 1.8 seconds by the finish. Bulega’s win secured Ducati the Manufacturers’ Championship and marked his 20th WorldSBK victory. Bautista rounded out the season with his 21st podium and 128th WorldSBK career podium. Razgatlioglu leaves WorldSBK as a three-time World Champion and joins an elite group moving to MotoGP alongside Carl Fogarty, Troy Bayliss and Jonathan Rea.

Behind the leaders, a fierce battle for fourth unfolded. Vierge briefly took fourth on Lap 10, with Locatelli responding. Both ran wide at Turn 13, allowing Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) to slip through, but he later ran wide at Turn 1, dropping to sixth. Locatelli ultimately edged Vierge by 0.098 seconds to claim fourth in a tight contest among future Yamaha teammates.

“The feeling is amazing. This weekend was a bit stressful because everything was going very well, especially on Saturday. Today I came to the track more relaxed, just needing a P7 in the Tissot Superpole Race, but we crashed in Turn 5. After that, I stayed calm and just focused on Race 2 because I just needed a strong performance there. In the end, we won the title,” Razgatlioglu reflected.

WorldSBK Race 2 Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +1.793s
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +6.339s
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +8.833s
5. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +8.931s

Championship Points

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 616 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 603
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 337
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 310
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 284

WorldSSP Race 2

In what was the final event of the FIM Supersport World Championship’s 2025 campaign, and while Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) had already locked up the Riders’ Championship, the field didn’t pull any punches. Race 2 of the Pirelli Spanish Round at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia, saw Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) top the final podium of the season for his second WorldSSP win. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing #69) closed his campaign strong in P2 with his ninth podium of the season, ahead of P3 finisher Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), who capped off his time in WorldSSP with his 20th rostrum result this crusade, one podium shy of Nicolo Bulega’s 2023 record. With the #51’s win, he overcame Booth-Amos’s two-point Championship lead to usurp the bronze medal from the fourth-year British rider.

At lights out, the front row maintained their positions on T1. In the run across the line to start Lap 2, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) took the race lead from Oncu, kicking off a scrap at the front over the first third of the contest between Masia, Oncu, Manzi, Roberto Garcia (GMT94-YAMAHA #37) and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing). With seven laps to go, Masia emerged at the front of the pack with more than a second of margin between him and Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) behind him. Masia’s pace was very impressive, sticking lap after lap within the low 1’43’s. Booth-Amos looked as good as he had all season, battling with Manzi as the remaining laps ticked down. After a very tight final lap, Booth-Amos beat out the incumbent Champion in a mad dash to the line, shuffling the #62 to P3 while the #69 took P2. Unfortunately for the Englishman, however, with Masia’s win, he outscored the Brit by five points, enough to topple his two-point lead and boot Booth-Amos down to a P4 finish in the Riders’ Championship.

Can Oncu’s (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) pace fell off from Masia and the lead group as the race progressed; however, he did enough to claim P4. Oettl came out the faster of his protracted duel with Garcia, but in their battle, they let Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing) past for P5.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

1. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +3.255s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +3.262s
4. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +6.089s
5. Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing) +6.999s

Championship Points

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 466
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) 372
3. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 265
4. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) 262
5. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) 200

WorldSSP300
WorldSSP300 Race 1

The penultimate FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race in the category’s history was a spectacle to behold with plenty of drama as the field took to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia, in their final Pirelli Spanish Round.

After a red flag stoppage, Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300 #91) again led the field across the line for his third win in four races. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI #38) followed him across the line as he took home critical Riders’ Championship points and was tailed by Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing #88) in P3. A better ending to the WorldSSP300 Championship couldn’t be written, as the stage was set for a winner-takes-all three-way Race 2 on Sunday.

WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results

1. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300)
2. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) +0.019s
3. Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) +0.248s
4. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) +0.438s
5. Pepe Osuna (ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) +0.513

WorldSSP300 Race 2

The final FIM Supersport 300 World Championship season was sent out with a bang as the title-deciding Race 2 came down to the final sector to proclaim Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove #7) the race winner and 2025 World Champion. After a litany of penalties, Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) took home his fourth podium of the season in second and Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki #71) closed his 2025 with a fourth WorldSSP300 podium.

WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results

1. Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove)
2. Dani Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) +0.404s
3. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) +0.450s
4. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +0.500s
5. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.735s

Championship Points

1. Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) 231
2. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) 213
3. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) 203
4. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) 191
5. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) 168

WorldWCR
WorldWCR Race 1

The FIM Women’s World Circuit Racing World Championship took to the track for their penultimate race of the competition’s second season at the Pirelli Spanish Round.

And it was Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team #6) who benefitted from a dramatic final lap to top the podium for the sixth time this season. Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport #15) followed her home in P2 for her fifth second-place result of the season and Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha #36) was leading the race into the final lap, then finished in P4, but a penalty sent her back up onto the podium in P3.

With these results, Herrera headed into the final race on Sunday with a 15-point lead over Neila, and Jones increased her lead for P3 ahead of Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team #96) by a further three points.

WorldWCR Race 1 Results

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.291s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +1.114s
4. Paola Ramos (YVS Sabadell) +2.686s
5. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +5.503s

WorldWCR Race 2

The FIM Women’s World Circuit Racing World Championship came all the way down to the wire as the deciding Race 2 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia, crowned Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) as the 2025 World Champion!

18-year-old wildcard Paola Ramos (YVS Sabadell #58) capped off her debut weekend by winning the final race of the season. Joining her on the final podium of the Pirelli Spanish Round was Beatriz Nelia (Ampito Crescent Yamaha), who took her 12th podium of the season, placing both second in the race and the Championship.

Claiming her second podium of the season, Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA #17) finished in third place to see off the 2025 WorldWCR campaign.

WorldWCR Race 2 Results

1. Paola Ramos (YVS Sabadell)
2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +9.578s
3. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) +9.678s
4. Pakita Ruiz (PR46+1 Racing Team) +9.803s
5. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +10.032s

Championship Points

1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) 245 points
2. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) 240
3. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) 164
4. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) 156
5. Sara Sanchez (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) 126

How did the Aussies Do?

Remy Gardner (#87) impressed in Superpole with a strong sixth (later promoted to fifth) on the grid and overcame a rear brake issue in Race 1 to finish a determined eighth after fighting in the podium group early on. Then, on Sunday, Gardner showed resilience after an early crash in the Superpole Race, battling through shoulder pain to finish 11th in Race 2 with a determined and steady performance.

PTR Triumph’s Oli Bayliss (#32) suffered bad luck again, retiring on lap 10 due to a technical issue while running P20 in the opening race. Starting from the same grid spot for the second bout, he frustratingly struggled to find his rhythm and finished just outside the points in 17th.

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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.

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Our full report for the WorldSSP Round 1 weekend can be found here…

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Friday practice and Saturday Superpole
WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11) made it two from two on Friday to top 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 #29) and teammate Alvaro Bautista (#19) on the opening day of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season. The #11 was the only rider in the 1’28s bracket on his way to securing top spot during the Australian Round.

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team #9) completed the lead quartet of Ducatis as he took P4 with a 1’29.584s set in Free Practice 1. Despite being followed by El Turco, Bulega was able to claim pole position for the second time in Australia in a dramatic Tissot Superpole session.

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 #1) 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.

WorldSSP

A sunny afternoon at Phillip Island hosted the FIM Supersport World Championship grid, who sunk their teeth into the 2025 season with several key twists already in the season opening session. Dutch rider Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse #11) went fastest despite not finishing the session, suffering a heavy crash with eight minutes left in the session at Turn 2. The WorldSSP season looks like it will be hard to look away from, as the Tissot Superpole session featured 14 riders within a second of the polesitter.

Second placed Booth-Amos (#69) replicated his results from Free Practice earlier in the day with a P2 finish for his first front row in WorldSSP. Making a late jump up the time sheet, 2017 WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA #94) staked his claim on the rostrum with a 1’32.635s time, his first podium since Round 2’s Race 2, where he also claimed third.

