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Riding out from the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders are already beginning their preparations for next season’s campaign. However, while the teams and their riders are already plotting their next steps in 2026, there’s still a veritable buffet of food for thought regarding the 2025 campaign.

A RACE OF THEIR OWN: #1 and #11 were largely the only riders who could keep the other off the top step of the podium

The Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) vs. Toprak Razgatlioglu rivalry picked up from 2024 with the same intensity and even more speed. After a sputtering start from Razgatlioglu with two non-scoring races to close Phillip Island, Razgatlioglu’s title defense with the BMW factory team looked like a very shaky prospect. He responded well with a hat trick at Portimao, and his first win in the wet at Assen despite struggles for both him and Bulega that round. After Assen, it was only either ‘Bulegas’ or ‘El Turco’ atop the rostrum for the rest of the season. That dominant pace led to many stunning battles between the pair as they fought for P1 with a considerable margin ahead of the pack. In the end, it was Toprak’s dominant run of midseason form that saw him undefeated from Misano in June to Aragon in September which proved decisive in the title battle, exacerbated by an unfortunate Tissot Superpole Race DNF for Bulega at Misano, then missing the points in P13 at Balaton. Their rivalry pushed each other to become better riders but Razgatlioglu emerged victorious to claim his second consecutive title, and third WorldSBK Riders’ Championship overall. Now, despite the pair fighting for the spotlight for just two years, their WorldSBK rivalry ends with 31 races having finished first and second in whichever order, tying the historic Jonathan Rea-Chaz Davies rivalry, which ended with the same number of times occupying the top two steps of the podium.

SAM LOWES STEPS IT UP: The Englishman found another gear in 2025

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) showed his speed on many occasions during his 2024 rookie season in WorldSBK after making the jump from Moto2; however, struggles for consistent results amid injuries and crashes mitigated his successes and left him with an 18th-place finish in the Riders’ Championship. 2025, on the other hand, was a year of massive growth for the Lincolnshire rider. He landed his first podium and pole position at Assen and would go on to increase his rostrum result tally to five over the rest of his sophomore season. Despite Razgatlioglu and Bulega’s mercurial pace making up for the dominant majority, the #14 led the fifth most laps this season; one of only seven riders to see daylight from the front of the pack this season.

TOUGH SLEDDING FOR OTHERS: Several riders didn’t quite match their 2024 marks

Some riders didn’t quite have Sam Lowes' or the title rivals’ same soaring season. Michael van der Mark’s 2025 season didn’t quite reach the two-podium, one-win heights of his 2024 campaign, and stepping away from the full-time paddock, he is set to stay with the BMW team but in a test rider capacity. Andrea Iannone who was riding with Team Pata Go Eleven also didn’t quite reach his high-water mark from last season; while he started with a podium double in Australia, and closed the campaign on the rostrum at Jerez, he struggled with injuries and inconsistent form throughout the meat of the season. Before the announcement of his blockbuster move to Aruba.it Ducati for 2026, Iker Lecuona was another rider who, while he was expected to continue his encouraging trajectory with his Honda HRC team, unfortunately found himself plagued by injuries again and finished P13 after his 2024 P12. A major factor was that he competed in only 25 of the 36 races, four fewer than last season; however, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati has given the #7 their vote of confidence, signing him for next season to race alongside Bulega.

BIMOTA BACK WITH A VENGEANCE: The returning manufacturer showed their platform’s potential

Guim Roda and most of the people involved with the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team were very measured during the season regarding their expectations for 2025’s return to WorldSBK competition, but as the season continued, there were more and more encouraging signs from the Rimini-based factory team. Alex Lowes brought glory to his team at Misano, where he landed the manufacturer’s first podium in 25 years, before landing a podium triple at Magny-Cours. The KB998 Rimini looks to be in good hands with its Bimota team, and early indications for 2026, based on testing times at Jerez, suggest the other riders at the front may need to keep their heads on a swivel.

RIDING OFF INTO THE SUNSET: Jonathan Rea hangs up the leathers after 18 seasons

Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea was unable to finish his star-studded career from a podium position where we have so often seen him throughout his 18 years of WorldSBK greatness after suffering a sprained right knee in Race 1 of the final round. His collision with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) meant he couldn’t close out his career from the tarmac, but his tear-jerking press conference preceding the round on Thursday instead came as the six-time World Champion’s swan song.

2026’S FIRST TEST EVENT: Jerez saw Ducati riders lead the way, encouraging signs from Yamaha’s new faces

Just two days after the end of the 2025 season, several of the field’s teams hung around the paddock at Jerez, to participate in the offseason’s first pair of testing days. On both days of the test, Bulega and  his new teammate  for next season Lecuona rode the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R, the first time on the bike for Lecuona. They and the bike both impressed, coming up to speed quickly to sit P1 and P2 on the combined timesheets. Bimota riders Alex Lowes and teammate Axel Bassani both looked fast as they continue the work on developing their platform ahead of the KB998’s sophomore 2026 season. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) both donned their blue leathers for the first time as WorldSBK riders, impressing in their sole Day 1 of testing, joined by returning rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), who took P8 on the combined timesheets despite not participating on Day 2. In 2026, the grid’s only Turkish rider will be joined by Mattia Rato, who made his debut on track with the team at the test.

Watch all of 2025’s best moments, full and uncut or streamlined into highlight cuts with the WorldSBK VideoPass!