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Bulega pips Razgatlioglu by 0.088s ahead in FP1 ahead of WorldSBK’s title decider at Jerez

Friday, 17 October 2025 09:39 GMT

    • The top two in the Championship finished 1-2 in FP1, while there were three manufacturers in the top three

    Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s visit to the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia. The Italian star was less than a tenth quicker than Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at the Pirelli Spanish Round as the final weekend of the season kicked off under sunny skies in Spain.

    Bulega was quickest out of the blocks as he immediately went fastest in FP1 with a 1’38.587s as he looks to overturn a 39-point deficit over the course of the weekend to pull off a stunning comeback and snatch the title from Toprak Razgatlioglu's (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) grasp. ‘El Turco’ was second in the 45-minute session as he lapped 0.088s slower than ‘Bulegas’. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) put three manufacturers in the top three as he set a 1’39.009s.

    Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) finished fourth as he aims to end his time with GoEleven Ducati with a rostrum finish; he set a 1’39.028s. Fifth and sixth belonged to the Lowes brothers, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) ahead of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). The #14 set a 1’39.048s, while Alex was around a tenth and a half slower in P6.

    Rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished the session in seventh with Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) ending his final FP1 session in eighth ahead of former title rival Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). Rea set a 1’39.576s as he claimed P8 while Bautista was more than a second back from Bulega’s pacesetting time. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) rounded out the top ten.

    Nicholas Spinelli’s (Barni Spark Racing Team) return to WorldSBK got off to a bad start when he crashed at Turn 1 in FP1, although the #24 was okay. He finished the session in 23rd place with a 1’41.556s. Wildcard Lukas Tulovic (Team Triple M Ducati Frankfurt) also crashed at Turn 1 in the final 10 minutes of the session. He finished in 20th.

    The top six from WorldSBK FP1, full results here:

    1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’38.587s

    2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.088s

    3. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +0.422s

    4. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) +0.441s

    5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.461s

    6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.618s

    Don’t miss anything from the remainder of the Spanish Round, including FP2 at 15:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – for only €9.99!