Saturday
WorldSK

WorldSBK Race 1

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned with a bang! Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) blazed around the track in Race 1, followed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in P2 and Alvaro Bautista in P3. Nicolo Bulega capitalised on his Tissot Superpole win, holding off the rest of the grid as he claimed the holeshot. Turn 1 was the closest any rider ended up coming to the Italian sophomore star, finishing with a margin of 4.811s ahead of 2024 World Champion 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 (#45) in the laps preceding the mandatory Pit Intervention, to claim P2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) looked to be similarly growing in confidence with his setup, tenaciously defending his podium spot from persistent overtaking 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 be top among the Independent riders in P4.

Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing #45) 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 at 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, though, 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.

“What a way to start the Championship! I’m happy because my feeling was good from the first session of the Monday test. Every time I get on the bike, I know what I can do and what I have to do. I’m just enjoying riding my bike, lap by lap, and it’s an amazing feeling,” explained Bulega.

WorldSBK Race 1 Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.811s
3. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.108s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +6.813s
5. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +6.986s

WorldSSP Race 1

Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing #62) held off a posse of hungry riders for P1 as he won the Yamaha R9’s inaugural race in the FIM Supersport World Championship. A sunny day in Phillip Island saw a dogfight for the podium positions as five riders brawled at the head of the pack.

Starting from P4, Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team #61) jumped into P1 from the second row for the season’s first holeshot. Behind him, Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing #69) held onto P2 exiting the first corner, while Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA #94) began the race fighting for the second and third positions.

Following the pit stops, the front five bikes developed a gap separating them from the rest of the pack. Manzi, who entered the pits on Lap 9, a lap later than Masia (#51) and Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing #23), who he would spend the rest of the race battling with for the top of the podium, then took over at the front.

Masia was then given a 3.510s penalty for a Pit Intervention Time Infraction. Masia subsequently fell down the standings to P6, despite crossing the finish line second. On the final lap, at Turn 10, Manzi made a move, pushing Masia wide, although the Spaniard kept P2 on track. Just behind the pair, Schroetter and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) battled for track position, with Booth-Amos holding Schroetter off to claim P2 once penalties had been applied.

Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse #11) finished P4 despite a 0.855s penalty being applied for a Pit Intervention Time Infraction. Home hero Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing #32) secured a credible P7 on his Triumph debut.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +0.322s
3. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) +0.480s
4. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.447s
5. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +2.513s

Sunday

Superpole Race

2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship runner up Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dominated once again in the Tissot Superpole Race. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) recovered from his disappointing P6 result in race 1, giving Bulega a run for his money before he pulled away.

A chaotic Turn 4 fracas saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Racing Team) and Alvaro Baustista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) run off track, hurting their race placement. Razgatlioglu’s P13 finish spelled the end of his streak of P1 or P2 finishes, stretching all the way back to his return from injury in Aragon in 2024’s Round 10.

Nicolo Bulega had much more competition than in his blowout Race 1 win, however, he still claimed P1 by a 2.3s margin ahead of Andrea Iannone. Iannone was tenacious in his leap into the first corner, jumping up from P6 into P2. He nipped at Bulega’s heels in the first laps of the race, posing the greatest threat of the session. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the podium. And while a gap separated him from Bulega and Iannone in the top two spots, he did well to hold P3 following a spirited attack by Scott Redding (MGM Bonovo).

Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista saw their Superpole sessions squandered as they both ran wide through the gravel and onto the grass in Lap 1’s Turn 4, ruining both their placements. Scott Redding once again found himself in the midst of the action and clashing with the other Independent Ducati machines – this time battling with Danilo Petrucci for P3. As Petrucci pulled away later in the race, the hunter became the hunted as Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #14) challenged his fellow Englishman for his P4 position. Sam Lowes rose to the occasion and landed his best ever race result in World Superbike. His previous best was P6 in last year’s Race 2 in Assen.

Andrea Locatelli (#55) did what he does best at Phillip Island and secured another strong result, this time a P6 to score four points in the Championship.

