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OUTSPOKEN AHEAD OF JEREZ: "I know Bulega will be faster than me… We never give up… It’s been an epic battle"

Thursday, 16 October 2025 13:47 GMT

The title is on the line while there are also some emotional farewells on the cards at the season-ending Pirelli Spanish Round

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rolls to the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia, for the final round of 2025. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) are still fighting for the title while Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) prepares for an emotional farewell. We’ve gathered the best quotes from the last Thursday of the season below…

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I've won the title twice, but never my deciding race, I'm always P2 but lifting the title”

Ahead of Jerez where he could be crowned a three-time Champion, Razgatlioglu said: "I'm a little bit happy but also sad. I really love WorldSBK. This is my last round; I may come back here again, but I don't know. So, it's a little bit of a sad weekend. Anyway, I'm very focused on winning the title; it's very important to me. Today is my birthday. I'm happy, just waiting for Friday because I'm really bored and really looking forward to getting back on the bike after Estoril. This weekend, I know Bulega will be very strong here, especially at this track. Last year I won the last race. We will be strong too, but we need to keep an eye on Bulega. I know he will be faster than me, but we can still fight for the win again. I'm focused on winning the race; I've won the title twice, but never won the deciding race. I'm always P2 but lifting the title. This time, I think, why not? Right now, winning on Saturday is my target. Sam Lowes is strong here; Alvaro might be strong too. Mikey is a really good guy. I'm really happy to have worked with him with Yamaha and BMW; I've learned a lot from him. I've really enjoyed our time at BMW. He helped me learn English, and we’ve spent a lot of time together. Now, he's leaving WorldSBK, I'm going to MotoGP, and  Jonathan Rea is retiring. It's a sad year for WorldSBK, many riders moving. I'm really happy to have fought with Jonathan Rea these years. Fighting with him for the title was amazing because being able to compete in his prime and win a title was incredible. I learned a lot from him on and off the track. Thank you so much to Mikey and Jonny. We're friends, and it makes me sad that this is our last round for everyone.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “I don't know if Toprak is feeling the pressure, but for me the only thing I'm focusing on is winning so he can't win on Saturday”

Previewing the title decider at Jerez, Bulega said: "We know it will be difficult, but we never give up. The only thing to do now is to try to win because Toprak is very strong. We hope it will be enough, but we'll see. I don't know if Toprak is feeling the pressure, but for me the only thing I'm focusing on is winning so he can't win on Saturday. If I try to postpone his chance to win the title until Sunday, it will for sure put more pressure, but it's all I can do. The idea that someone would be helping me win the title makes me laugh. That idea is something incredible to me. This year when I was racing, I was always the first Ducati, so how could anyone help me if they're not in front of me? I don't know if I'm the favourite this weekend. This is a track that I like; it's my third favourite. I made my first podium back when I was in Moto3 here. I won two races here last year and was leading the third before the red flag. I will give everything this weekend.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “The ideal ending is to go out winning a race but we’re so far away from that”

Rea’s last round as a full-time rider comes from Jerez, and he said: “Right now, I feel excited to start the weekend and do a really good job. It’s been nice in the last few rounds; I’ve felt a little bit more competitive and raced near the top five. I’m just trying to put the emotions of the future and what’s happening next on hold until Sunday. It’s very apt that I bookend my career here in WorldSBK. It’s a track I haven't had the best feelings or moments with, but it did include landmark moments like winning my first title. We still have more races to give everything we can and reward Yamaha in a great way. In difficult moments, they’ve given me 100% support throughout. The ideal ending is to go out winning a race, but we’re so far away from that, to be honest. We’ve been smelling the podium in the last races. I’ll give 100% every lap until the end and reward the team for their hard work. I’ve not been part of the Championship battle, but it’s been an epic battle. There’s been some great races throughout the season.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “It’s always emotional because we had some really good seasons, got two Championships, a lot of victories and podiums”

