Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) closed Friday’s FP2 at the Pirelli Spanish Round in P4, an unusually low placement for the two-time World Champion as he looks to cap off a third. His main challenger for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), looked at his usual Jerez best, casting Toprak’s dream of a Race 1 win, which would name him 2025 Champion, into doubt.

SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER STEP: “It’s not so bad now, but the level is slower than Bulega. We need just a slightly better setup”

‘El Turco’ Friday pace to start the day saw him outpaced by nine hundreds of a second. This would be no cause for alarm there, as the different weather conditions compared to the baseline which he and his BMW team already had recorded at the Jerez test earlier this summer. However, then, in the afternoon’s Free Practice 2, he saw himself slide to P4, behind independent Ducatis Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) and his time increased in the afternoon by half a second. While he still has his considerable points lead, the #1 will hope for a step in the upcoming FP3.

On his Friday performance, Razgatlioglu said: “It wasn’t a fantastic start on Friday, but I’m trying to do my best. We did one day of testing here, and it felt much better than it did today. The weather is different now, and it’s less hot, which has changed the bike’s feeling a lot. Now we’re trying to find the best setup for the race. Even in FP2, I wasn’t very happy; we still need to find the right setup. It’s not so bad now, but the level is slower than Bulega. We need just a slightly better setup. We’ll see tomorrow, we have one more chance to configure the bike again.”

RACE 1 ASPIRATIONS: “Bulega’s pace is very strong. If we improve tomorrow, maybe we will be fighting in the race.”

After a dominant 2025 tour de force earlier in the season, which saw Razgatlioglu tie the all-time consecutive wins record, which he himself set last year. That consistent dominance has given Razgatlioglu a 39-point lead, which he brings into the three final races at Jerez. The biggest question at the moment is whether Toprak can get his package figured out by Saturday’s Race 1, where he will have his first chance of the weekend to clinch the title.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Razgatlioglu said: “I think Bulega topped both sessions because he’s always strong at this track, and I think he’ll be strong again in the Superpole session. I’ll be doing my best again tomorrow, maybe we’re competing with the lap times. I’m more focused on the races after hopefully we qualify well. If I’m speaking realistically, winning the Championship on Saturday doesn’t look easy. Bulega’s pace is very strong. If we improve tomorrow, maybe we will be fighting in the race.”

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