Superpole Race Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +2.324s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +4.923s
4. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +5.312s
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +5.452s

WorldSBK Race 2

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was untouchable in Oz as he completed his first ever hat-trick. He won with a very comfortable 2.6s margin to cruise past the chequered flag in style. While Bulega was running away with P1, not all the grid enjoyed such a carefree race. 2024 Riders’ Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) appeared to struggle from lights out, being applied a penalty for irresponsible riding after an aggressive overtake on Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team).

Nicolo Bulega was metronomic in his efficiency Down Under. Testing earlier in the week told a story that he would be a strong contender, but no one on the grid could handle the speeds he would bring to the season opening races. He claimed his career-first hat trick with a Race 2 P1, and speeds like these have to be a concern for the grid’s other riders, as they strive to keep up.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had a very strong showing in Race 2, fighting his way back from a P11 start after a poor result in the Tissot Superpole Race. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) joined the Ducati Factory riders on the rostrum. Having started second on the grid, he weathered the storm of other independent riders hot on his tail to land his second podium of the weekend.

Scott Redding (MGM Bonovo Racing) had another day of constant action, fighting tooth and nail with a swarm of other riders (particularly Danilo Petrucci). The 2024 Top Independent rider and Redding battled throughout the second half of the race after the Pit Intervention, exchanging overtakes. In the end, Petrucci came in P5 behind Redding, as this battle of the Independent Riders will be one to watch this season.

Aussie hero Remy Garner’s weekend did not go to plan, with a DNF in race one lap 11, a DNF in race two lap 16, and a 10th in the superpole race. He will be back next round!

“I’m really happy because this is my first hat-trick in WorldSBK. It’s incredible and an amazing feeling to do it at my favourite track and now I want to go back home to celebrate. I’m very proud of the job my team did. My bike was perfect from Monday until the last lap of Sunday in Race 2. I was able to push every lap and I enjoyed every lap, so thank you so much to them,” Bulega reflected.

WorldSBK Race 2 Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.603s
3. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +3.980s
4. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +8.043s
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +10.009s

Championship Points

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 62 points
2. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 36 points
3. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) 35 points
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 31 points
5. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) 30 points

WorldSSP Race 2

Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) is now a FIM Supersport World Championship race winner after taking Triumph to the top step of the rostrum at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The #69 took the British manufacturer’s second win in the Championship as he secured his second podium of the weekend during the Australian Round.

Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) etched his name into the list of FIM Supersport World Championship race winners as he topped the podium for his first ever WorldSSP win at Race 2 in Australia. With his win, Booth-Amos became the fourth rider to win a race in both World Supersport and World Supersport 300. He and Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) traded places from Race 1’s podium, as Manzi led the race for long stretches, but was outpaced on the Gardner Straight by Booth-Amos to give up P1.

Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) avoided much of the chaos at the front of the grid by nature of his poor start to the race. Having started the race in pole position, Bendsneyder fell to P13 only a few turns into Lap 1. He gritted his teeth and climbed back up to round out the rostrum in P3.

Atop the new Yamaha R9, GMT94 Yamaha teammates Michael Rinaldi (#21) and Lucas Mahias had a strong showing in Race 2, especially in the case of Rinaldi, who had not shown the same pace as Mahias in prior races this weekend. Splitting the two Yamaha teammates was Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki Racing Team #52), who climbed to a late P4 position. But after his 6.78s Pit Lane Infringement penalty was applied, he ended up P5.

How Did the Aussies Do?

Oli Bayliss represented for the home crowd to clinch P7 again, making it a very successful weekend for the PTR Triumph Factory Racing Team. Harrison Voight (D34G WorldSSP Racing Team #29 Ducati) and Luke Power (MotoZoo Me Air Racing MV Agusta #68) finished the weekend at The Island with Power taking 12th in race one, while Voight unfortunately had a DNF on lap 3. In race two Power went one better with 11th, while Voight finished 14th. Awesome results for the pair…

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

1. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.671s
3. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.125s
4. Michael Rinaldi (GMT94 Yamaha) +3.373s
5. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +9.467s

Championship Points

1. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) 45 points
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 45 points
3. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 29 points
4. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) 18 points
5. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) 17 points

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

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