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FRIDAY REPORT: Razgatlioglu beats title rival Bulega overall on Friday, #11 quickest in FP2

Friday, 26 September 2025 14:03 GMT

    • Bulega was the fastest rider in the afternoon at MotorLand Aragon, but he still finished around four tenths down on Razgatlioglu’s best time that he set in FP1

    Friday honours were split between Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) on Friday at MotorLand Aragon as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on Spain. ‘El Turco’ set the pace in the morning FP1 session for the Tissot Aragon Round, before ‘Bulegas’ responded in FP2; with Razgatlioglu’s opening effort from Free Practice 1 the fastest time of the day.

    RAZGATLIOGLU FASTEST, VAN DER MARK FIFTH: strong day for both BMWs

    Razgatlioglu focused on race pace in the early part of FP2 and he was still able to post times good enough for FP1, with his lap times mostly in the 1’48s or 1’49s brackets as he showed both relentless pace and stunning consistency. His final time in his 11-lap run was a 1’48.748s which put him at the head of the field, before he slowed down and appeared to be checking something on the back of the bike. He returned to the track later on and set a 1’48.385s, finishing second in the session and first overall; he was one of two riders not to improve in FP2. Teammate Michael van der Mark was also in the top six as he set a 1’49.116s, claiming P6, on a strong day for the German manufacturer.

    BULEGA TOPS FP2: closing the gap to his rival…

    Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) was the fastest rider in Free Practice 2 after setting a 1’48.736s, 0.012s faster than Razgatlioglu’s time in the afternoon session although still four tenths away from the #1’s fastest time overall. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was third with a 1’48.997s while Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) made it three Ducatis in the top five. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed P7 while Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) was ninth. Out of the top ten, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) and Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Action) were line astern in 16th, 17th and 18th.

    BASSANI ON TOP AT BIMOTA: a late crash for Alex Lowes

    Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) headed up the Bimota charge on Friday at Aragon as he finished in 10th place, one place and 0.020s clear of teammate Alex Lowes, after setting a 1’49.327s. Lowes lost a few minutes of running at the end of the session after a crash at Turn 8.

    LOCATELLI LEAVES IT LATE: #55 claims P4

    Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) left it late to post a 1’49.086s as he claimed P4, leading Yamaha’s charge with a relatively big margin over his stablemates. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was just outside the top ten as the #65 finished in 12th with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 13th and 15th respectively. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) had a delayed start to FP2 but finished the session in 20th, directly ahead of teammate Michael Rinaldi.

    VIERGE IN THE TOP TEN: leading Honda’s charge

    A late lap from Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) meant he surged up to P4, but dropped down the order in FP2 to finish just inside the top ten with eighth place. This weekend, his teammate is Tommy Bridewell, with the Brit finished in 22nd place as he adapts to the WorldSBK-spec CBR1000RR-R Machine. Elsewhere at Honda, Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) was 19th and Zaqhwan Zaidi (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) was 23rd.

    GERLOFF STRONG ON FRIDAY: can he climb into the top ten?

    Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) was fighting inside the top ten during both practice sessions on Friday, finishing the day in 13th in the combined classification. The #31 has two podiums at MotorLand Aragon for two different manufacturers already and will be hoping strong race pace puts him in contention.

    The top six from Friday at Aragon, full results here:

    1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’48.385s
    2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.351s
    3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.612s
    4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.701s
    5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.714s
    6. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.731s

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