A last round in factory Ducati red for Bautista, who said: “It’s always very special to race in Spain, and to finish the season at home is nice, to have the support from my family and friends and my fan club. We have a good feeling from the last round where we were quite consistent. Our target is to fight for third in the Championship, so we’ll try not to make mistakes, like Estoril, and try to be focused and get the maximum. I’m sorry for Danilo because it’s not the best way to defend third in the standings. I have to congratulate him because he had an amazing season. Locatelli’s very strong here. He was on the podium a couple of times. It’ll be difficult. We have to keep the same feeling from Estoril. It’s always emotional because we had some really good seasons, got two Championships, a lot of victories and podiums. The relationship with the team has been amazing; it was like a family. I’m a bit sad about this. It’ll be interesting to see from the outside. I remember when I fought for the Championship in 2023. I won it here, and we were in a very similar situation. I was leading by a big margin; it’s what Toprak has now. I think Toprak will want to win the races, but I don’t know if he’ll take a lot of risks. On the other side, Nicolo has to win; there’s nothing else he can do. He’s very fast at this track.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “I want to wish Jonathan good luck this weekend and for the rest of his life after WorldSBK”

Aiming to finish third in the world, Locatelli stated: "Unfortunately, this is now the last round; it's been a good season for us. There were a few difficult weekends, but we've been doing good work, pushing hard each time, and earned a few podiums. It's never been easy, this category is really hard with three races every weekend, but we need to be proud of the work we've done and our trying our best each time on track. Coming into Jerez, I have positive memories here, a few podiums including Race 1 last year, so the focus will be on enjoying being on track and doing my best. It'll be a nice last round; we have an opportunity to fight with Alvaro for third place in the Championship. When I started the season, I was never thinking about this possibility. It'll be a special weekend for everyone for a lot of reasons: fighting for third, the title fight, Jonny's retirement. We'll try to enjoy this round because, in the end, it was a nice season for us. I want to wish Jonathan good luck this weekend and for the rest of his life after WorldSBK. Toprak and Bulega both have had amazing seasons, they've fought in every track, in every race. Toprak got unlucky in Australia, then Bulega got unlucky in Assen, so I think the balance is quite close. It will be interesting to see what happens, but I think Toprak has a bit more control because of his big gap in points.”

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “I was already dreaming about the celebration after the race for third place, and to say farewell to Barni”

Speaking about missing out on the Jerez round, Petrucci said: “I feel sad about this end of the season, it’s really bad luck. A stupid accident at the gym, and it’s become a disaster for my Championship. My hand already had a lot of screws and plates. I tried last week at Estoril. The situation was getting worse, so I had surgery. Now, it’s not possible for me to ride. I’m so sorry to everyone. I can move my hand and it’s quite good, but it’s not enough to ride the bike. We decided not to race and cancel the test (with BMW) on Tuesday, and I’ll ride hopefully at 100% at the end of November at Jerez. It’s the most disappointing way to finish this season. I was already dreaming about the celebration after the race for third place, and to say farewell to Barni. Maybe this is a sign that maybe we’ll race together with Barni again in the future, to have a lost race together. I hope it’ll be the same when Spinelli replaces me! I have a good relationship with Toprak and Bulega. I’m torn because next year I’ll race with BMW, this year with Ducati. I’m friends with Nicolo and have a good relationship with Toprak. They’ve shown another level this year.”

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m not sad, it feels special to me… I always had fun here in WorldSBK”

Looking ahead to his final round as a full-time rider, van der Mark said: “I’m ready and looking forward to my final weekend! It’s been a nice couple of years here; we’ve had many ups and downs, but most of all, I've always had fun here in WorldSBK. I’m not sad; it feels special to me. It will be my final weekend as a full-time WorldSBK rider, but I’m not saying I won’t be back on the grid a couple of times. We haven’t confirmed anything yet, but for sure, the possibility is there. 11 seasons in WorldSBK, that makes me feel old! Like I said before, we had highs and lows, but the most important thing is that I was always enjoying it. Time flies when you’re having fun. My best memory was for sure winning my world title here in Jerez, but there are so many special memories. I have no doubt that Toprak will win the Championship.” 

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