Nicolo Bulega won’t settle and renews challenge to Toprak Razgatlioglu

After dominating the Australian Round of the World Superbike 2025, Nicolò Bulega came within a step of confirming himself in Race-1 in the Portugal Round as well, but at the finish line of the Portimao circuit he was mocked by Toprak Razgatlioglu, who beat him by just 67 thousandths. The Turk lined up as many as three Italians at the finish line: behind Bulega, some 8 seconds apart, came Andrea Locatelli, third, and Danilo Petrucci, fourth.

No regrets, however, for the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team rider, who retains the top spot in the overall standings and admits that he did everything he could: “During testing I was not very strong, but we worked hard before this race – he said -. I want to thank my team because they really helped me improve my feeling with the bike”.

“It was a great battle with Toprak – he added -. He is always very strong and I was missing something in some areas. However, considering where we started from, I am happy. This is one of Toprak&#8217s best tracks, it&#8217s like Australia for me, so beating him here is very difficult. We fought until the last lap and, if we can make some adjustments, especially in some key corners, I think we can take another step forward and fight even more with him”.

In the standings, Bulega is ahead of everyone with 82 points, while Razgatlioglu follows at 45, penalized by a Australian Round below expectations. However, the championship is only just beginning: this season features 12 rounds, each awarding points for the top 15 in Race-1 and Race-2 and for the top 9 for the Superpole Race, with the latter awarding reduced scores.