With the EICMA Estoril Round in the rear-view mirror, the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship still hangs in the balance. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) locked horns with their usual determination, with Razgatlioglu taking the first two races and Bulega closing the weekend with a Race 2 win. Fans will have to wait for the final round of the season to see which of the title rival pair will be crowned 2025 Champion.

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT: “It was difficult because I was setting strong lap times, but he was making me push while not making mistakes”

‘El Turco’ started his Sunday strong, topping the morning’s Warm Up session as well as claiming a significant 12 points for his Superpole Race victory. In the race, he had a slower jump off the line than he usually enjoys, and he was beaten into the first corner by both factory Ducatis: Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). On the ‘Parabolica Interior’ Turn 6 of the opening lap, he made his move on Bautista for P2. By Lap 3, he had closed the gap to the #11, passing him on Turn 1. From there, the Turk put the hammer down, and with metronomically consistent pace, he steamed away from the field for the win.

On his Superpole Race win, Razgatlioglu said: “The Superpole Race for me had a difficult start, but after that I was able to fight in the first two laps with Nicolo. After that, I was just focused on my pace. It was difficult because I was setting strong lap times, but he was making me push while not making mistakes because he was fast as well. In the end, I won the Superpole Race, but Race 2 was more difficult."

CUTTING HIS LOSSES: “First, the front tyre started to drop, which I could manage… then I felt the bike chattering a lot”

Race 2 proved to be a taller order for the Turkish defending Champion. While Estoril is one of several circuits on the schedule where he has won the most races of all time, it is also true that the track’s long straight plays into the favour of his Ducati-powered rival. Further complicating things, the #1 had poor jump off the line, leaving him mired down in P5 by the end of the first lap. He made quick work of Bautista, Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in front of him to climb to P2. Still, by then, Bulega was a small dot on the horizon, and ran away with the race to leave Razgatlioglu with P2.

On his Race 2, Razgatlioglu said: "When I was in second place, I was pushing so hard in every lap trying to catch Bulega that I destroyed my rear tyre. The last 6-7 laps, I started to drop. First, the front tyre started to drop, which I could manage, but when the rear tyre started to drop as well, it became very difficult to handle. I felt the bike chattering a lot, the tyres dropped a lot, and I just decided, ‘ok’, it will be impossible to win, P2 is enough, I just need good points for the Championship. We have some margin now, but we will see in Jerez.”

Catch the final instalment of the Razgatlioglu-Bulega rivalry in the final round of the 2025 season next week at Jerez! Watch live or on demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!