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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid moved to Donington Park for Round 7 of the season as the second half of the year gets underway. The title race is well and truly on with just nine points between the top two, while there’s also a lot of silly season talk to discuss with a couple of renewals announced recently and, still, some big names without a 2026 seat. We’ve gathered the best quotes from Thursday at the Prosecco DOC UK Round.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I know that if I can land a hat-trick, I will be the Championship leader”

Discussing his Donington hopes, ‘El Turco’ stated: “I’m happy to be back at Donington because it’s my favourite track. I’m a little bit sad because this is my last race weekend here. I’m happy, but I’m also stressed because I need to win in my last round here at this circuit. The season started very strangely, I didn’t start very strong, but it looks like now we are coming back, I’m feeling stronger and also more relaxed because my future is decided for the next two years. It seems we're back to being really strong every race weekend. I’m just trying to focus on only riding the bike. I know that if I can land a hat-trick, I will be the Championship leader.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “I don’t want to come into the round thinking I am at a disadvantage”

Bulega leads the Championship heading to Donington, and he said: “The weather is very nice, which is strange for Britain, but we’re happy. If you look at it historically, it might not be Ducati’s best track, but if you look at this year, things have been different. At Cremona, the story was different; we didn’t think it was my best track, but I won three races, pole position, and set a lap record. I don’t want to come into the round thinking I am at a disadvantage, and I will do my best like always.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “We’ll get Donington under our belt and then really understand what the future looks like”

On his home round and his future, Rea said: “Donington was probably my strongest round last year, alongside Estoril. I really enjoyed the bike. I feel like my season’s just starting after missing the first few rounds. Right now, we’re still building the momentum into the year. In racing, things can change quickly, with a small confidence boost. It’s important that we really attack Friday in the right way and make the right steps; in the last two rounds, we lost FP1. Right now, it’s too early. It’s like a top-down effect; Toprak and Bulega got fixed but normally you don’t start talking about the future until the summer break at least. For me, it’s too early. We’ll get Donington under our belt and then really understand what the future looks like.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “My first target is to keep racing, and my second target is to keep racing in WorldSBK”

Bautista is another without a contract for 2026, and he said: “It’s always nice to be here, Donington was my favourite track when I was racing back in 125cc and 250cc. I have lots of positive memories here, but now with WorldSBK it’s different; when it was resurfaced a couple of years ago, it improved a lot, and riding here became even more fun. I’m still free, I don’t have any contract, but for sure we are speaking to some manufacturers, but still nothing on the table. I think I can be calm because my performance is good, so I think if you’re fast, precise and performing on the track, you have more options to race next year. Fortunately, there are lots of bikes available for next year, so I’m not super worried about that. The bigger problem for me is talking to other manufacturers and discussing how to manage the kilos I have to add to the bike. With Ducati as well, the door is not closed, so we need to keep speaking and let’s see what happens. My first target is to keep racing, and my second target is to keep racing in WorldSBK.”

Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team): “I don’t see a reason why we can’t be strong this weekend”

Fresh from a Misano podium, Alex Lowes believes hotter conditions help the Bimota KB998 Rimini: “It’s a home race for me, living very close to the track, so that’s always nice; a few more family and friends coming to support us. The last weekends have been, more or less, our best of the year from a competitiveness point of view. You have to be careful not to expect too much, but if we have the feeling we had in the last races, I think we can do a good job. You always hope, as part of a new project, that you can improve as the season goes on. Seeing that, in effect, we are getting better is nice. I’ll try to be on the podium every weekend; that’s my target. I don’t see a reason why we can’t be strong this weekend. Last year was strong, but the temperatures were a lot cooler. I think the KB998 is better in hot conditions, in my opinion, so I don’t think that’ll go against us.”

Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Action): “We haven’t shown where we can be, but I think the top 10 is where I need to be”

Home hero Redding revealed his goals for Donington: “I’m really excited. It’s always a great atmosphere here at Donington, and it looks like we’re going to have great weather too. It’s been difficult because, I think, Phillip Island was a false level of what we’re able to do. We went there, and everyone had the same amount of testing. It’s a track we don’t really go to, so it was quite level. I knew when we’d come back to Europe, it would be difficult. I pushed a lot to test at Portimao, but it didn’t happen, and from there it was difficult. I’m doing big tests during the race weekend with the bike setup. Sometimes it works okay, sometimes it’s not. We haven’t shown where we can be, but I think the top 10 is where I need to be. For next year, I don’t know. It’s a difficult situation to be in. The plan is to finish the 2025 WorldSBK season.”

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “I’d like to be in WorldSBK, but I think I’m a bit older for what they’re looking for; I’m not on that list, unfortunately… but if they want to talk with me, they know where I am!”

Another race winner without a confirmed 2026 seat, Petrucci said: “I was expecting to feel a bit cooler here, but it’s really sunny and hot! It’ll be more difficult because this track is quite physical; a lot of changes of direction and braking areas. I think we’ll be fighting for a top five, and this is our target. I’d really like to know about my future. I’m happy for Yari. For me, there’s a lot of talking. First of all, I’m a rider and I always want the fastest bikes. My bike is one of the fastest on the grid. I think we won’t know this weekend, but maybe in the near future we’ll have some information. It’s like a dream to be in the factory seat also in WorldSBK, as I was a factory rider for Ducati in MotoGP. I’d like to be also in WorldSBK, but I think I’m a bit older for what they’re looking for; I’m not on that list, unfortunately, but if they want to talk with me, they know where I am!”

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team): “The biggest thing I’d like is a bit more cornering speed”

With a 2026 contract in his bag, Gerloff revealed his hopes for Kawasaki in the future: “The biggest thing I’d like is a bit more cornering speed, the bike has good acceleration and stops really well, but it’s one thing I’ve been trying to put in their ear as a potential direction we could go. Of course, they have a great track record with the bike, and they have won Championships with more or less this bike, but I think it would make all of our lives a bit easier. I'd love to have a teammate next year. I have the data from Alex and Axel last year, but so many things are different. I could compare a race to last year's race, but the weather, wind direction, tyre compounds, so many factors can be different that you can see a discrepancy in the data, but you don't know what it's from exactly. It's hard to use that data all the time, but if I had a teammate on the same bike, same day, it would be better.”

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “I feel like I’ve taken a big step up from last year. I hope I can keep doing that and keep building”

A two-year deal for Sam Lowes, who said: “I’m obviously very happy to continue with the Marc VDS Team. In my second year with the team in WorldSBK after coming from Moto2, I feel some really nice continuity. I still feel like I have a lot to learn, a lot to adapt, a lot to improve, and this year I feel like I’ve taken a big step up from last year. I hope I can continue doing that and build for next year. I’m really grateful to the team for this opportunity, and it's nice to get to improve and work over the next two years. It’s the first time for me to have a two-year deal, and as I’m getting closer to the end of my career, it’s nice to be free of any outside noise to be able to focus on these next two years.”

Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing): "Let’s try to get our first top 10 result, and then maybe we can try for a further two”

A first home round in WorldSBK for Vickers, who outlined his top 10 objective: "Let’s try to get our first top 10 result, and then maybe we can try for a further two; I know we’re going to be in the fight. Really excited, it’s great to call Donington my home round now. It’s my first year here in the World Championship, and it’s really nice to come back to the UK, see family and friends, and really excited to ride here. We’ve been progressing each round, closing in on the top 10 every time. I know the circuit here very well, so that will help a lot. This is the first time this year that I am arriving to a venue already knowing the circuit. In terms of results, I thought it would be better, but we have just to keep progressing. I’m riding the bike better and the team are understanding me, making the bike better every time. That’s all I can focus on.”

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