Superbike, first win goes to Nicolo Bulega
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) dominates Race 1 of the Round of Australia that opens the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship 2025: the vice-world champion precedes the rainbow Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista. Fabulous start to the season for the Emilian, who won at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit by almost five seconds.
Nicolò Bulega starts from pole position and stays in front until the end, winning by 4 seconds and 811 thousandths over Toprak Razgatlioglu who in turn in the laps before the mandatory pit stop precedes Alvaro Bautista, Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding. The podium è completed by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who resisted the attack attempts of Scott Redding, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) starts from the fifth box and gives himself a nice fourth place ahead of Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) who finds Ducati again. Sixth place for Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) who at the first corner after the start è second but then on the second lap in turn 4 seems to pay for a problem with the bike thus slipping; in sixth position. L’abruzzese goes wide on the third lap in turn 1 but after the pit stop returns competitive and closes sixth.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) finishes seventh ahead of the two Bimota of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Axel Bassani. Alex Lowes is penalized six tenths for leaving the pits too early after the pit stop: he finishes behind Locatelli by only 96 thousandths. Positive race for Bassani who starts 14° and before returning to the pits è seventh. Tenth place for Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) who got the better of Xavi Vierge.
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) finished 11th° and was ahead of Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Out goes his boxmate Remy Gardner for technical problem at the end of 12° lap. 13th° place for rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) who also took advantage of Yari Montella’s (Barni Spark Racing Team) crash, while fellow rookie Zaqhwan Zaidi (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) missed qualifying. 15th place for Bahattin Sofuoglu still struggling with the collarbone he è broke in preseason, preceded by Honda test rider Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) who took the place of the injured Iker Lecuona. 16th and final position for Tarran Mackenzie (Petronas MIE Honda Racing Team).
Disappointment for Montella who sees his first WorldSBK race end with a crash in turn 1 on lap 2. Retirement on lap 7 due to technical problem for Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team). Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) è crashed on lap nine in turn 1: his bike è ended up in the gravel.
These are the top six at the end of Race 1 of the WorldSBK in Australia, for the full standings click here!
1. Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.811
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.108
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +6.813
5. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +6.986
6. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +7.548
