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FRIDAY REPORT: Bulega fastest on Friday with 1’35s lap, Razgatlioglu second as Bimota show potential

Friday, 10 October 2025 15:07 GMT

    • Three manufacturers were in the top free after Friday at Estoril, with Ducati leading the way ahead of BMW and Bimota

    Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) set the pace on Friday at the Circuito Estoril in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he looks to claw back valuable points over the EICMA Estoril Round on rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). The #11 was the only rider in the 1’35s bracket while ‘El Turco’ put in some impressive race pace during the afternoon session.

    BULEGA SETS THE FASTEST TIME: The only rider in the 1’35s bracket

    Bulega left it until the final 10 minutes to show his hand after he posted a remarkable 1’35.778s, with the #11 completing shorter stints compared to Razgatlioglu. Bulega was the first rider to hit the 1’35s bracket, with his time two tenths quicker than the #1’s. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) was the second-fastest Ducati on Friday as he finished in fifth. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was eighth with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in 12th. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) was ninth overall as the highest-placed rider not to improve his time in FP2; he was one of only two riders not to go quicker in the afternoon with his FP1 time of 1’36.631s enough for a top-ten finish. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Action) claimed 16th spot ahead of rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) in 17th. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) competed in FP1 and was classified 14th overall, however he was declared unfit with a right hand injury after the opening session.

    RAZGATLIOGLU'S INCREDIBLE RACE PACE: A bundle of laps in the 1’36s

    Razgatlioglu had topped FP1 on Friday morning and he backed that up in FP2 by claiming top honours overall on Friday, topping the second session as well. He set a 1’36.010s as cemented his place towards the top of the timesheets; however, it was Razgatlioglu’s race pace which caught the eye as he did a race simulation in FP2 with the majority of his laps in the low 1’36s. Teammate Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in 15th place, 1.3 seconds down on Bulega’s pace.

    STRONG START FOR BIMOTA: P3 and P4 for Alex Lowes and Bassani

    Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the lead Honda rider on Friday as he secured P7 as the only rider on the CBR1000RR-R machine inside the top ten. Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) finished in 18th but it was his FP1 time that was his best with a 1’37.103s, after he lost a lot of running after a Turn 2 crash in FP2. The #7 was declared fit after a post-FP1 medical check on his return from injury. Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) showed good pace in FP2 but his day was disrupted by a crash at Turn 11, costing him valuable running time after he completed 12 laps with the #53 classified in 19th. Wildcard Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) was 22nd with Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) 23rd.

    REA LEADS YAMAHA CHARGE: Is the #65 in the podium fight?

    Six-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) has shown quick pace throughout the start of the weekend, finishing sixth in FP2 and in the combined classification, with a 1’36.539s. That put him seven tenths down on Bulega’s pacesetting effort but he finished as the lead Yamaha rider, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) the next R1 rider in tenth. He was just 0.030s quicker than Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in 11th, while Michael Rinaldi (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu were 20th and 21st respectively and American wildcard Bobby Fong (Attack Performance Yamaha Racing) was 22nd after setting a 1’37.940s.

    VIERGE IN THE TOP 10, LECUONA DECLARED FIT: Mixed day for the Japanese manufacturer

    Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the lead Honda rider on Friday as he secured P7 as the only rider on the CBR1000RR-R machine inside the top ten. Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) finished in 18th but it was his FP1 time that was his best with a 1’37.103s, after he lost a lot of running after a Turn 2 crash in FP2. The #7 was declared fit after a post-FP1 medical check on his return from injury. Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) showed good pace in FP2 but his day was disrupted by a crash at Turn 11, costing him valuable running time after he completed 12 laps with the #53 classified in 19th. Wildcard Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) was 22nd with Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) 23rd.

    JUST MISSING OUT: Gerloff narrowly outside the top 10

    Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has enjoyed success at Estoril in the past and he’ll be hoping to utilise this on Saturday after finishing Friday in 13th place. The #31 set a 1’36.743s as he finished just a tenth away from the top ten, showing how close the WorldSBK field is on Friday at Estoril.

    The top six from Friday’s WorldSBK action, full results here:

    1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 1’35.778s
    2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.232s
    3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.570s
    4. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.623s
    5. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) +0.647s
    6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.761

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